PS Curlip [Snowy River, Australia]

[Roderick Smith]

Paddle steamer Curlip reborn.
In pioneering days, paddlesteamers played a vital role in the life of many inland Australian communities.  In Victoria's far east, it has been 80 years since PS Curlip plied Snowy River. Now, thanks to some passionate locals, it is being reborn.
This was a feature in Sun.8.10 ABC tv Landline, to be repeated at 11.00 on Monday.
See www.abc.net.au/landline
in particular www.abc.net.au/landline/content/2006/s1757230.htm
for details of the program, a historical photo, and a photo of the ribs of the replica.

Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

[derekwarner_decoy]

Hi PD's & yes Roderick I did manage to view todays ABC television Landline series '12 minutes' on "Paddle steamer Curlip re-born"

The keel & stem appeared lifelike, however the hull frames appeared totally out of proportion in both size & manner of construction  :?:  :?: - Derek

[Roderick Smith]

I have now watched the segment, but haven't tried viewing it in freeze frames.
I thought that the vertical members may have been temporary supports, and not part of the hull structure.
The project has been in progress since the mid 1990s, partly as compensation for the scaling down of the local timber industry.
The vessel is not an exact replica: it uses similar styling to the original's, but will be larger: 65 ft (20 m) instead of 48 ft (14 m).
A boiler and engine were sourced in UK, and are on site.
The project faltered at one stage, then was rescued with AUD600 000 of federal money, a matching amount from the state, AUD200 000 from local funds, plus more value in kind from local labour and materials suppliers.  Some of the money is paying for a professional shipwright from UK.
Traditionally, the river was navigable from the mouth (at Marlo) to Orbost.
The original was lost in 1919 when it was washed by flood to sea, then was beached.
The new version is intended to reach survey for 55 passengers.  It will be about 50-60 t deadweight.

I enclose the photo from the ABC tv website.  I don't know how long the information will remain there, as the program has now been screened.  The synopsis is now showing on the site (see url in the first post in this thread).

Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

[thewharfonline]

PS Curlip plans can be purchased from Float A Boat if anyone is interested in modelling the boat! I have the segment on tape and I'm looking forward to watching it!

Sean

[Roderick Smith]

There is now a very comprehensive website for this project.
www.paddlesteamercurlip.com.au

Regards,
Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

[thewharfonline]

Oh good I was hoping one of them would pop up sooner or later!

I think we plan on going and visiting some day...maybe I could lend a hand for a day and pick up some new skills!

This project is a great thing as it includes everyone in the district. Not only are the older men working on the boat as shipwrights but there is a gift shop which includes local arts and crafts and the local High School which created the website and a restoring the engine and boiler. Now on the piece of footage I viewed they imported an engine from I believe Preston Services and it was a marine engine I believe but in the footage the 'automotive' class (I believe) also had a portable engine, (I believe a Marshall) which was either going to be the boiler for it or they were restoring it as well...the point to this is 'WHY CAN'T MY SCHOOL RESTORE STEAM ENGINES!!!!'

Aside from my personal thought there I think the project will really benefit the community that surrounds Curlip and it's great to see it already is!

Sean

[Roderick Smith]

I was at a party on Saturday night, and a fellow guest reported that the boat is out of the water, and that patronage had been disappointing.  There is no slip on the Snowy.  The out of the water was by crane, for survey checking.  In that year, the bar at the mouth wasn't capable of being crossed.  The former full-time engineer had returned to Echuca.
Orbost is not far from the popular tourist and retirement haven, Lakes Entrance.  However, Curlip isn't in town or on the main highway: it is at the mouth of the river, at Marlo.
From the website: www.paddlesteamercurlip.com.au
Curlip will be slipped for maintenance from 3,6 until 1.9.10. After this date cruises will be subject to numbers. If you would like to make a booking, please call or email, and we can advise you as to the dates and times of operation.

The thread in which I reported the commissioning weekend, with lots of photos, is at: <www.paddleducks.co.uk/smf/index.php?topic=3459.msg18624#msg18624>

The movie clips from that weekend are no longer at <www.paddleducks.co.uk/index.php?ind=downloads&op=section_view&idev=246>

Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

[Roderick Smith]

In June, Curlip steamed out of the Snowy mouth, around the coast, and in through the treacherous entrance at Lakes Entrance to head to Paynesville for survey slipping.
I don't know if it happened on the planned dates.

Public Announcement May 31 2012
The Committee of Management would like to advise that we have completed our preparations in readiness for the planned voyage of the P.S Curlip to Lakes Entrance and on to Paynesville for the purposes of bi-annual hull inspection and refit which will be undertaken at the Paynesville slipway commencing Monday 18th June 2012.
The recent floods in the Snowy River have scoured the entrance at Marlo to a suitable depth to enable us to safely bring the Curlip across the bar.
Provided the weather remains true to the current forecast we plan to depart from the Port of Marlo at around 7.00 am this Friday June 1 2012, with an estimated arrival at Lakes Entrance around 1 pm. During the trip we will be looking to attract as much media exposure as possible as it will be a most historic event for a paddle steamer to undertake this voyage.
 At this stage we plan to moor the Curlip at Lakes Entrance for the first week of June and plan to run trip(s) on Saturday 9 th  June.
 At the present time we are considering running a ONCE IN A LIFETIME CRUISE, weather permitting on Sunday the 10th of June from Lakes Entrance to Paynesville with return via bus to Lakes Entrance and Orbost, if people are interested in being a part of this historical cruise please contact Lyn at Curlip bookings on  0411 395 903.
The return trip to Marlo will be undertaken at the earliest opportunity upon completion of the required works, we therefore envisage the Curlip being unavailable for charter at Marlo during the month of June.
As you may be aware the Curlip is run by a very loyal band of unpaid volunteers and while it is an on-going struggle to keep the vessel operating, the Curlip belongs to the Orbost community and this is where it will remain.
The trips we run whilst in the lakes district will assist us with the slipping costs and will further the promotion of the Curlip and the Gippsland Lakes in general.
We are always on the lookout for new volunteers, so if you or anyone you know may be interested in becoming involved to assist the maintenance crew while the vessel is on the slip or as crew or deck hands please don’t hesitate in making your intentions known to a committee member.
If you have any questions or suggestions please feel free to contact myself  at any time, I can be reached on  51 542373 (work)   51 541205 (home) or   0488 660461.
Darren Downey (PS Curlip Committee Chairman)

The work is finished, and there will be public cruises on the Gippsland lakes before returning to the Snowy on 26.10.
See: <www.paddlesteamercurlip.com.au>
Saturday 29.9: Sperm Whale Head, Departing  Jetty 1 Slip Bight Marina Paynesville at 10.30; returning approximately 12.30.
Sunday 30.9: Nicholson River, Departing Jetty 1 Slip Bight Marina Paynesville at 10.30; Nicholson approximately 12.30 (there is a pub near the jetty); returning approximately 16.00.
Sunday 7.10: Paynesville to Lakes Entrance, Departing Jetty 1 Slip Bight Marina Paynesville at 10.30; Metung 12.30-13.30 (the jetty is outside the pub); Lakes Entrance 15.30; bus back to Bairnsdale and Paynesville.

I am giving priority to Sun.7.10, and so will have to miss Echuca's heritage festival.

Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

[Roderick Smith]

I had a great day on Sun.30.9.12.  I was able to leave home at 5.55, and arrive in Paynesville with an hour spare.  The wind was fresh, but the weather screens were down, and the large boat handled the chop with ease, with just some spray coming in at ankle level from below the weather blinds.  Tea/coffee, cake & party pies were available from the galley.  Waiting for lost passengers, we cast off at 10.45.  The bow thrusters, and lack of current, made this a much easier task than I witness on the Murray (likewise for the dockings).  The first hour was running across Lake King to the Tambo mouth, then turning into the channel towards the Mitchell mouth and the Nicholson mouth.  The second hour was cruising up the Nicholson, with green open banks.  Curlip is too tall to fit under the road bridge (as are many boats which moor there), so we got only a distant view of the disused rail bridge.  On an earlier occasion I had taken Jessie II under both bridges, and an hour further upstream.  On this occasion, we docked at the public jetty, and had a comfortable 90 min for lunch at Retreat Hotel.  Returning, we left at 14.05, and were set to arrive early, but lost time circling to go to the aid of a launch which looked to be in trouble, but wasn't.  We docked at around 15.50.  I am now looking at ways of fitting in the Echuca fireworks parade on Sat.6.10 evening and being at Paynesville in time for the one-way voyage to Lakes Entrance (for which bookings are still available, 0411 395 903).

Adding to earlier notes:
The voyage from Marlo was delayed for a day, waiting for better weather to cross the exit bar.  This was done on the slack at high tide to give the necessary depth over the bar, but without a treacherous current.  The journey around the coast took 6 h (at 6 km, 10 km/h), and so the passage through the treacherous entrance at Lakes Entrance was made on the slack at low tide.  Depth isn't the problem there, but current is.
The boat was in Lakes Entrance for Queens Birthday public-holiday long weekend (Sat.9-Mon.11.6), and did make short cruises.  Because of fierce flood currents in the rivers, it was kept in the inner harbour (between the surf-beach footbridge and the entrance).  My big worry when bringing Jessie II past the entrance was that I wouldn't have sufficient power to combat any current sweeping me to sea.  Possibly the state of the tide, and the lack of river flow, made my crossing easy.

The one-way voyage to Paynesville went well: river currents had eased, and it was a new adventure for the crew.   The slipping revealed nothing untoward; new caulking was applied.  After being slipped, Curlip was taken as a one-way up Mitchell River to Bairnsdale for a rowing regatta, Sat.1-Sun.2.9.  The entry is through a world-famous silt jetties, now the world's longest after Cyclone Katrina removed a lot at the Mississippi mouth.  See <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitchell_River_silt_jetties>, and lots more by googling.  The return from Bairnsdale was a week later.
On Sat.29.9, a short journey was made along Lake Victoria to Sperm Whale Head.  Sun.30.9's cruise was to Nicholson.  The crew had wanted to tackle Tambo River as a further cruise, but there are commitments back at base, and so next Sunday the transit to Lakes Entrance must occur, to lie in wait for favourable conditions.  The oil-fired boiler can be brought to full steam pressure in 60 min, so a short-notice departure is quite feasible.

The operators have many photos of all of the aspects of this grand adventure, but they have not been placed on the website.
<www.paddlesteamercurlip.com.au>

All operation is by volunteers.  One photo shows Master 5 Harry; he is being joined by two other locals undergoing the training and the hours; they also hold steam tickets.
Operation is crewed by a master, an engineer, two deckhands and galley staff (two yesterday).  Also with us yesterday was a local marine historian, providing a commentary on lakes shipping and the development of Paynesville and Raymond Island.

One other recent adventure: on high water, Curlip was able to go much further upstream than its usual head of navigation, almost to the bridges at Orbost.

The photo selection should be self-explanatory.
A separate thread in Paddleducks covers the commissioning ceremony, in Nov.08.
<www.paddleducks.co.uk/smf/index.php?topic=3459>

Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

[Roderick Smith]

Amazing photos:
PS Curlip against Lake King and Paynesville backdrops (including the Raymond Island ferry, and 'PS' Paynesville).
<www.raymondisland.net/P_S_Curlip.html#bookmark1>
with a further link to a set at sea, and coming through the entrance at Lakes Entrance, apparently on Sun.3.6.12.

Also a press release:
<www.darrenchester.com.au/media-release/1811-ps-curlip>
PS CURLIP STEAMS TO LAKES ENTRANCE
June 4, 2012
Federal Member for Gippsland Darren Chester and State Member for Gippsland East Tim Bull were on hand to farewell PS Curlip as it prepared for its maiden sea voyage.
Curlip steamed from Marlo to Lakes Entrance on the weekend for maintenance works and is expected to undertake some cruises on the Gippsland Lakes while it is in the region.
Mr Chester was at Bullock Island in Lakes Entrance to welcome the Curlip to town, along with about 200 other interested locals.
“It was a great occasion to see the Curlip safely navigate its way into port and the crew was warmly welcomed by the large crowd,” Mr Chester said.
“Tim and I have been working with the community to find ways to secure the ongoing financial viability of the vessel and cement its place as a significant tourism attraction in East Gippsland.
“The visit to the Gippsland Lakes will help to promote the Curlip and hopefully increase the visitor numbers when it returns home to Snowy River in the weeks ahead.”

Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

[Roderick Smith]

Sun.7.10 was another great day.  I left home at 6.15, with a slight detour to collect a shared driver, and reached Paynesville at 10.10.
Curlip cast off around 10.45, and headed to the pumpout and refuelling jetty, which gave me a better photo angle.
The main journey started at 11.30, passing lots of interesting boats.  Arrival at Metung Hotel was at 12.45, docking at an outer jetty.  While we enjoyed lunch, the boat was moved into a hire-fleet wharf to take on water.  We were away again at 14.30, heading up Reeve Channel, with islands starboard, and cliffs to ports.  For several minutes, dolphins frolicked alongside.  A fishing charter boat slowed alongside to take photos of the paddlesteamer.  We passed lots of interesting boats as we entered Lakes Entrance, docking around 16.30.  A bus took as back to Paynesville.
In the approach photo to Metung, the boxy boat is a Murray-style hire houseboat.  The low multiwindow ferry rhs runs a daily cruise from Lakes Entrance to Metung for a hotel lunch.

Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

[Roderick Smith]

Here is a photo, supplied by Michael.  I suspect that it came from the newspaper Weekly Times, which covers rural affairs over the whole state.
I have labelled it 22.10.12: the date when Curlip returned from Lakes Entrance to Marlo.  It may well have been taken by local photographer Andrew, who does a lot of general and marine photography in the region, used for publicity and interpretive panels.  He was a passenger on one of the Curlip cruises on the lakes on which I was a passenger.

Also enclosed is an April article on Curlip, from Weekly Times.

Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

[Roderick Smith]

PS Curlip has not attracted the tourist crowds envisaged.
It regressed to charter rather than scheduled operation.
It was unable to come around the coast to Paynesville for Paynesville Classic Boat Rally, held over Sat.5 & Sun.6.3.16.
The website was showing local cruising at Paynesville on 24.3.16, but that may not have happened.
The word was soon around: deteriorated hull (attacked my marine worms), and no money for rectification.
Very fast, a move arose to relocate the boat from Snowy River (at Marlo, downstream of Orbost) to Mitchell River (at Bairnsdale, an important city, closer to Melbourne, served by train, and connecting into the Gippsland lakes).
There would be a pool of maintenance people available at nearby Paynesville (very much a retirement town).
Meetings and events have flowed rapidly and amicably since March.
The original program received a lot of funding as compensation for closing down of the timber industry, by state-government conservationist policy.
However, the necessary tide of tourism doesn't flow that far.  Likewise, Lake Tyers.  EMV Rubeena has been relocated to Sale.
Lakes Entrance itself has regular tourist operations, with various diesel monohulls and a catamaran.
Paynesville has some diesel boats; I am not sure what their scheduled operation covers.

160803W Orbost (Vic.) 'Snowy River Mail' - PS Curlip.
160824W Snowy River Mail - Curlip.

Roderick

[Roderick Smith]

A great interview with the organiser.
https://soundcloud.com/gippsland-today/gary-plumley-ps-curlip-ii-on-the-move

Roderick.

[Roderick Smith]

Because of weather conditions, the move was deferred from Friday to Sunday, and a successful departure has been made.
Curlip cleared the Marlo bar at ~8.10 [IIRC, with daylight saving, Victoria is 11 h ahead of z time). It is being escorted by coastguard vessel Pinky B, which will provide towing assistance through the entrance at Lakes Entrance at ~14.00, and on to Nungerner (there will be a strong outwards tide at this time). About five flybridge cruisers, a vintage wooden cruiser and a yacht are lying in wait in the lake near the entrance to provide an escort fleet. There may be more joining before 14.00. Tracking of Pinky B is available at www.marinetraffic.com.