The godfather of Furneaux Freight
• Bridport’s Matthew Bayles in front of the Matthew Flinders.
January 22, 2020
Bridport’s Matthew Bayles grew up alongside fishermen and boats, helping his mum and dad who worked at the Safcol fish factory from a young age.
The Safcol factory was housed in the current Furneaux Freight building and it was there he cut his teeth making boxes for fish to be packed, frozen and ready for export.
As time went on he began to work in the factory processing fish, before starting scallop splitting, which quickly became second nature.
“Most of my life has been in that building, and splitting scallops was a big one,” he said.
“I built my first house out of splitting scallops. I’d get off the school bus here and split of a night time and on weekends.
“The old man was a manager and I would take home more money that he would at the end of the week,” he laughed.
After leaving school Mr Bayles continued to work at the fish factory for a while, before taking a job at the Legerwood Butter Factory.
Later he fixed cars, owned and operated a service station in Bridport, and bought his own boat and went fishing.
After several boats began leaving Bridport and the future of the Bridport slipway was in question, Mr Bayles stepped in.
“I thought we can’t lose the slipway, that’s the main part of Bridport. So I bought the slip,” he said.
“That went well, we had a lot of business and after three or four years running the slip it quietened off a bit and the opportunity came up to service Flinders Island.”
The state government called for tenders for a freight service to Flinders Island.
After several unsuccessful tenders were put forward by other parties, Mr Bayles and his wife Colleen put their hat in the ring in 1993, proposing a new, purpose-built boat working out of Bridport and servicing the Furneaux Group of Islands.
They called on local tradespeople to build the boat, which they completed in around six months and launched in December 1995.
The launch was a momentous day for the region, with a crowd of 4,000 people coming to see the launch of the Matthew Flinders III.
The development was the subject of controversy on Flinders Island at the time however and not everyone was supportive of the development of containerised shipping or a Roll on Roll off vessel operating out of Bridport.
“It took a long time to get the locals on side but it’s good now,” Mr Bayles said.
25 years on, the service is still going strong, carting 50,000 head of sheep and about 26,000 head of cattle each year.
The Matthew Flinders III goes to Flinders every Monday with the groceries and general goods and everything else is on demand, which currently is around four trips a week.
“It’s changed the way things have been done having a shorter service to Flinders Island – it’s changed the way freight is handled and livestock is moved,” he said.
All the goods carted on the old shipping service came from Launceston, but Furneaux Freight being based in Bridport has opened up an opportunity for local North-East businesses.
Mr Bayles’ daughter Shannon Lovell is now the owner and operator of Furneaux Freight and he handles maintenance.
Around 20 boats a year come from around the country to their yard for maintenance, with the ability to get boats out of the water on trailers and move them around the yard for sandblasting, painting and other work.
They are currently building a new boat to replace the Matthew Flinders III, which is 35 metres long, 12 metres wide and carries about 500tonne.
Construction started on the Matthew Flinders IV two years ago and they hope to complete it this year.
It’s expected the cost will be around $5.5million, with all components hand built.
Matthew Flinders IV will have a licence to carry 36 passengers, which is triple the current licence.
Mr Bayles said this will likely be the last boat they build as it’s getting more difficult to get trained staff.
They currently employ 35 full time workers, including five of the original team who helped build the Matthew Flinders III.
At the height of the business, they employed around 90 people and with six boats under construction at once, they built boats in Launceston and Bridport.
Since the Matthew Flinders III, they have built another 30 odd fishing boats, Ro-Ro vessels and a few barges.
“My main aim originally when I first started at the slipway was to employ local people,” he said.
“I like doing that. It’s been really good for us and really good for the town.”
He laughed at the suggestion he had a business mind and said it was all out of necessity.
“It was never planned this way, it was just necessity and what I knew about boats originally. Flinders Island always had trouble getting things on and off the island,” he explained.
“I was a long way from being the sharpest tool in the shed going to school. It’s only hard work.
“The biggest part is the people around me. I’ve always had really good people and the town has been very supportive.”
Establishing the business hasn’t been without its challenges, but Mr Bayles said he wouldn’t have it any other way.
“I love the boats, love the challenge and just love employing the locals. The support from the Furneaux Group makes the job easier,” he said.
“All in all, it’s good for the area and that makes it worthwhile.”