APAM- List of Paddlers Part 1 Modern and Restored Vessels

[Roderick Smith]

This one will get a full write up in Sean's latest series (River queens, in the APAM Director's Cut thread).
It was built in 1950 for tourist cruises between Echuca and Torrumbarry (downriver) and Goulburn Jn and Barmah Lakes (upriver).  The water was too unreliable; it was transferred to Renmark, cruising upriver to Mildura, and downriver to Waikerie.
It left Echuca on 29.10.1953, fully booked.  This was the first commercial passenger cruise from Echuca to Swan Hill since Captain Drage took Marion through in 1937.
In 1959 it was transferred to Murray Bridge, cruising upriver to Morgan, and occasionally downriver to Wellington.  After larger vessels were built for this stretch (1970s), it was brought back to Mildura, and ran 5 day cruises to Wentworth, a little up the Darling, and up the Murray to Nangiloc.
A new owner is using it as a b&b at Mildura, and for charters, with only occasional public cruises.  He has extended the territory and does cruise below lock 10.
The vessel has been modified many times, and now has a much larger lounge; most cabins have en suite facilities.

I have lots of better photos, but not scanned and on the hard drive.
It appears in the background of a photo which I placed in Preserved,  Replica Mary Ann thread.
Here it is in the background at Wentworth, as part of 2004 Junction Rally.
Later in the day, when tinnies were unable to haul PS Ruby from this restoration dock to the wharf (it got stuck on a bar at the entrance), Coonawarra pulled Ruby across the bar.

There is a book on the history of the boat: Gwenda Painter 'In the wake of the Coonawarra', Lothian, 1970.  ISBN 0 85091 029 3 and 0 85091 028 5.
There are two websites:
www.murrayriver.com.au/boating/paddlesteamers/pbcoonawarra/cruises_charter.htm
and
www.pbcoonawarra.com.au
The name is an aboriginal one for a black swan, and hence this is the emblem on the paddleboxes.

Checking the website confirms something else which I obtained from local news: Coonawarra is now based at Wentworth.  All public cruises are short ones, not overnight.  An afternoon-tea cruise goes down through lock 10.
Something else from local news, not on the site: the vessel is for sale.

Regards,
Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

[Roderick Smith]

These are based at Mildura for tourist cruises, under common ownership.
I saw Rothbury for the first time in 1963, when it was still a work boat (and still steam).
It was modified into showboat configuration soon after.
It is the fastest paddle vessel on the river, having won every Signal Point race since the inception of the series.
Usually Melbourne does short cruises, down through lock 11.
Rothbury runs upriver with a lunch cruise to Trentham Estate winery.

For details, see
www.murrayriver.com.au/boating/paddlesteamers/melbourne-rothbury

PS Melbourne has now appeared in the APAM DC thread, page 10.
PS Rothbury has now appeared in the APAM DC thread, page 11.

Regards,
Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

[Roderick Smith]

This one is private, and is usually moored at Mildura.

As with many Australian terms, the name has unclear ancestry and unclear meaning.
See www.anu.edu.au/andc/ozwords/October_2004/Shiralee.html
It seems to be used most as a synonym for swag or bundle.
The name was adopted for an Australian novel about a swagman who has to care for his 10 yo daughter: she becomes his burden.  This was turned into a well-known film and a tv miniseries.
The name has been adopted for a backpackers hostel, and is an appropriate choice for this touring paddle vessel.

I am sure that I have seen it on two rallies, but I have photographed it on only one: the 2006 run from Mildura to Wentworth for the weekend of the Ferguson-tractor rally in July.

Regards,
Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

[Roderick Smith]

This one was built for a Mildura owner, and was usually moored slightly upriver of the city.  It is one of several boats of this size in the area, and the owners would often go out in convoy for a social weekend cruise.
I saw Matilda for the first time in Sept.01, at Mannum as part of the Source to Sea fleet.
In this view, it is at Swan Hill as part of the Randell Cadell 150th anniversary fleet.  This Saturday was its last day with the fleet; on Sunday it headed for home.  The 'For sale' sign was tempting, and I did inspect Matilda in Mildura in Apr.04.  It was well appointed, with a lounge forard (convertible to guest beds), steering position adjacent to the deck doors, kitchen and dining area between the paddles, toilet in one sponson cabin and shower & mini laundry in the other, then the owner's bedroom at the rear.  However, I don't live along the Murray: access for maintenance and regular cruising would be tricky.  Obtaining a mooring would be tricky and expensive.  I declined and bought Jessie II instead.  Matilda has since been sold (the former owner is building a larger boat, with two decks); I believe that it is now based at Goolwa (SA).

Presumably the name is linked to Australia's famous song 'Waltzing Matilda'; matilda was a slang term for a swag (ie bedroll).

Regards,
Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

[Roderick Smith]

Here is a fleet photo at Mildura, from the Commonwealth Games website (www.melbourne2006.com.au/Channels).  The daily progress, photos and movie clips (including the one of this day) are being kept as a permanent archive, and still available for downloading.  The movie comes in low-res and high-res (5 MB) versions, and has some good (but brief) views of the paddle vessels, including a close up of Mundoo positioning, a view from the water of a sternwheeler (must be SWPV Chalka), and a repeat of the view in the enclosed still photo.

On the previous day, the baton had started at Renmark with a Murray River cruise on a modern houseboat.  It left across the lifting-span bridge built in 1927 for rail & road, but now road only.
On this day (Fri.17.2.06) the baton commenced with a tethered ascent on a hot-air balloon, then was carried across George Chaffey Bridge.  This concrete bridge was built in the 1980s, with clearance for three-deck paddleboats, and replaced a lifting-span bridge.
Mildura boats formed a guard of honour in the river, with PV Rothbury, PS Melbourne and PV Mundoo at the head of an assortment of smaller paddleboats, houseboats and launches.  Later in the day, the baton crossed back into Victoria on the soon-to-be-replaced lifting-span bridge from Euston to Robinvale.  This one was built in the 1920s for rail & road, but had been road only from ~1930.

Later in the program, the baton had its only ride on a paddlesteamer: PS Cumberoona carried it from Wodonga to Albury (a photo is posted in the early stages of the APAM Director's Cut thread).

Regards,
Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

[Roderick Smith]

This private-owner vessel is related to several others: IIRC a standard hull, designed by Mildura builder Cook, but individual superstructure.  It is moored somewhere in the Mildura area, but has not spent much time at its home port.
I saw it for the first time as part of the Randell Cadell fleet, in Sept.03.
The owner took it to Echuca for a while.
The boat missed the July 06 tractor-rally cruise to Wentworth.  Even with its shallow draught, it was stuck at Colignan, unable to cross a reef.
As at Dec.06, it was out of the water for the first hull cleaning and maintenance since construction.
Local gossip is that the owner is about to set forth on an extended voyage downriver.

Regards,
Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

[jock]

Hi do you have any contact details of the owner. I met her when she started building and lived in Echuca

[michael]

Here's PV Murrundi the start of this year back at Mildura, Clare had just painted the front and rear deck, she also just been out of the water and had her bottom checked and her new funnel fitted- a irrigation pipe picked up at Robinvale!

[Roderick Smith]

This is another of the Mildura-based single deckers.
I thought that I had seen it in 2003, but it isn't in my notebook or photos.
The enclosed photo was taken at Wentworth, during the 2004 Junction Rally.

Regards,
Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

[michael]

The newest paddler on the Murray River is Stern Wheeler PV Risbey, which was biult over a period of 3-4 years at Andrew Cooks Boat Yard. Steel hull, diesel engine she was launched early in February at Mildura and is owned by locals Phill and Pam Shugg. On her first couple of trips she had to have barrels of water on the front deck as she's arse heavy, she has been slipped and is having floats put at her stern to even her up.

[Roderick Smith]

In 2001, this one was under construction.  The hull was finished; the superstructure had been framed but not clad and not fitted out.  The owner had been the full-time PS Cumberoona captain for a while, but had now shifted back to the Mildura area.  Miralie was moored near his house at Red Cliffs, but is now moored further away.  He goes out quite often.  For the Randell Cadell fleet, Miralie went downriver to Akuna Homestead (exploring various side waterways en route), then up to Swan Hill.  Here it is making an afternoon jaunt at Swan Hill.  Next day it left the fleet, and returned home in tandem with PV Matilda.

The single-deck design had existed 'back in the days' for paddle fishing boats.  In the two APAM series, there are photos of PS Roy and PS Ranger in this style.  For many years, PS Etona ran as a single decker.  Presumably this let them pass under overhanging trees more readily, and get closer to the banks.
Today's single deckers have the advantage that they can pass under the bridges in most water conditions without the formality of booking a time.  Bridge raising is free, but most will be opened at only two set times per day (morning and afternoon, clear of traffic going to school, to work or shopping), and only with advance booking.  The Echuca single deckers have got up both the Campaspe and the Goulburn under fixed bridges when the water was right.

Many lifting-span bridges have been replaced with high-level fixed bridges.  Today the lifting ones are:
Murray: Renmark, Tooleybuc, Nyah, Swan Hill, Murrabit, Koondrook/Barham and Tocumwal (railway).
Darling: Wentworth (a modern style, replacing a traditional one).  A bascule bridge at Menindie (former road & rail) is now rail only, and has had the counterweight removed; it cannot be opened.  The lifting-span bridge at Bourke has been preserved on site, for pedestrians.  A couple of other Darling ones survive, but I doubt that they can be opened.

Regards,
Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

[michael]

SWPV Temporary, hull was built in Swan Hill early 2000, bought by Adam Cook and trucked to Mildura where he has slowly down work to her. She was launched late January 2007 and has been Cooky's first boat to hit the water, all he's other ones were sold off, thats why its rumoured to be called PV Temporary as he's only hangs on to his boats for a short time.

[Roderick Smith]

I am on a long-day train tour on Saturday, so have tomorrow's post tonight.
PV Paddlecat is unusual: it is on the hull of a WWII Catalina amphibious aeroplane (ie flying boat, not just a floatplane).
Its history is covered in Plowman.
It is moored at the owner's property at Gol Gol (NSW shore, upstream of Mildura).
There were three other flying boats on the river as houseboats/launches.
IIRC they were all screw, not paddle.  Two were Catalinas; one was half of a Dornier.  One Catalina was retrieved, and is now preserved as a Catalina at an aviation museum at Moorabbin Airport (Melbourne).
I am in the middle of a research project, in conjunction with Michael, on behalf of aviation contacts to trace the remaining Catalina and the Dornier.

Regards,
Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

[michael]

PV William Albert was launched 2004 as a single deck paddleboat. Her hull is identical to PV Kulkyne, and her cabins are made of coolroom panels. She is 60ft long and 14ft wide and is powered by a diesel engine. It wasn't untill the end of 2006 when the boat had its upper cabins constructed. The William Albert is a houseboat and is usually seen around the Mildura area, she was photographed at Bruce's Bend Marina

[michael]

Continuing on from Roderick's post: PV Yarrara was built at Merbein and launched in 2002, a different cabin layout it has a sunken cabin in the middle of the hull. Its is diesel powered this houseboat is often seen tied up near PV William Albert