AS the Wangi Queen cruised across the limpid waters of Lake Macquarie, the flash of its search lights were always returned with the flickering of switches inside the homes that lined its shores.
At the centre of the lake, the wooden ferry, decorated with burnt orange and cream livery became known not just for the splendour of the parties onboard - but for the community she created around her.
More than a decade since she left Lake Macquarie bound for Sydney Harbour, the 101-year-old Wangi Queen has found a new home at Lemon Tree Passage with Shane Herrmann and Teresa Charchalis at the helm.
"It's very much a labour of love and that's how it's been for a lot of the previous owners like Graham Burgess down in Lake Macquarie who really gave Wangi her name and her reputation as a piece of people's history in Australia," Mr Herrmann said.
"When you talk to people or even just mention the name 'Wangi Queen' there will be somebody that says they got married on there, met their wife on there, had their 21st on there.
"The memories that people have are just great."
The couple met on a small business course in Sydney two decades ago and went on to run an eight-metre scarab from Manly to Watsons Bay.
The pair operated the Tea Gardens Ferry before the opportunity to take on the historic Wangi Queen, with her unique lines and old world design.
The boat itself had an interesting history before it ever came to Lake Macquarie, launched in 1922 at Empire Bay on the Central Coast.
Built by the Beattie Brothers, her timbers were cut in the Watagan Mountains and transported by bullock team.
In a former life, her name was The Ettalong and she ferried customers on Brisbane Waters.
It wasn't until 1938 that she was relocated to the Sydney Harbour where she became The Ettalong Star - moving thousands of defence personnel between moored ships and wharves in Wooloomooloo Bay, Farm Cove, Sydney Cove and Darling Harbour during WWII.
She's hosted 16 short of 1000 weddings, received hundreds of Christmas cards from families around Lake Macquarie and will always hold a special place in former owners Graham and Maria Burgess' hearts.
"We created something that didn't previously exist, we created a community," he said.
"You need to understand it wasn't just a ferry going around, it was a community that developed around an old boat, a critically important piece of heritage of the lake that hasn't been forgotten by people who are still there today."
Standing at 66-ft in her prime, the Wangi Queen was an establishment - all about first impressions, presentation and a business ran with integrity.
Underneath her twinkling lights, big brass vases of fresh red roses lined the bar, varnished timbers and polished brass sparkled and the entire boat was fitted out like a Mercedes with deep maroon upholstery on the seats and red carpet on the floors.
"She looked a million dollars," Mr Burgess said.
"But we would never attempt to criticise the current owners or tell them to do what we did, what they do is their business.
"One thing I did do is that everytime there was a party on Wangi Queen we always handed out a printed ticket and we had book, after book, after book of those in picture albums.
"Every wedding we ever did we made sure the couple gave us one of their invitations for our memory and our records to remember who they were."
Mr Burgess used to fit out state government ferries from his joinery factory until he learned there was a ferry for sale in Sydney in 1973.
The first thing he did when he bought the Wangi Queen was put a piano on board.
"That piano played more than the conservatorium piano," he said.
"It never stopped.
"It reached the stage where Lake Macquarie city mayors wouldn't have their party anywhere else ... any government ministers who came to town entertained on the Wangi Queen - it really was an iconic part of Lake Macquarie."
The boat featured on the local phonebook, and at Christmas an estimated 25,000 people would line the shores of Lake Macquarie waiting for Santa to cruise past.
Mr Burgess and his crew would pull ashore with 50 cases of champagne to hand out and 9000 bags of lollies for the kids.
"There were people who owned coal mines and steel mills who lived on the waterfront, and they were precious about getting their glass of champagne from Santa Claus," he said.
"We used to hire large rock concert sized music systems and play Christmas Carols like Tijuana Brass and nearly blow the windows out of the houses.
"The Wangi Queen, not me or the crew, the boat, used to get Christmas cards to thank it for its magnificent service on the lake."
The couple ran public cruises on Sundays and Wednesday, and carried up to seven or eight tourist coaches each week.
It's the kind of numbers Mr Herrmann and Ms Charchalis hope to draw back, with lunchtime and sunset cruises offering historical commentary on the Port Stephens-Great Lakes Marine Park.
"The plan firstly is to restore her and have her available for people to continue to enjoy," he said.
"As far as the work for her, hopefully we can start doing some weddings again and get that final, thousandth wedding over the line and more.
"There's lots of people who visit the area who do remember the boat from their childhood and later in life, that's kind of where the boat wants to go."
During her construction, the teak decking from an 1850s sailing ship that wrecked off North Head was used in her superstructure, noticeable in her linseed-oiled window sashes.
After the war she was fitted with a General Motors Detroit 6-71 US engine, found in an army store that still powers her today.
The man hours spent repairing and replacing her 27 grown knees, deck beams and propeller shafts are immeasurable.
Restoration work began 11 years ago, when Sydney Harbour Tall Ships purchased the vessel and took it down to the harbour to replace the Mulgi.
Passengers have watched the New Year's Eve fireworks at Sydney Harbour from her starboard or port, celebrated Australia Day aboard and she's taken part in the ferry races.
With Mr Herrmann as her master, she completed the Sydney to Hobart and did a lot of work with the Sydney Harbour Tall Ships Convicts, Castles and Champagne tours.
"I moved up here to be near Teresa's mum, I was driving down there to work and eventually they said the boat missed me, we made a great deal where I was able to take over the boat, purchase it and here we are today," he said.
"All these new boats are plastic, or steel, or aluminium, there's no character.
"This is handcrafted, historic and probably one of the oldest working ferries in the country."
The boat was officially heritage-listed with the Australian National Maritime Museum two years ago and is one of 800 vessels considered of national importance.
It's no surprise Lake Macquarie locals are begging the couple to bring her back.
Unfortunately, inconsistent dredging of Swansea Channel posed too high of a risk, Ms Charchalis said.
"When we started talking about taking over Wangi Queen we were looking at Lake Macquarie and Port Stephens, and that channel at Swansea gets silted over," she said.
"There was no guarantee of getting her out of that lake, no slipway in the lake that could lift her 80 tonnes out of the water.
"If for any reason that channel got silted over, it's a mammoth job for them to get the approvals [to dredge] and it's millions of dollars with Wangi Queen stuck floating there."
Their hope is to shine a light on the western waters of Port Stephens, and expand the tourism offering at Lemon Tree Passage.
And if all goes well, one of the first weddings to help her reach her thousandth could be their own.
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