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Side-Wheeled Paddle Steamers
Australia : Southern New South Wales Coastal and River Services Coastal
steamship business to the south of Sydney and as far as the Victorian
border eventually came under the almost complete monopoly of the
Illawarra Steam Navigation Company. The Illawarra Steam Packet
Company was established in 1839 but immediately reconstituted as the
General Steam Navigation Company. In order to regularise services, the
New South Wales governement enacted a merger of various shipowners into
the Illawarra Steam Navigation Company in 1858. Independent owners had opened their own lines when the GSN's services were regarded as inadequate.
The Kiama Steam Navigation Company was established by residents in 1854 and their paddle steamer Kiama (1855-1876),
ordered from JG Lawrie of Glasgow joined the Nora Creina owned by
Shoalhaven residents and Illawarra, owned by the GSN in the new
company. The Kiama company also had on order a second paddler
from Scotland, the Hunter (1854-1887), which was the first new tonnage as the new company expanded rapidly, including the purchase of paddle steamer Kembla (1860-1874) from Port Glasgow builders and the smaller Mynora and Coolangatta (1865-1880)
from Sydney-based builders. Although screw steamers were now the
chosen design, the company did go to UK builders, J Wigham Richardson
of Newcastle, for paddle steamer Illawarra (1878-1911). The 190 ft, 522 GRT paddler was equipped with engines of 32 and 58 in x 60 in by R&W Hawthorn of Newcastle.
In
1904 the company became the Illawarra and South Coast Steam
Navigation Company, which continued in existence until 1955.