Visitors may have sat in one of these duck-like vehicles, officially called Army DUKWs, if they had ever holidayed in Far North Queensland — or anywhere in the world that has a "duck tour".
What they may not have realised is that many such tourist boats were originally made for warfare — and that women were heavily involved in building the amphibious vehicle engines.
Army DUKWs were produced in the United States in the early to mid-1940s and used in World War II for the transportation of goods and troops over land and water.
What is believed to be the Southern Hemisphere's largest collection of army ducks is housed in Kuranda, near Cairns, at a pioneering tourism venture.
Its 12 boats are still in use, 80 years after they were made.
Women key to war efforts
Tour guide Murray Freeman has been driving army ducks at Rainforestation Nature Park since his first day almost 44 years ago.
He said the US factories that built army ducks during the war effort had up to 75 per cent women workers.
"As the men went over [to fight in WWII], the women jumped in and took their place and helped out with the war effort," he said.
"The women did everything — riveting to welding to installing major components.
"And from what I've been told a fair portion of the population in the engine manufacturing factory, which was a different factory, a fair amount of them were women as well."
'Designed to last'
More than 22,000 army ducks were built by General Motors between 1941 and 1945 in Michigan and Ohio.
"The vehicles we have at Rainforestation all have the original motors in them," Mr Freeman said.
Two full-time mechanics are on the payroll.
"We have problems that they didn't experience back in those days," he said.
"They didn't expect the vehicles to be in service long enough for a lot of the parts to wear out."
Mr Freeman said the ducks were highly suited to touring up and down steep tracks and in and out of water in the Kuranda rainforest.
"There's nothing to really replace the army ducks," he said.
"The six-wheel drive, the amount of weight so you've always got good traction, and good ground pressure, means we can operate on the hills and such around Kuranda no problem at all."
James Cook University history lecturer Claire Brennan said production lines at the time had a different mindset.
"These things weren't designed to last for quite as long — but they also weren't designed to fail," Dr Brennan said.
"Things persist — and these women did have good motor skills with their hands."
Rainforestation was founded by Pip and Charles Woodward in 1974 and they bought their first army duck, Joppa Jack, in 1976.
Their son Ben grew up around the army ducks.
But the irony of having so many old war vehicles in what is historically one of Australia's most anti-war towns is not lost on Mr Woodward.
Kuranda was a popular choice for hippie communes promoting passive resistance in the late 1960s during the Vietnam War.
"Now they're used in really quite a peaceful sense, taking visitors from all around the world who were affected by WWII, tranquilly through the rainforest, and experiencing the serenity around and learning about the wildlife and the different plants and animals of the rainforest," he said.
