Paddle boat owner's heartbreak over sinking of historic Amphibious
ABC Riverland Thursday 14 May 2020
Photo: top of boat visible while the rest is under water along the bank of a river
Owners of the PV Amphibious hope to be able to bring it back to the surface after it sunk at the Echuca wharf.(Supplied)
Tim Mills was more than 500km from his pride and joy — Australia's second oldest wooden paddle boat — when he heard it was at the bottom of the River Murray, off the historic Echuca wharf.
Key points:
The owner of a historic paddle boat that sank in the Murray says coronavirus restrictions have prevented inspections
Tim Mills says he will salvage the craft and intends to renovate it
Mr Mills said the fact that he was away when the boat sank has made the pain of the loss more acute
The ferry operator, from the Riverland of South Australia, said he felt helpless.
"Absolutely gut-wrenched, heartbroken, to find out via phone call and not actually being able to do anything or get up there, being over here in South Australia," Mr Mills said.
As custodian of an important piece of Australia's river and maritime history, he said he wanted to retrieve the boat quickly and feared memorabilia onboard may be lost forever.
He said he had engaged divers and hoped to be able to bring the boat to the surface later this week.
Restrictions prevent inspections
Mr Mills moved the Amphibious from South Australia to Victoria after being unable to secure a permanent mooring near his hometown of Renmark.
A selfie of a smiling couple on a boat on the River Murray towing a young rider.
Tim and Carol Mills would regularly stay onboard their historic paddle boat.(Supplied: Carol Mills)
After being offered a lease at Echuca he made a nine-month voyage upstream, arriving in September of 2019 after lengthy delays due to bridge and lock works.
He had regularly stayed onboard with his wife and enlisted the support of local boat owners, a shipwright, and friends to inspect the boat while he was away.
But the introduction of travel restrictions and the closure of the Port of Echuca Discovery Centre blocked access to the boat.
"Unfortunately we copped the raw end of the coronavirus. We were unable to check on the boat as often as we would like to," Mr Mills said.
PV Amphibious paddle boat on the River Murray.
PV Amphibious cruising along the River Murray at Renmark on its way to Melbourne for paddle boat centenary celebrations in 2012.(ABC Riverland: Catherine Heuzenroeder)
A boat with many lives
PV Amphibious worked on the River Murray before the 1900s and before it was converted to a sailing craft and used as a trading ketch in open waters around SA.
In 1959 it was turned into a showboat and operated from the Port River in Adelaide.
At the end of its entertainment heyday it sat idle, and even sank in 1978.
It was salvaged and rebuilt by paddle steamer enthusiast Dick Bromhead and went on to appear in the 1981 classic, Gallipoli, and the miniseries The River Kings.
Decades later it was rebuilt and refurbished by Peter Teakle as a passenger cruiser on the River Murray near Waikerie.
A black and white photo of the sailing ketch Amphibious circa 1906.
The Amphibious sailing in open waters around South Australia, circa 1906.(Supplied: Carol Mills)
'We will renovate'
Riverboat historian Peter McLeod said the boat had survived many reincarnations.
"I have full confidence they will raise it up pretty quick smart and it will be back up and running," he said.
"Don't write the Amphibious off just yet."
Mr Mills said he was determined to resurrect the craft.
"We own it outright, so at the end of the day we will get it raised and start the painful procedure of renovating it to its glory," he said.
"Hopefully in as good or better condition as it went down in."
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