Australia Day

[Roderick Smith]

26.1 is celebrated as Australia Day.  Because it falls on a Saturday this year, there will be a public holiday on Monday.

I was on a special ferry cruise this morning, part of a parade of sail and steam off the nearer bayside beaches.  Nothing which I saw was paddle, hence a post to C&OTS.

Restored sailing ship James Craig has made its second voyage from Sydney to Melbourne, but is stuck at Williamstown waiting for spare parts to arrive from Germany to repair a stripped gearbox.  Also in port is brigantine Windeward Bound, from Tasmania.  I was aboard former Sydney Ferry 'Lady Cutler', cruising from Williamstown as part of the parade, and giving me good vantage points to photograph Windeward Bound, Enterprize (a replica sailing ship, based in Melbourne) and steam tug Wattle (originally in Sydney, but preserved in Melbourne for about 30 years).  Along the way I saw cruise ferries Mandalay and Challenger (a former WWI Fairmile) out in the bay; I stayed aboard when Lady Cutler returned to Victoria Harbour, and saw several more ferries.

Australia Day is one of the major fleet days in Echuca; I imagine that Michael is crewing something, and will post a report.  PS Marion is cruising in SA over this long weekend; James is crewing.

As I type it is a glorious Melbourne summer day, 34 deg C outside (93 deg F for USA readers).  No wonder we gloat about our Australian sunshine.

Enclosed:
Off Brighton yacht club, Enterprize, Windeward Bound & Wattle, astern of Lady Cutler.  To the rear is West Gate Bridge, a 1970s crossing of the lower Yarra.  The horizon skyline is dominated by Mt Macedon, on the ridge of Great Dividing Range.  Water from the other side flows via Campaspe River into the Murray at Echuca.  The railway snuck around a saddle to the left (not needing a summit tunnel) to reach Bendigo by 1862 and Echuca by 1864.  Sat.26.1.08.  (Roderick Smith)

Regards,
Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

[AlistairD]

I thought WATTLE was out of service because her hull needed re-plating.

Is she back operating again, or was this just for Australia Day?

[Roderick Smith]

The tug has been sold by the museum group which had been maintaining and operating it.  The group could not obtain the finance to undertake the needed maintenance.  It also sold (for scrap) ST Lyttleton II.
Wattle is now owned by a syndicate of businessmen, trading as Sorrento Steam.
See www.sorrentosteam.com.au
It is not yet back in commercial survey.  The Australia Day operation was with crew only.
SS plans to have survey by April.
Port gossip is that the date is too ambitious.  Port gossip is also that the syndicate may have bitten off more than it can chew, and will be relying on continuing volunteer input to make the project viable.  This would be in line with Port of Echuca or Puffing Billy Railway: both have a core of full-time professionals, supplemented with volunteers.

Regards,
Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

[anth]

The boat will be heading over to westernport bay for hull repair,and this will determine when she will become a full chartered vessel again!

And I feel gossip is gossip,at least for the minute it's fate has been saved unlike the other tug!

cheers Anthony

[Stempost]

Don't know if you caught this guys, but a predecessor of the Lady Cutler, a c1910 wooden screw steamer named Lady Chelmsford sank at her moorings in Melbourne on Monday.
Lady Chelmsford was apparently one of only two of the original Lady class of former Sydney Harbour ferries still sailing. She had been operating as a 'showboat' for functions in the Yarra River and Port Phillip Bay, from Docklands in Melbourne. The owner doesn't seem to have any firm plans for salvage as yet.

Trevor.

[Roderick Smith]

Lady Chelmsford has been diesel since 1933: see www.ferriesofsydney.com/ladychelmsford.html
The Showboat conversion was for Adelaide (I have a 1986 photo there); it was then transferred to Melbourne about 10 years ago.
It has been out of survey for a few years, but has been trading statically at Victoria Harbour.  Before going out of survey, about two-thirds of the hull was replanked.

I am aboard a 5.30 sailing of Lady Cutler on Thursday, spending 3 h on a breakfast cruise welcoming MV 'Queen Victoria' on its maiden voyage.

Regards,
Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

[Stempost]

I should have done my own research rather than just rely on what was quoted in a news article.
Still, she is a grand old lady and deserves better than to be broken up. Your outing on the bay sounds like fun, I'm sure you'll enjoy yourself Roderick.
Trevor.