APAM- List of Paddlers Part 1 Modern and Restored Vessels

[Roderick Smith]

Here is one which you can't photograph today.
The boat had been a hawking boat at one stage.
Over 1951-53, PV Wanera was fitted for overnight cruising with 33 passengers, and was based at Mildura.  It ran from 1953 to 1972.
Wanera was the only Mildura overnight boat when Coonawarra went to Murray Bridge.
After 3 years out of use, it was refitted in 1975 and cruised untiil destroyed by fire in 1985.  It cruised in tandem with Coonarra from 1981.
The hull is owned privately, at Colignan, to be the basis of a rebuilding.

SWPS Merle was converted to MV Merle in 1940 for overnight cruising, based at Murray Bridge.
 
Regards,
Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

[Excelsior]

A bit of additional information on the Wanera...

She was built in 1900 as a barge called T.P.  In 1911 a steam plant was installed, deckhouses were buile & she was renamed Wanera.  Unlike her sisters Ulonga & Pevensey which were named after properties on the Murrumbidgee the name Wanera is apparently a contraction of the words Waning Era.  One of the directors of the company which owned her was unsure of how wise it was to build a new boat while the river trade was in decline.  I'm not sure whether this story is acurate, or just river lore though.

The vessel was a cargo/tow boat & operated under a couple of owners before being sold to the the Collins brothers in the late 1930s.  They removed the machinery & everything saleable before selling her to Captain Jack Searles.  Most sources show the Collins buying her in 1942/3 & selling her to Searles in 47.  But, in his memiors, Searles records all of this happening in 1937/8.

Searles used the vessel as a houseboat, eventually installing the steam plant from the PS Maggie in an attempt to gain some cargo & towing work.  Apparently she was underpowered & due to a lack of work this was unsuccessful.  Searles then had the idea of converting her to diesel & using her as a river petrol tanker.  He spent 2 years on the conversion & upgraded the home facilities on the boat.  He then got a contract with a petrol company.  This fell through, though, before a trip could be completed & the vessel only ran a couple of voyages to Morgan before being tied up.

It wasn't long after this that it was decided to rebuild her as a cruise boat.  That conversion also took a couple of years, but it completely changed the appearance of the vessel.  After an initial period of low passenger numbers the Wanera became very successful & continued to be until she caught fire in 1985.

The hull was then purchased by the Mansell family & returned to barge form, reverting to the name T.P.  I've seen reports recently that she is to be rebuilt as a paddler, but I'm not sure if this means work is about to start on her.  Or, if it's just a statement of plans that have been around for many years, but with no new work done.

*** According to Searles the Wanera was the first Murray boat to be converted to Diesel.  I'm not sure if this is correct, or if he was unaware of other conversions on different parts of the river.  The Bejo was certainly diesel at least in the early 50s.  Possibly earlier.  And someone on here might be aware of when the Australien was converted.  There were also earlier boats internal combustion, such as the Arcadia of 1903 (oil engine) before she was lengthened & converted to steam in 1911.  The little known Goonda of 1898 also had an oil engine.

[michael]

There are new ribs lying inside her but not many have been fiited, it is rumoured that she may have her bottom done in steel.

[Roderick Smith]

The next town upriver from Mildura is Colignan (Red Cliffs is inland from the river), also in an irrigated agricultural area.  Slightly further upriver is the related Nangiloc.  The palindromic pair mark the end of the pool of weir 11, and the end of guaranteed all-year navigation of the river.  Several private owners have their boats adjacent to their properties, and one runs a private slipway.  The family grows, amongst other produce, avocados for the Sydney market.  The family boats include PV Impulse, PV Mosquito (I have posted a photo to a different thread) and barge TP (pictured my Michael in the preceding post).  I first saw Impulse as part of the Source to Sea fleet at Mannum.  For the Randell Cadell 150th anniversary voyage, it was running as the mother ship for the crews operating PS Mary Ann and PS Lady Augusta.  Upstairs is one gigantic lounge, with the wheel and controls forard, and the kitchen aft.  Downstairs forard there are three guest cabins.  The one across the front can be partitioned into two smaller ones; the next two are long and thin, so that each gets a window with a view clear of the leading sponson cabins (which house toilets, showers and a laundry).  The amidships section holds the internal stairwell, and space for bulk stores (including a freezer).  The owner's cabin is aft;  IIRC the rear sponson cabins hold the ensuite facilities for it.  There are davits on the rear deck, so that the tinny can be hoisted during a voyage (rare in Murray practice; most have always been towed, another difference between rough & ready Murray and elegant Europe).  Impulse has hydraulic drive, and the wheels can be operated independently.
The enclosed photo was taken during the tricky entry to lock 26 Torrumburry, the highest lock upstream (Yarrawonga Weir and Hume Weir were built without locks).  This weir provides the pool in which Echuca boats operate.  After a leak in the footings was discovered, the weir was reconstructed, on the opposite side of the lock from the original one.  The problem with this lock is the concrete sill below its exit gates: the sill can often be too shallow for navigation, even though the river immediately beyond has sufficient depth to cruise to Swan Hill.  The impact of the new weir has been to create tricky currents, hence the angled approach.  Within minutes of taking this photo, the owner (acting on impulse) invited me aboard; I was a grateful guest for the final two nights and the triumphant entry into Echuca of this epic voyage (see my PS Mary Ann thread, elsewhere, also my avatar photo aboard Mary Ann on the middle day).  I did run a photo of Mary Ann as one of my rare colour covers (and one of only two covers in 170 issues not featuring a railway theme).  As thanks for my passage, I arranged for an onrun of the colour portion, which I supplied to the author of the book about the voyage, and the first 100 purchasers were able to have a glued-in colour photo in an otherwise black & white publication.

Regards,
Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

[Roderick Smith]

These two are both normally moored at Colignan.
I have posted a photo and description of PV Mosquito on page 1 of this thread (describing the typical tow pole position on Murray boats).
Kulkyne is fairly modern, styled to look like a loaded traditional boat.
All the bedrooms are upstairs (the wheelhouse is only for appearance).
Downstairs has the kitchen and living area, with the wheel.
The front is not open, it is all glass.
I just missed photographing the boat in lock 9 Kulkyne as it was positioning downriver for the Randell Cadell 150th anniversary run.  I was on a project photographing every punt, weir, lock and bridge over the river.  The enclosed photo is taken in the final hour of the Randell Cadell run.  Mosquito and Kulkyne are passing the preserved historic Echuca wharf, with vintage railway equipment visible on the wharf.  This was Kulkyne's first visit to Echuca.

Regards,
Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria

[Roderick Smith]

With my posts of Australian paddleboats in the APAM Director's Cut thread having gone as far as I can research pending the finding of two more reference books, I am resuming this upriver voyage of discovery, which has been moored at Colignan for 2 weeks.

Continuing up river, the base for PV Tamara Rae is Wemen.  This is an area, not a town.  It is back into the dry mallee wheat country, and is now being exploited for mineral sands.  After 10 years of construction, PV Tamara Rae made its maiden voyage in 2000.
24 m x 5 m x 1 m (hull depth); 126 kW Cummins diesel.
TR has two unusual features:
* It is a quarterwheeler (PS Kookaburra had also been one).
* Behind the main cabin on the main deck is a transfverse garage, with a drawbridge on each side to give access to a bank or dock.
* I don't know the layout, but the wheelhouse is on the second deck.

I saw Tamara Rae at Mannum in Sept.01, as part of the Source to Sea fleet.  The notes for that voyage indicated that it had already been to Wellington; I don't know if it got to Goolwa with this fleet.  I saw Tamara Rae again as part of the Randell Cadell fleet.  It reached Echuca, but was running more slowly than the other boats in the fleet.  On the final Thursday, it reached Torrumbarry too late for the final locking of the day, and had to come through next morning and catch up to the fleet late that night.  I have already posted a rear view to a thread on quarterwheelers, so today I post a 3/4 frontal.  I didn't know at the time to take a closeup of the winch.  The home stretch of river is unreliable for depth, and Tamara Rae is a big boat.  I predict that the winch isn't just for decoration; there will be many times when it must be used to get the boat through a tricky stretch.  This photo was taken on Sat.27.9.03 as the fleet made its entry into Echuca.  The wheelhouse and garage are visible clearly.

Regards,
Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

[Roderick Smith]

From Wemen,
my journey continues through Robinvale/Euston.
This is the site of lock & weir 18, but there is only one paddleboat in the pool.  This is the restored PS Canally, and I don't have a photo.
I have posted elsewhere a photo of the hull at 2004 Wentworth Junction Rally.  After that event, the hull was towed to Robinvale/Euston for superstructure to be added.  In order to be ready to celebrate its centenary in 2007, a diesel engine has been fitted temporarily; after the celebration, work will continue on installing steam equipment.
There is also an interesting cruising launch based there (not paddle): built from a former railway steam-loco tender, and powered by a diesel engine running on recycled cooking oil from the fast-food industry.

There is a long stretch of unreliable river to Swan Hill, including the notorious Bith & Pups rapids near Goodnight.  There are many years when not even a tinny can get through.  Along the way, the Murrumbidgee Junction is passed, also the Edwards junction.

Swan Hill was a a river port: the railway had a special siding down to the wharf.  My father grew up on a farm not far from the river when there were still some cargo boats, and the big four passenger steamers cruised through.  It is famous as the home of PS Gem, now in a lake in the pioneer village.  This boat has had its own write up in the APAM Director's Cut thread, with photos of it today, and one from my father of its condition soon after arrival.  To maintain continuity, I include another one in this thread, but no notes.

Regards,
Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

[Roderick Smith]

This one has been written up in APAM Director's Cut, with contemporary photos and one from my collection showing it before rebuilding.
Enclosed: a photo for continuity.
Swan Hill is also the base for four private boats.

Regards,
Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

[Roderick Smith]

This is one of four which are based at Murray Downs Marina, a couple of kilometres upstream of Swan Hill's lifting-span bridge.
It was launched in 1999, built of aluminium.  The builder was a retired engineer, familiar with the material, and has built two more since then.
16 m x 3.5 m x 1.2 m, draught 45 cm.
65 hp (50 kW) Garder diesel with hydraulic transmission.

The boat has cruised upriver to the Narrows (Barmah), and down to Wellington.
I saw it for my first time at Mannum as part of Source to Sea.  That noble plan foundered on low river levels.  The idea was for a tinny fleet to run from Khancoban to Echuca, then a paddlesteamer fleet from there to Goolwa.  Because of low water, the tinnies made most of their journeying on trailers.  The boats coming upriver to join the fleet had to terminate at Mildura.  The ever-daring Flender Himmel tried to continue, and was stuck on a sandbar at Boundary Bend for 2 weeks.  Seizing the opportunity provided by a freshet, PS Etona (see APAM DC) became the only boat to leave Echuca for the voyage, and was joined at Swan Hill by PV Black Shag, and at Boundary Bend by PV Flender Himmel.  I was so proud of the Victorian duo that the photo of the pair together got half of the right-hand page of my colour centrespread in Jan.02 (I print only four colour spreads per year; the other photo on the page showed PS Industry and PS Marion together).

The enclosed photo was taken during a rushed visit during the layover of a railway-enthusiast day return to Swan Hill.  All four boat owners were at the marina that day.  I lunched with them, and inspected two of the boats.  Black Shag was for sale, but I had already bought Jessie II.  The engine bay is very spacious, designed for fitting a steam engine if a new owner wants to.

Of interest for the construction thread: see the shape of the floats, and the number dipping into the water.

Regards,
Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

[Roderick Smith]

Another based at Murray Downs Marina (Swan Hill), and from the same builder as Black Shag, is PV Iron Dry.  It is single deck.  The cabin is one large space, a bit like a caravan, with settees forming the beds.  As built, it had a short bow but a rear deck large enough for a barbecue.  In the water, it tended to look stumpy and have a nose-down attitude.  A new owner has extended the bow, and it has a a greyhound look now (a miniature Ruby).

I saw it for the first time when I visited the marina while filling in the day as the Randell Cadell fleet progressed from the Murrabit lifting-span bridge to the Koondrook/Barham one.  I enclose a photo.  Iron Dry is behind PV Black Shag, the subject of yesterday's post (but the boat behind Black Shag in that photo was not Iron Dry; it was Shay, the third from the same builder).

With new owners, it was the sole upriver boat to venture to Wentworth for the 2004 Junction Rally.  That was the event at which PS Ruby was recommissioned officially, and Iron Dry carried a gift from Swan Hill Pioneer Village (IIRC a painting or photo of PS Gem).  I was offered (and accepted) a cruise in one of the parades.  I published a profile photo of Iron Dry there, describing it as the 'ambassador from Swan Hill'.  The return trip was spent dodging snags.
The owners took Iron Dry to the Koondrook/Barham bridge centenary.  I spent the morning aboard, and didn't get any photos of it myself.  I have posted one from Michael, in the Koondrook bridge centenary topic within the Preserved Paddle Boats thread.

Based on this cruising experience, the owners lengthened the hull, to improve the appearance, improve the stance in the water, and provide more partying space.  I am told that the speed has also been improved, an all-round successful project.

My second photo today shows it on a trailer at Murray Downs Marina, with the lengthening work nearly finished.

The third photo came via Michael, and shows the finished result cruising.

The fourth photo makes a good before-and-after contrast: PV Iron Dry before lengthening, at 2004 Wentworth Junction Rally.

Regards,
Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

[michael]

Iron Dry at present mooring at Marina

[Roderick Smith]

This type has great significance for me: I had my first solo command on one, at age 12.  I also used one to explore to the navigable limit of Torrens River (SA) in 1964, a foretaste of what I do in Jessie II now.

I doubt that the style was uniquely Australian.  I am sure I saw the style in a film about Swiss lakes in the mid 1950s.

The wooden design had two floats (ie a catamaran).  In the fish-shaped body, two passengers (pedallers) sat semi recumbent.  The pedals connected via chain drive to paddles in front of the body.  There was a lever (IIRC on the starboard) to control the rudder.  Multicoloured fleets existed on all sorts of lakes and sheltered inlets.
I have been in charge on Lake Treganowan (Emerald Lake, Victoria), Lakes Entrance inlet, Torrens River, Albert Park Lake  and probably Lake Pertobe (Warrnambool, Victoria).  However, my father didn't photograph any of these exploits.  The only photo which I can find is of this fleet, on the inlet at Tooradin (protected from going to sea by a weir with a sluice gate).
They were quite heavy.

AFAIK all are superseded today by a plastic design, resembling a motorcycle (a pedal version of those horrible noisy wakemaking personal watercraft which destroy the serenity of the rivers on which I cruise).

The wooden ones were very stable, and are not the source of the hire-dinghy joke:
Boss through loud hailer: 'Come in number nine, your time is up'.
Assistant: 'Boss, we don't have a number nine'.
Boss through loud hailer: 'Number six, are you in trouble?'.

Regards,
Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

[Roderick Smith]

Here is the third of the Swan Hill trio from the one builder, and this one shows its aluminium construction quite clearly.  It had been launched quite recently when I took this photo.  It will be interesting to see how this material handles hitting a few snags: more easily panelbeaten that a steel hull?
My visit that day was too rushed to have an inspection.  I don't know how the space has been used, or what changes the builder made in the light of his experience with two other vessels.  This does seem to be wider than Iron Dry.  Our lunch conversation didn't cover the design of this boat.  I can only guess that it is single deck to simplify cruising in this reach.  To leave downstream, a boat must pass under the lifting-span bridge at Swan Hill, with another two at Nyah (1 day cruise) and Tooleybuc (2 day cruise).  Going upstream there is the bridge at Murrabit (1 day cruise) and the one at Koondrook/Barham (2 day cruise).  Raising the spans is free, but the formalities are time consuming and the available opening hours restrict cruising choice.  I suspect that the name comes from a railway source.  A Shay loco is a famous geared steam loco.  Several came to Australia, including one (or more) on Wolgan Valley Railway.  This hauled oil shale, and was not far from the builder's home.

Regards,
Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

[michael]

PV Shay and Black Shag

[Roderick Smith]

The fourth at Swan Hill is PV Temeraire, being built by a semiretired locally-based legal practitioner.
When I viewed the progress in June 2006, the vessel (~18 m long) was showing elegant traditional lines.
The boat will have two wheelhouses: the traditional one on the second deck, and an auxiliary one on the main deck.
The second deck also holds the owner's cabin, and possibly one guest cabin.
The main deck will be a gigantic kitchen, lounge & living area, with auxiliary guest accommodation curtained off at night, using settees on each side..

AFAIK, the name has never been used for a Murray River boat before, but four British warships have carried the name, and two British railway locomotives (which were being named after the warships).

Michael has a photo of the progress by December.  The owner planned to have the boat ready to join the June-July Morgan - Koondrook cruise, but the cruise has been postponed.

From time to time there are rumblings of restoring Gem to running order.  However, it would then have to leave Swan Hill to find a stretch of river where it could cruise reliably.  In the current political climate, nobody is going to build any of the missing weirs and locks to provide reliable cruising at Swan Hill.  I have seen one map which showed all of the proposed locations, but I can't find it now.  IIRC, lock 22 or 23 would provide a pool at Swan Hill; building 24 & 25 would provide permanent boating to Echuca, a great boon for Victorian tourism.

Regards,
Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor