Paddleducks
Paddler Information => Research => Topic started by: Wally too on July 08, 2014, 04:43:13 PM
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Hi
can anyone tell me anything about the P.S. Renmark.
I am told my grandfather owner her before she burnt in Goolwa.
I would love some photos.
Regards
Stephen Pendle
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All I have is the entry in Parsons 'Ships of the inland rivers'. It has quite a lot, including the fairly intricate postwar timeline in private partnership. It does mention your grandfather. One photo shows the boat in 1949, already fitted for passenger use. It makes sense that your grandfather was interested in the tourism aspect: he was also the owner (jointly with a brother?) of Pendle bus line. There are other groups which would be interested in any history/photos.
There is an Australian bus forum, which covers mainly modern.
There is a Historic Commercial Vehicle Club, which also runs a forum. Mainly trucks, but buses belong too. Recently there was a lengthy thread on semitrailer buses, including locating one which had formerly been on a Victor Harbor school run.
The intention of the new owners of Renmark was to run it on lakes tourist service. I guess that that would mean just Goolwa - Clayton. Heading to Milang, Wellington or Meningie would be too far for a day boat, and usually too rough.
In that era, I guess that Avoca was in tourist service at Murray Bridge; Murray River Coach Lines converted Murrumbidgee for overnight cruising from Echuca. When it burnt to the waterline while cruising, the company built Coonawarra. It was too big for reliable water Echuca - Swan Hill, and was relocated to Murray Bridge. Also in the overnight market was MV Pearl, probably also Murray Bridge, and maybe crossing the lake.
The remains of Renmark are still in front of Goolwa wharf. From time to time, a boat at Goolwa Wooden Boat Festival gets an anchor snagged in them.
Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor
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Hi Steven
Here's some photos of the Renmark taken from the State Library of South Australia catalogue. They have a huge selection of river boat photos available online at: http://www.catalog.slsa.sa.gov.au/
If you're interested in the boats, you may wish to join the Facebook group Murray River Rats and Paddle Boaters. There's a lot of people with great river knowledge on there. They often post photos from their own collections.
Most of these photos are from her days as a cargo carrier, but there is one of her as a tourist boat at Goolwa.
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good god my men you are impressive.
Yes my grandfather Wally started the bus line and his brother was involved, two of them in fact but Wally was the main guy, and my father bought it from him.
Yes they had a semitrailer bus.
I have quite a few photos of the original cars and buses including the semi which my mother used to be the "Conductoress" in whilst my father drove.
my uncle who used to drive in the company also has a lot more photos and I shall be meeting him in November.
I have newspaper clippings and the "book" i am writing is factorial memoirs based upon these times and previous and recent.
It is sort of an explanation behind the family tree - which we also have an extensive amount of information on right back to first settlers of melbourne (who abandonned the settlement and left William Buckley behind with aboriginal wives (he ran into the bush) thus giving rise to "Buckleys Chance" of Survival.)
I can send lots of things to you if you are interested.
Do you mind if I use your words and photos (all noted where from and who by of course) in my Collection of People's Memoirs "book" ?
Thank you so much for the photos of the Renmark.
I have some more, will post some on here for you, tell me if you want more.
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The photos are the property of the State Library of SA. Their collection is regularly published, so I assume that they have a process by which to get approval.
Words, I guess this is directed at Roderick, but I'm happy for you to use mine.
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Hi Excelsior,
In the photos PRG 1258 / 2/963 the renmark is appearing to be held again two vertical bumper logs and tied plus held at the front with a rigid bar / pole at water level almost going to a free standing platform mid river with a tent on it.
am I correct?
There is a man standing on the platform.
Do you know what this arrangement is and do you have other photos if it?
The river also appear to be very narrow, do you have any idea where it might be ? the darling or other off shoots of the murray a long way up stream?
It almost looks like the main stream of the river is in the background and that might suggest she is in some sort of dry dockyard or side channel very close to the river.
It is not near the junction of the murray and the Ral Ral creek just up from Renmark town by any chance do you think?
I am interested in the tent topped structure anyway if you have an idea of what it is.
Regards
Stephen
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Hi Stephen,
That photo is taken at Mannum during a flood & the Renmark is actually in an area that is normally dry land. I'm not sure if she's in the street, or on reserve land. I suspect that structures you see on the right of the picture are the rooves of outbuildings around the dry dock.
The trees you can see behind her mark the riverbank, with the normal watercourse being on the other side of them. You can see the stern of the Tyro & a couple of other vessels moored in along the normal riverbank. You can barely make out the other side of the river in the background.
The structure the man in the on the forward left of the picture, not sure what that is. You can, though, see the top of a woodpile just in front of the Renmark's bow.
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thanks very much for your answer - i thought the back ground looked like the river with steamers moored there.
Cheers
Stephen
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hi lads,
can anyone tell me exactly where the wreck of the renmark is?
I think in goolwa somewhere.
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The PS Renmark is off the downstream end of the Goolwa wharf, marked by yellow "Snag" buoys. It surfaced briefly during the 2009 drought when you could see the top of the bow, boiler and paddle boxes.
Stephen.
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Thank Stephen. I have walked that wharf a few times and did not know my grandfather's boat was within feet of me ! I rememeber finding out it was in goolwa in 2010 and that it had recently been exposed due to low water.
Does anyone have pictures of this by any chance ?
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The following pictures were taken in June 2009. The white encrustations covering everything are tubeworms.
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The chart is in my boating box, which isn't easy to reach between boating days. The photos show the location well. At Goolwa Wooden Boat Festival, an old punt or floating jetties are added off the end of the main wharf, so many boats will be moored above the Renmark hull. Boats are expected to back in, and use the anchor to hold off the wharf, and hence the prospect of anchor trouble. Last time, boats rafted off the main wharf, and so anchor trouble was eliminated.
Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor
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Lads I tried to reply but not sure if it went through and I cant find it so apologies if repeating myself.
Thank you so much for the super photos.
I will include then in my "book" with references.
This is only a record of memories for the family, and not intended for sale.
In case you are interested I will post some files with images of various things you may be interested in.
My grandfather tried to set up a parcel / post / passenger service that was linked to a river cruise holiday service.
The transport on land was successful but not so the river side of it mainly due to the burning of the Renmark I am lead to believe.
i have split the files into land - 1920, 30s and 50/60/s and then river (the PS Industry and Barge "Vega")
1920s attached
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more 1920's - land transport - Pendle Motors
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1930's pendle motors