The 90-minute history trips will travel around Perth Water, beginning at the Mends Street jetty and including a stop at the Barrack Street jetty.

The journey will include a commentary from City of South Perth local history librarian Anthony Styan.

The Zephyr on the swan river in 1921 Picture: City of South Perth.

The idea came from co-owner Manus Higgins, who noticed the widespread interest in the history of the boat and the river among his usual patrons.

“It seems lots of people are genuinely fascinated by the history surrounding the river and the paddle ships,” he said.

“And we have managed to find some really interesting stories that we will be able to tell.”

The Decoy was built in Fremantle in 1986 and is a replica of the original paddle-steamer that operated on the Swan River from 1870s.

It is powered by a 110-year-old steam engine salvaged and restored by the Bunnings engineering works in Manjimup.

The vessel has always been popular for weddings and corporate functions, and more recently for twilight and music cruises.

It was once used for the filming of Cloudstreet, based on Tim Winton’s popular novel.

The history trips coincide with the 120th anniversary of the Perth Zoo and Windsor Hotel.