Sydney has brought a dead joke back to life in order to name a new ferry ‘Ferry McFerryface’.
A publicly-voted competition to find a name for the new vessel resulted in ‘Boaty McBoatface’ being the top choice, but that name was made famous by the Brits, who voted to call a new research boat by that title last year.
So, for some reason, Sydney has chosen a similar name just to avoid a double-up.
“Given Boaty was already taken by another vessel, we’ve gone with the next most popular name nominated by Sydneysiders,” says Minister for Transport and Infrastructure, Andrew Constance.
“Ferry McFerryface will be the harbour’s newest icon, and I hope it brings a smile to the faces of visitors and locals alike. This one is for the kids.”
The decision has seen mixed responses online, with many people confused…
…and others glad to see that Sydney’s not taking itself too seriously for once:
The cultural impact of Boaty McBoatface has been felt across the world, with a train in Sweden being named Trainy McTrainface and a horse at Sydney’s Warwick Farm racecourse being named Horsey McHorseface.
Sydney’s other new ferries, on the other hand, have been named after the likes of famous Australian doctors, beaches and sportspeople.
Watch Andrew Constance discuss the genesis of Ferry McFerryface, below.
NSW Transport Minister Andrew Constance says Ferry McFerryface is set to be a tourist attraction. #sun7 pic.twitter.com/j5asD2chXj
— Sunrise (@sunriseon7) November 13, 2017
