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PS Canally (Australia)

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Roderick Smith:
This paddlesteamer is 100 years old in 2007, having been built at Koondrook/Barham.
In various threads, I have described the boat, progress as at 2004, and the plans (subsequently cancelled) for a grand paddleboat fleet from Morgan (SA) to Koondrook (Vic.) / Barham (NSW) over June-July.
PS Ruby's centenary was celebrated at Wentworth Junction Rally over Sat.7-Sun.8.7.
A week later, I was at the restoration site for PS Canally (~4 km upriver of Robinvale, Vic. / Euston, NSW).
The hull has been complete for some time; now all of the deck supports are in place.
There is only a small team working on this boat.  I met five.  A professional shipwright was arriving later in the morning.
Canally is a community project.
According to research, its construction date was in Nov.1907, and the main celebration will be conducted at Euston Club in Nov.2007.  At the least, the decked hull will be propelled to the club using tinnies; at the best, it will be self propelled with a temporary diesel.  Although I missed having my boat at cancelled and recent celebrations, I am planning to be on the water for the celebration.
The plans for the progressive work are very authentic.
The boiler will be placed with the firebox to the stern, and the funnel rising through the rear of the wheelhouse.
The upper deck will have four cabins on each side rear of the wheelhouse, the authentic Murray-Darling look.

I was planning to add this to the entry on PS Canally in the APAM List thread, but I have discovered the problem of navigating into the middle of any thread which runs to more than six pages: the entry menu goes 1, 2, 3...10, 11, 12, but after entering at 3 or 10, further moves must be one by one.

The enclosed photo shows all of the supports for the deck.
They are metal, with stepped ends to carry a wooden gunwale.
At the forepeak and stern, a single support runs across both hull edges, with small cantilevers.
Amidships, the supports do not run across the engineroom.  Each is cantilevered a long way from the hull edge, but is supported on a row of columns slightly inboard.

To the rear is MV Kookaburra, stranded by low water during a transfer from Swan Hill to Wentworth for a new operator.  It is a day boat, set up for lunch and dinner cruises.  It had just missed a short-duration rise a few weeks earlier; another rise would arrive within a week.  The low water doesn't show in this photo, as the site is only a few km above Euston Weir, and the pool level extends for 60 km.

Regards,
Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

ljhall:
Hi Roderick,

The Canally is mentioned as being a 'community project', with the Euston Club Ltd. listed as a major sponsor, but do you know which group or organisation actually owns the Vessel.

Thanks,

Roderick Smith:
I have just had a phone call from the restoration leader, and forgot to ask Leith's question.
He was outlining the plans for the centenary celebration.
The event will be held over Sat.8 & Sun.9.12, fairly low key.
The boat will not be propelled to Euston Club.  It will stay on site, and all events will be on site.
The group is trying to have descendants of all four owning families present.
The aim is for a relaxed barbecue and talk fest, with memorabilia and photos to trigger anecdotes.  On Saturday, there will be a ceremonial moment with a bottle of champagne.
The water is down; it is too hard for big boats to cruise in from Colignan or from Swan Hill.  However, any small boat trailed in will be welcome: steam launches, miniature replicas of larger vessels, unmotored wooden hulls under restoration etc.  Jessie II will be there; it would be great to see Breezy, Minimus, James Watt, Rusty, Bunyip...  There are two ramps.  A concrete one near Robinvale caravan park, and a dirt one near the restoration site (4 km upriver, on the NSW bank).  The work-platform barge will be moored to provide some access for low-height vessels to raft off, with a ramp or ladder up the bank.

Regards,
Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

Roderick Smith:
Messages and phone calls have been flowing.
PS Minimus might be there, but no guarantee.
I have had the greatest difficulty obtaining a contact for a local hire houseboat for a Paddleducker group.  Apparently there isn't one.
However, any listee who arrives and stays at a local hotel/motel and drives out will at least get a short cruise aboard my boat.

It is no good hiring at Mildura a week earlier and cruising up: both the water and the hirer won't let you; I guess that the same is true for coming downriver from Swan Hill.

I put out a query via a communal site, which doesn't list Robinvale/Euston, and didn't have it available on the pulldown menu on the query form.  The result: friendly river people have responded from marinas at Murray Bridge (Riverglen and Long Island), Mannum (Kia), Blanchetown (Quality), Renmark (Liba Liba) and Mildura (Willandra), all commenting that their boats won't help me this time, but keep them in mind for a future hire.  Liba Liba's fleet of sternwheelers is based at Renmark (www.libaliba.com.au).  Clearly, this is the one for Paddleduckers visiting the region to use, but you won't be allowed up through Warrakoo.

Regards,
Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

michael:
Five sleeps to go! Can't wait!

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