Australian river charts

[rayman]

Can any of you enthusiasts out there tell me if a map exists showing the rivers and river ports more boldly than the present road maps I am using?? If they exist, where available and what price. In the 1950's I worked on the snowy scheme (eucumbene mainly) and always thought the snowy river ran into the murrumbidgie/ murray, but on finding the "Cudlip" site it runs with the Brodrib into the ocean at Gippsland
  Rayman

[thewharfonline]

Murray River Charts might be of some use, I only have an old copy...I don't think it's actually called that either.

You can purchase these charts on CD for your computer too and they work as a 'road map' for boats. Based on the Skipper charts from long ago.

Someone will be able to give an exact title

[Roderick Smith]

AFAIK only Murray River is charted.
Baker & Reschke 'Murray River pilot' covers the SA section, Goolwa - NSW border, plus Coorong and lakes.  2004 edition is Isbn 0 646 11560 X.
Available from tourist shops along the Murray, map and marine bookshops in major cities.

Wright & Wright 'River Murray Charts' covers Renmark to Yarrawonga.  2002 edition is Isbn 0 9598463 6 0
Availabiliy as above.
There is a cd including the contents plus Yarrawonga - Albury, see www.rivermurraycharts.com.au.

I have had no luck finding charts for other rivers which I have cruised.  Even the touristy Lake Eildon (Vic.) has only fishing charts, but not boating ones (oops, the rivers leading from the Gippsland lakes are covered, see my next post).

Regards,
Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

[Roderick Smith]

The bible for boating Gippsland lakes and rivers is:
Richard Hawkins 'Creeks and harbours of the Gippsland lakes and eastern Gippsland', In-depth Publications, 5th ed 2000.  Isbn 0 646 40157 2
It has charts and supplementary information for:
* lakes Wellington, Victoria, King & Reeve, and rivers La Trobe, Thomson, Avon, Perry, Mitchell, Nicholson and Tambo.
* Lake Tyers and its two arms.
* Marlo, Snowy River, Brodribb Riverk Lake Curlip
* Sydenham Inlet, Bemm River
* Tamboon Inlet, Cann River
* Mallacoota Lakes, Genoa River.
There is a lot of supplementary information on boat ramps, fishing and wildlife.
I bought mine in a boat shop in Metung.

Regards,
Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

[paddlesteamerman1]

I have an excellent Chart Book (but my copy is refined from Goolwa to the SA-NSW Border and includes all the lakes and the Coorong).

It is the Murray River Pilot (Barker - Reschke) and I am fairly positive you can get it from the start of the navigable River Murray right through to the Coorong.

[Ned Feary]

I also have the Murray River Pilot (from Goolwa to Renmark), and Murray River charts from the 1970s,(from Renmark to Yarrawonga) both of which a friend of mine got off e-bay.  You can get the latest editon of the Murray River pilot at the Goolwa visitors info center.

Ned

[Roderick Smith]

I have scanned one sample section from Wright 'River Murray charts'.  This book covers Renmark - Yarrawonga, plus 60 km of the Darling.  The cd version includes Yarrawonga - Albury.

I gave the website in an earlier post in this topic.  It should be possible for overseas readers to mail order either (with the cd being more convenient).  Perhaps Bill's USA steamship association would buy one for the club library?

The maps are sketched in traditional riverman style, but are broken into short sections so that they fit into a book.  AFAIK traditional ones were on rolls.  Many captains place the book over a metal backing, and use a magnetic marker on the map to keep track of their position on the river.

In the book, there is lots of ancillary information surrounding the maps: history of the towns and areas, and sketches of famous boats associated with the stretch.

I chose this particular section because it shows quite a range of river features, and is one which I have cruised often.  The next section downriver shows Echuca (mentioned often in Paddleducks), but has more development along the shores and fewer examples of snags and channel marking, and so is less representative.  My recently-posted photo of PS Billy Tea was taken at the Goulburn junction, showing on this map.  My photo of PS Mary Ann, posted way back, was taken at the site of Maiden's punt, which is in the next section downstream of the one posted.  The figures in rectangles measure km from the mouth.  They appear every 2 km: white on blue signs, usually attached to trees.  Uncannily, we were passing one every 15 min (ie 8 km/h) all day when I travelled upstream, on PS Oscar W and on PS Mary Ann.

I don't know how readily available the other book (from a different author, covering the SA section) would be overseas.

Regards,
Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor