Australia

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AUSTRALIA

Australia is by a considerable margin the home of the largest number of side-wheel paddle driven ships in the world. There are estimated to be over 100 and maybe as many as 150 vessels which qualify in some way, whether original, converted to motor power, built new or built incorporating elements of earlier ships. Derelect remains of a number are likely to exist sunken alongside riverbanks. A large number remain in operation in Australia, many originally built in the 19th century and others built more recently incorporating machinery from earlier steamers. PS Cumberoona, for example, was built new in 1986 but inspired by a boat of the same name built 120 years earlier reflecting the recent trend to build in the old style. Murray Princess, based at Mannum is the largest paddler on the Murray, but a modern vessel, built in the style of a Mississippi sternwheeler and uses diesel engines. These ships are smaller than those in operation in Europe, many having originally been small freight carriers on inland waterways such as the Murray River.

Many of the vessels which are now passenger excursion vessels began life as working boats. On the Murray River they delivered produce from areas along the river to processing facilities, such as logs to sawmills (eg Alexander Arbuthnot). Others began life as dumb barges (eg Coonawarra) and were substantally rebuilt for their new purpose.

A considerable number of paddlers are in private ownership as leisure craft but also as house boats, often with their machinery having been removed. Boats are often small enough to be built privately and these can be classed as "hobby steamboats".

The majority of Australia's paddle steamers are on the Murray River : http://www.murrayriver.com.au/river-cruises/

This list is not comprehensive by any means and it is not regularly updated, but it highlights most of the larger passenger carrying ships in public service.

The steamer "Adelaide" of 1866 is the oldest of the remaining operational paddlers at Echuca, which has turned its port into a attractive tourist destination. "Emmylou" was built in 1982, but in the style of a turn-of-the-century vessel around machinery dating from 1906 and operates privately out of Echuca.

There are also a number of small paddle driven vessels built in recent years for private ownership, mostly in the style of 19th century Murray riverboats.

HISTORICAL BOATS REMAINING STEAM DRIVEN

Oscar W Goolwa M Oliver.jpg

Paddle Steamer Oscar W at Goolwa. Photo by kind courtesy of Malcolm Oliver


PS Adelaide, seen above at Echuca in 1986 by Chris Miles, was built in 1866 and is the oldest operational wooden-hulled paddle steamer operating in the world	PS Etona is another Echuca steamer originally dating from the 19th century which has survived to make the inland port one of the world's great paddle steamer locations.

VESSEL	BUILT	LOCATION	NOTES	WEBSITE	OTHER WEBSITES
Canberra	1912	Echuca	Converted to diesel in 1964 then back to steam in 2003 with a wood-fired boiler and engine dating from 1923. Operated by Murray River Paddle Steamers
Adelaide	1866	Echuca	Operated by the Port of Echuca
Success	1877	Echuca	Under restoration for service by the Port of Echuca
Alexander Arbuthnot	1923	Echuca	Operated by Echuca Paddlesteamers	Click
Pevensey	1910	Echuca	Operated by Echuca Paddlesteamers	Click
Etona	1898	Echuca
Melbourne	1912	Mildura	Operated by Mildura Paddlesteamers
Marion	1897	Mannum	Wood-fired and with overnight accommodation, she is available for cruises as well as being an exhibit at the museum. Owned by the Mannum Dock Museum of River History	Click
Industry	1910	Renmark	Length : 112 ft (33 m) - Breadth : 34.4 ft (10.4 m) Machinery : 2-cylinder, non condensing 30HP, by A Roberts of Bendigo with auxiliary steam turbine for electric lighting. Built for the South Australian government . Operated a variety of duties including snagging and transport of people and goods. Reboilered in 1933. Withdrawn from service in 1969 and donated to Renmark, where she arrived in 1971for conversion to a museum. Opened to the public in 1975. In 1990 she was slipped for a full survey and she was restored for passenger service, with her certificate being issued in 1995. She operates short excursions from her base adjacent to the town's visitor information centre at regular intervals throughout the year
Oscar W	1908	Goolwa	Built in Echuca by shipowner Charlie Wallin until sold in 1914 and then sold again in 1942 to owners at Goolwa and in 1943 to the government of South Australia. Retired in 1960, she went to a new private owner and used in the tourist trade at Mildura. New owners in 1964 started a restoration programme but this was never completed, so the boat was bought by the South Australia Tourist Commission in 1985 who finished the repairs and sailed her down to Goolwa in 1988 to be part of a heritage centre. Click to see engines (courtesy of M Oliver) Offers short cruises on selected days from Goolwa Wharf. Also available for private charter. Opereated entirely by volunteer crew	Click
Enterprise	1878	Canberra (Lake Burley Griffin)	Since 1984, owned by the National Museum of Australia and moved from the Murray River to her lake home at Canberra	Click
Ruby	1907	Wentworth NSW	Built at Morgan as a passenger steamer for Captain King's Gem-line. 132'9" long. 205 GT. Ree-egined in 1911 and 1918. Retired at Morgan but moved to Mildura in 1938 after being purchased as a houseboat. Moved to Wentworth in 1968 after purchase by the local Rotary Club. Taken under local council control in 1996 and slowly restored. Entered service in 2004 with an engine dating from 1926. Volunteer operated.	Click

Privately Owned vessels not normally open to the public for cruises

VESSEL	BUILT	LOCATION	NOTES	WEBSITE	OTHER WEBSITES
Billy Tea
Hero	1874	Echuca

MODERN BOATS BUILT WITH NEW STEAM MACHINERY

Vessels open to the public or planned to be open for public service after restoration

VESSEL	BUILT	LOCATION	NOTES	WEBSITE	OTHER WEBSITES

Curlip II	2008	Paynesville, VIC	At 62 ft long she is an approximate reproduction of a 48 ft long tow boat on Snowy River 1890-1919, built of timber by volunteers at Orbost (VIC). Offered 1 1/2 hour late morning and afternoon cruises (Wed to Sun at 11:30 and 2:30) and Saturday evening cruises as well as charter opprortunities on the Snowy River at Marlo. In 2016 it was announced that her hull had been compromised by Teredo worms. She has been moved to Paynesville and is under under new management. An appeal is now in place to assist in a rebuild before it is hoped that she will enter service on the Gippsland Lakes out of Paynesville.	Click

Privately Owned vessels not open to the public

Lance Martin

2009

Swan Reach, SA

15-metre long "Aluminium Paddle Steamer" built by Lance and Paul Otto

MODERN BOATS INCORPORATING HISTORICAL MACHINERY BUILT IN TRADITIONAL STYLE


Although modern, Emmylou is now one of the best known paddlers on the Murray River	These photos, taken in 1986, are shown courtesy of Chris Miles

Vessels open to the public or planned to be open for public service after restoration

VESSEL	BUILT	LOCATION	NOTES	WEBSITE	OTHER WEBSITES

Emmylou	1982	Echuca	Steam engine dates from 1906. Wood fired. Offers a range of 1,2 and 3 night cruises as well as day trips Operated by Murray River Paddle Steamers	Click
Cumberoona	1986	Yarrawonga, VIC	Two steam engines dated 1906 and 1908 power a paddler built at Albury to help celebrate Australia's bicentenary. Now owned privately at Yarrawonga she sails on the Murray River's Lake Mulwala In recent years a diesel-electric drive has been added as an economy measure resulting from the increased cost of wood for her boilers	Click
Decoy	1986	Perth	Length : 25.9 metres Passenger Capacity : 230 Incorporates elements of original "Decoy" built in 1878 by Henderson & Co (Renfrew, Scotland) and a twin-cylinder steam engine built in 1905 which was originally used in a sawmill. Originally owned by Chas Cox, the ship became well known for colliding with Canning Bridge in 2001. She was laid up in 2011 and offered for sale at $AUS 1.2 million In January 2015 it was announced that Mr Manus Higgins had purchased the vessel and was arranging a refurbishment for further service.Now (2015) offers live music cruises on (most) Fridays and Sundays	Click

Sales Specification for Decoy

The Paddle Steamer Decoy is a "Perth Icon" and has been operating for 25 years on the magnificent Swan River and has her own exclusive mooring in prestigious South Perth. Specialising in weddings and corporate functions the vessel is being sold fully operational as a going concern and has liquor and gaming licences.
She is a registered Australian ship No: 852383, which makes this vessel fully morgageable.
The Paddle Steamer Decoy is a genuine steam powered vessel that was built by Australian Ship Building Industries and is built to DNV survey 1A R5 Class D1, although currently operates on a 1E and licensed to carry 230 passengers. The vessel is powered by a 1905 Ransome Sims and Jefferies twin cylinder steam engine totally rebuilt in 1986 with a new oil fired burner and maxitherm boiler. She is the only sea going designed Paddle Steamer in Australia. The upper deck is constructed of solid Jarrah and Iron bark flooring. The vessel is also fitted out extensively with solid brass nautical memorabilia and has a unique 58 brass pipe calliope organ which can operate manually or automatically.
The vessel is being offered for sale due to retirement after 20 years and at a fraction of the replacement cost. (AUSD 1.2 m)

Privately Owned vessels not not normally open to the public for cruises

VESSEL	BUILT	LOCATION	NOTES	WEBSITE	OTHER WEBSITES

Perricoota	1999		Steam engine dates from 1909. Private boat
Barmah	1975	Echuca	Privately-owned. Historical steam engine
William Randell	1998	Goolwa	62 ft x 14/24 feet Ruston-Hornby steam engines date from 1923 OFFERED FOR SALE
Cato	2001	Goolwa	Replica of a former PS Cato built in 1835 and fitted with the steam engine of the original vessel. Ran aground on mudflats alongside Lake Albert on 30/10/16 when attending the celebrations for the relighting of the historic Port Malcolm lighthouse.
James Maiden	1987		Built at Echuca by Peter McLeod, 52 x 12 ft. Purchased by Mick Black and later moved her to a new base the Darling River although she has returned to the Murray on occasion.
Britannia	2003	Echuca	Built and owned by by Peter McLeod. Powered by a restored 12 hp marshall steam engine originally built in 1913. Auxiliary power supplied by a Chinese-built diesel

Private House Boats

Tarella : built 1897 : located near Mannum
Federal : built 1902 : located near Goolwa : open as a Bed and Breakfast accommodation
Decoy : built 1878 : located near Mannum (parts of this 1878 Scottish built vessel are incorporated in the new "Decoy" at Perth, see above)

FORMER STEAM PADDLER HULL BEING RESTORED FOR FUTURE USE (no engines)

Canally

1907

Morgan, SA

28 m long. Converted from a barge in 1912 with the engine from a steam locomotive. She was primarily used to transport wool from Echuca up the Murrumbidgee River. She later traded between Berri and Morgan in South Australia. Had several changes of ownership and location, including the Ministry of Public Works of New South Wales. Converted to a barge in the 1940s.

Raised from riverbed in 1997 for restoration. Moved to Morgan , where she sailed until 1925, in 2011. In early November 2013 she mysteriously sank at her moorings but this is not expected to deter preservation efforts. She is owned by the Mid-Murray Council.

Click

STATICALLY PRESERVED PADDLE STEAMERS : see here

Paddle Steamers displayed in museums etc but with no plan for any return to service

A number of hulks appear to remain alongside rivers

One is PS Tarella, owned by Shawn Grear, who is hoping to restore it

EXTERNAL WEBSITE LINKS

Port of Echuca - home of paddlers Adelaide, Pevensey, Alexander Arbuthnot, plus Emmylou
The Wharf Online : paddlers on the Murray
Murray River Website : Paddle Steamer Page : Links to all the paddlers from this site profiling everything to do with the river. http://www.murrayriver.com.au/paddleboats/
Swan Hill Pioneer Settlement, Victoria
Bay Steamers Maritime Museum : operators of screw steam tug Wattle and restoring steam tug Lyttleton II at Sydney

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