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Story: Australians

Crossing the Tasman in style

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Crossing the Tasman in style

Almost all travel between Australia and New Zealand since the 1960s has been by air. Before that, steamships provided a four or five-day service. After the Second World War, the Monowai and the Wanganella ran virtually as ferries. The mural in the first-class lounge of the Monowai, depicted in this sketch, merged images from Australian and New Zealand life.

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library

Reference: B-011-025

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page

John Wilson, Australians – Into the present, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/artwork/617/crossing-the-tasman-in-style (accessed 24 June 2026).

Story by John Wilson, published 4 March 2009, updated 1 July 2024.