SPIRIT OF AUSTRALIA the World's fastest boat
Date1978
Object number00004445
NameBadge
MediumCloth
DimensionsOverall: 79 x 127 mm
ClassificationsClothing and personal items
Credit LineANMM Collection Gift from Ken Warby
DescriptionA cloth embroidered badge reading `SPIRIT OF AUSTRALIA the world's fastest boat' with an outline of the hydroplane underneath.
HistorySPIRIT OF AUSTRALIA is an Australian designed and built jet-powered, wooden, 3-point hydroplane that has held the world water-speed record since 1977. Breaking both the 300 mph and 500 km/h barriers, SPIRIT OF AUSTRALIA raised the world record to 511kph in 1978 at Blowering Dam near Tumut NSW.
Ken Warby, SPIRIT OF AUSTRALIA's designer, builder and driver, achieved his world water-speed records on a shoestring budget. Warby built his hydroplane over two years in the backyard of his suburban Sydney home, using stringers, brackets, stock bits of timber, plywood, screws, epoxy and a military-surplus jet engine that cost $65. He eventually launched the boat in 1974.
SignificanceThis badge is an example of the marketing and memorabilia produced for SPIRIT OF AUSTRALIA during the 1970s.
