Fake paddleboats

[Roderick Smith]

MV (FSWPV) Paradise Queen.

It is a pontoon boat, operating on Lake Mulwala (formed by damming Murray River with Yarrawonga Weir) from Yarrawonga, on the Victorian side.
Its stern wheel is solely decorative.  There are other fake paddleboats in Australia and NZ: screw driven, but with lazy paddles driven by the movement through the water.
See www. yarrawongamulwala.com.au/clients/paradise/main .html

4.2.08 update: I enclose a second photo, taken at Yarrawonga on Thurs.31.1.08, showing the fake paddlewheel removed.

Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

[AlistairD]

 
I didn't dare place this one in Sean's APAM series, as    it is quite out of character.
It is a pontoon boat.
I haven't been    aboard: I don't know if the stern wheel is real (ie PV) or fake (ie MV). There    are two other fake paddleboats in Australia: screw driven, but with lazy    paddles driven by the movement through the water.
See    <www>.

There don't appear to be    any pitmans, or arms or any other apparatus to power the    paddle  
Alistair

[Roderick Smith]

Alistair's deductions were correct.
I have just phoned the owner.
It is a lazy paddle, just for effect.  Propulsion is by screw.

Another fake paddler was the cruise vessel MV Proud Mary (now MV Expedition), running between Murray Bridge and Blanchetown.

Lady Stelfox (formerly at Launceston, now on the hard in Melbourne) is propelled by screw.  It has decorative paddles, but they are not lazy.  The paddles are turned by motors, but not with much power.

Regards,
Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

[thewharfonline]

Ecpedition lost it's wheel didn't it...after new owners took over they removed it. At least that's what I was aware of.

[AlistairD]

 
 

  ----- Original Message -----
   From:    Roderick Smith (preserved@paddleducks.co.uk)
   To: preserved@paddleducks.co.uk (preserved@paddleducks.co.uk)    
   Sent: Tuesday, October 03, 2006 3:53    AM
   Subject: RE: PV Paradise Queen    [Yarrawonga, Vic., Australia)
   

   
Alistair's deductions were correct.
I have just    phoned the owner.
It is a lazy paddle, just for effect. Propulsion is by    screw.
I am passing through Yarrawonga on Saturday, en route from Port of    Echuca's heritage festival to a cinema-inspection weekend at Myrtleford, but I    doubt that I will have the time to cruise.

We could relocate the vessel    to another part of Paddleducks, but it doesn't go with steam nonpaddle, or    with submarines.

Perhaps fake paddle still counts or the main section?    There are hardly enough in the world to make a new section.   There must be huindreds in the USA,    where almost every trip boat is a kid-on Mississippi    steamboat
   Â 
   Alistair
   


The other fake paddler is the cruise vessel Expedition (former    Proud Mary), running between Murray Bridge and Blanchetown.

Lady    Stelfox (formerly at Launceston, now on the hard in Melbourne) is propelled by    screw. It has decorative paddles, but they are not lazy. The paddles are    turned by motors, but not with much power.

Regards,
Roderick B    Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor



-------------------- m2f    --------------------

Exported by Paddleducks Mail System.

http://www.paddleducks.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?p=8847#8847

--------------------    m2f --------------------

[Roderick Smith]

I went to www.riverofaustralia.com.au
Only one view gives a hint of the rear, and suggests that the fake stern wheel was removed.

Enclosed, a 3/4 frontal in its MV Proud Mary days: the fake stern wheel doesn't show at this angle.

For Paddleduckers visiting Australia, there are two all-year cruising options.
MV Expedition runs 2- 3- & 5-day cruises between Murray Bridge and Blanchetown.
PV Murray River Princess runs 2- and 5-day cruises between Mannum and Morgan.
Both operations traverse the highly-scenic cliffs region.
PS Marion also traverses this reach on occasional public cruises, and approximately monthly charters for Rockford winery (a major sponsor of Marion's upkeep).

There is another option: Spirit of the Coorong has two river runs, travelling in a day launch with stops for lunch at riverside pubs and overnight at river-town motels, about 4 days one way (with a bus transfer back to the start.  The upper limit is the old customs house near the NSW border.  A less-frequent option goes from the customs house to Mildura and up the Darling too.  Overnight was in shearing quarters at a homestead; by the 2006-07 season, that had been changed to using bus transfers to/from motels in Wentworth.

Other overnight vessels run only for charters:
PV Murray River Queen (Waikerie): regular lunch & dinner cruises
PV Coonawarra (Mildura): occasional public overnight cruises
PS Emmylou (Echuca): public short cruises daily.

Regards,
Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

[derekwarner_decoy]

Hi PD's - Roderick, here is a copy text  from the www.riverofaustralia.com.au WEB site about the old Proud Mary

Looking for MV Proud Mary
Don't go any further. We've had a face lift!
In the shallows of the River Murray, an exciting yet subtle transformation has quietly been taking place aboard the MV Proud Mary. The famous and well-loved river boat entered Australia’s most famous river on Monday, May 1 with a fresh look and a new name: MV Expedition....

So this suggests that she has had a change of name from fake SMV [sternwheel motor vessel] & wheel removed to plain MV

I always thought she was a bit disinteresting compared to that   Emylou etc where you could sit down, relax  :vacat & have the odd   whilst enjoying our OZ scenery  - Derek

[Roderick Smith]

I am including fake paddle vessel Lady Stelfoxin this thread.
Although they look painted on, the wheels are power turned, but don't contribute to propulsion.
My first scan, at Victoria Harbour, doesn't show the paddles.
Lady Stelfox was moved from here to hard stand on Coode Island (ie part of Port of Melbourne), and has yet to move in revenue service in Melbourne.
It was barged from Tasmania.
The second photo is from a website, when the vessel was working at Launceston (Tas.).
The third is blown up from portion of a Victoria Harbour photo, and does show one of the vestigal paddles.

Regards,
Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

[paddlesteamerman1]

Hey PD's

The Proud Mary that has changed to the MV Expedition, that was the one from the Murray Bridge/Mannum area wasnt it? When did this happen. And now it doesnt have a fakey paddle wheel!!! Jeez, if I had it i would make the paddle wheel real not take one off!!!

[Roderick Smith]

The company doesn't have its own website.
There are many references from tour-company websites, findable by googling.
I don't have any research notes.
I got the answer to the propulsion question by phoning the company.
I was in Brisbane on 31.12.06, and would have cruised on this one for the evening (both Kookaburra Queens were booked out), but it cruises from a wharf at the downstream suburb Hamilton, several kilometres from the city centre, and I had an early start next morning.
The enclosed photo was taken at the cruise-ferry wharves near Victoria Bridge, close to the city centre.

Another fake paddleboat, mentioned in two Paddleducks threads, is MV Waipa Delta (Hamilton, New Zealand).

Regards,
Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

[Roderick Smith]

See www.paddleducks.co.uk/smf/index.php?topic=2387.msg8874#msg8874

I saw an ad through the week for half price Nov. & Dec. 11 cruises:
$480 per person twinshare for the 2 day program; $1200 for the 5 day program.
The prices are not on the website, just in newspapers.

www.rivermurraycruises.com.au is quite comprehensive.
The 2 day program is either weekend from Murray Bridge to Teal Flat & return, or as 2 days of the 5 day midweek program, which is Murray Bridge to Swan Reach & return.

This is fully commercial; Murray Princess should be more expensive.
The Marion voyage which I have posted in a different thread is run by volunteers, and so is substantially cheaper (and will cover a lot more of the river).

Roderick B Smith
Rail News victoria Editor

[Roderick Smith]

The vessel has reverted to its original name, as MV Proud Mary.
See <www.proudmary.com.au>

It has gone from MV (FSWPV) Proud Mary to MV Expedition (also claimed as MV Murray Expedition) to MV Proud Mary.

Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

[Roderick Smith]

One in a Japanese thread is an almost-certain fake:
<www.paddleducks.co.uk/smf/index.php?topic=2907.msg12346#msg12346>
The thread includes links to some UK fakes.

The other could be a real SWPV:
<http://travel.webshots.com/photo/1059780094043297398oADWme>

Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

[stephenf10]

I'm not sure if the Thomson Belle (operating on the Thomson River near Longreach, Qld) is a fake or not. The steam engine is certainly non-operational as it is driven by the wheels to give an impression of it "working", but I'm not sure if the wheels are driven by a diesel or it has a screw and the wheels are driven by the motion of the boat.

Stephen.

[Roderick Smith]

The Thomson Belle thread (some of which came from me) is inconclusive.
See <www.paddleducks.co.uk/smf/index.php?topic=2321.msg11268#msg11268>
I had a very rushed visit, and didn't get to cruise, but was given a guided inspection.
In just a narrow gap from the arrival of 'Spirit of the Outback' to bedtime, I had to cover Thomson Belle, the Qantas museum, a closed cinema, its modern replacement, and dinner.
I suspect that if it was fake, I would have a vivid memory.  Since I have only a hazy memory, I suspect that the paddle propulsion is genuine.  Notice also the shallow draft: that hints at paddle rather than screw.

I have two genuine fakes ready to post, but am rationing the flow.

Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor