CENTAUR TO SINGAPORE
Five decades ago there were still a number of passenger ships trading between Fremantle, Australia and the island nation of Singapore, where relatively cheap charter and scheduled air flights could be obtained to onward destinations. Towards the end of the 1970s this author took advantage of the situation by booking passage on Blue Funnel’s Centaur following an overland journey by train from Sydney.
The one-way fare in a four-berth cabin on B-Deck at the time was A$290 and I found that, by paying an extra A$10, I could board the ship on the evening of my arrival, dinner included, before departure for Singapore the following day.
was a unique ship. I was somewhat surprised the following morning when had been completed in 1964 by John Brown & Co, Clydebank as a replacement for two older ships, the pre-war built twins and , which were then retired.
