Built in 1936 and refurbished in 2017 at Cameron’s Boatshed, Balmain, the District Naval Officer’s Launch (DNOL 168), forms part of the Royal Australian Navy’s Heritage Collection.

The twin palms trees of Snapper Island can be seen in the background. The palm trees were planted in the late 1920s-early 1930s by Prime Minister Joseph Lyons as a gift to the new Sydney Training Depot and to honour it’s namesake HMAS Sydney I.

A later version of this style of motor launch, MB 172 (built 1937) is listed in the Australian Register of Historic Vessels and is currently owned by Mr Sean Langman, Managing Director of the Noakes Group.

A Balmain landmark, Cameron’s Boat Shed ceased operation in 2018. Happily, the original boat shed was purchased by Michael Bartley’s Shipwrights in 2021.

With thanks to sources linked above.