New member

[Stempost]

G'day all, I am new to paddlducks and thought I'd better say hello.
I am another Aussie and grew up in Central Victoria just over half an hour away from Echuca, so I am quite familiar with the area and its history.  I have really enjoyed following the various threads in the posts on this forum and have learned so much from them. I don't know that I can contribute very much to the discussions, but will attempt to do so when I can.
As a kid I always wanted to climb through the roses and have a look  around the Adelaide at her 'dry berth' in the gardens in Echuca. (But I was never allowed to.) It made no sense to me then that she sat in a rose bed instead of her being at home on the river. I remember the salvage of the AA and its restoration on the banks of the Goulburn River at Shepparton and then they placed it in an artificial lake-again making no sense to me.  At least they are back where they belong and Echuca is such a fantastic place with all those boats on the Murray. It is disheartening to see the Murray in her present state- contrast this with the floods of the 1970's and 80's. For those familiar with the area, I have seen floodwater flowing through the toilet blocks to the north of the port and in the nearby caravan park. Anyway, enough of my rambling.....
Trevor.

[Eddy Matthews]

Good to see you've joined us Trevor - As an Aussie you should fit right in, we seem to have more than our fair share of Aussies!  :nah

I hope you enjoy the forum...

[ljhall]

Hi Trevor,

Good to see that more people are visiting/using this site, it's a great way for us Paddle Steamer buffs to communicate and share the latest news & info.
I only joined recently too, but prior to that I used to check out the site regularly.

I am currently based up in Brisbane for the moment, but I still like to keep track of what's happenning on the river, particularly in and around Echuca.
The fleet has grown pretty big over the years to the point where there are now approx. 30 Paddle Steamers/Paddle Boats between Picnic Point near Barmah and Torrumbarry Weir/National Channel.

I can't believe the surge in interest in boat building in recent years, it's got to the point where I can't keep up with the number of Paddle Boats being built.
I am starting to wonder if the number of contemporary vessels will outgrow the number of original vessels.
Taking into account re-builds and name changes there were around 280 Paddle Steamers operating on the inland rivers between 1853 and 1958, but obviously not all at the one time.

Once again, thanks for your interest and hope to hear from you soon !

Cheers,