The Tacoma was built in Port Fairy

More than 70 years ago the Tacoma was built in Port Fairy by three ambitious brothers.

Brothers Bill, Allan and Hughie Haldane built the the 84-foot vessel and cemented their role in the town's history when it sailed to Adelaide and onto Port Lincoln in the 1950s.

Bill's son Ross was in Port Fairy on the weekend to continue plans to bring the boat back to Port Fairy to ensure a part of the town's maritime history is preserved.

"I sailed on the boat when I left Port Fairy as a four-and-a-half-year-old," he said.

Ross is the president of the Tacoma Preservation Society and said there had been a number of attempts over the years to bring the boat back for a celebration.

"We had a previous attempt and things didn't work in our favour," he said.

"We had another attempt a couple of years ago and COVID sort of got in the road so we're back having a third crack at it

"We've just been out on the river and there are some physical constraints of us actually getting in, which we're aware of.

"We just need to make sure we physically can get in because the water depth of the Port of Port Fairy is tight.

"In the work we've done it looks as though it would be beneficial if some dredging was done at some strategic spots and that would facilitate our arrival."

Ross said discussions had indicated there would be some dredging done in the near future which would give him a better indication of the conditions underwater.

He said plans were under way for an arrival around Easter 2024 when they could take advantage of high tides with talks around having a community celebration.

"It's part of Port Fairy's maritime history," Ross said.

"We're very keen to have some legacy remain. Our observations of Port Fairy is it's a fishing town like Port Lincoln that has declined and it's no longer a bustling active fishing port - there's lots of other things happening."

But he said it would be good if the maritime history could be preserved.

"The reality is a lot of this is lost so quickly it just fades.

"Hopefully our visit will lead to a positive legacy and that's the purpose."

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