Current Echuca News !

[Roderick Smith]

I got sidetracked by other happenings, and left the posting of the GAIC fleet at Waikerie.  I rejoined the fleet at Goolwa Wooden Boat Festival, then crossed Lake Alexandrina on PS Marion to finish my adventure.  I'll get back into gear with a set, so have a different event for today.
Last Sunday had an Easter fireworks event at Echuca.  There was no boat parade, but commercial boats ran cruises, then tied up at vantage points: PS Emmylou, PS Canberra, PV Pride of the Murray, PS Pevensey and PS Adelaide.  I was a guest on private PS Etona (my first time aboard while moving).  Michael was engineer on the Pev; after finishing for the evening, he brought out his PV Struggler.  I spent the night in Echuca, and came home in the morning.
1510405Su Echuca: Letting of a flare on PS Etona as passed the public, clustered on the wharf.  (Roderick Smith)
150405Su Echuca: PS Etona photographed from Struggler (I'm just behind the wheelhouse door).  (Michael Snell)

Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria

[Roderick Smith]

This is a mix of GAIC boats and others at Goolwa.  With bad weather forecast, the boats crossed in about three fleets, variously on Thurs.12, Fri.13 & Sat.14.2.15.  PS Marion crossed as planned, on Mon.23.2.
All at Goolwa (SA), by me:
150218W PV Amphibious (from Mannum), PS Marion (from Mannum), PS Oscar W (local) & PV Billy T (from Echuca).
150220F MV Mars (from Echuca), PV Amphibious, PV Settler (from Mildura), PS Marion.

Billy T is one of the few paddleboats to have traversed the whole navigable section from Yarrawonga to Goolwa; PS Etona is another, and I believe that PS James Maiden has done so too.
Settler was conveying a special cargo: barrels of boutique beer from Wilkadene (on the river, near Renmark).  In exchange, it would return with boutique beer from Goolwa brewery (on the wharf).
As I type, the boats returning upstream at various moorings in the Renmark area, waiting for lock 7 to be available again.  The Echuca boats then plan to spend time in Darling River, and may not be home until around September.

Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

[Roderick Smith]

Four of paddleboats at Goolwa wooden-boat festival on Sat.21.2.15
DSCF0967 PS James Maiden
DSCF0968 PV BlackShag
DSCF0971 PV Settler, PV Amphibious, barge Dart
DSCF0972 PV Settler conveying craft beer, PV Amphibious
and one indulgence: some of the wooden boats, all styles and sizes, with SteamRanger's steam train to Victor Harbor as a backdrop.  A great event for exhibitors and spectators.
DSCF0983 Jessie II, Duke of Edinburgh.  Sun.22.2.

Roderick B Smith
retired editor

[Roderick Smith]

AA was in need of slipping urgently, but this was delayed while the slip owner met council demands for enhanced safety.  Meanwhile, AA sprung a leak, but this was stemmed with a temporary fix, and it went onto the slip on Wed.27.5.15 for proper maintenance.
150527W Echuca (NSW bank): Alexander Arbuthnot on the slip.  (Michael Snell)

Roderick B Smith
retired editor

[Roderick Smith]

News via the PS Industry facebook page:
On Fri.3.7.15, after 7 months and travelling over 3500 km, PV Billy Tea and PV Ivy May arrived back to Echuca after travelling to Goolwa SA.
 PS Pevensey, along with Canberra, Emmylou & Pride of the Murray, cruised down to welcome them back home.
www.facebook.com/EchucaPaddlesteamers/photos/pcb.801958483250130/801958353250143/?type=1&theater

AFAIK Tooraloora is at Mannum or Morgan, for sale.  PV Amelia Jane is lingering at Mildura after slipping, to come home on spring water.  PS James Maiden may be at Renmark.

Roderick B Smith
Transport analyst

[Roderick Smith]

PV Black Shag had been holding at Swan Hill, waiting for water.  It arrived back at Echuca on Fri.28.8.15.  PV Amelia Jane, which had paused in Mildura for maintenance slipping, arrived back on Mon.31.8.
Independently, PV Bungunyah had arrived in Echuca over winter, and was heading to Tocumwal.

Roderick

[Roderick Smith]

Kevin came to Echuca from Mildura as a young carpenter, to work on restoring paddlesteamers for tourist operation.  He became the grand old man of the port, restoring lots of boats, and also obtaining his master 4.  He was forever skippering PS 'Oscar W'.  Kevin appeared in the series 'All the rivers run', doubling for the engineer.  He was awarded an Order of Australia Medal for his services to paddlesteamer restoration, and for mentoring lots of younger people.  Everyone who knew him admired him.  I was in the wheelhouse with him on the charter for Michael's 21st birthday, and watched him execute a downstream Echuca turn: bow into the bank, let the current bring the stern around, back of the bank and complete the roundup to head upstream.  For his 40th anniversary at the port, Pevensey was renamed Kevin Hutchinson for a day (not the 'Pev', the 'Kev').  The recently-expanded port discovery centre was named after him.
Kevin died on 29.1.16, aged 74.  Tributes flowed through various hobby web / social-media sites.
For the funeral, on Fri.5.2, the port was closed for the day; neither paddlesteamer operator cruised.
The commercial boats were steamed, and were rafted off the wharf.
The coffin was carried to the funeral-parlour service by driving past the wharf, and a massed whistle salute was given.
After the service, there was a graveside burial, then everyone moved to the wharf for the wake.  This was very much a 'river rats' event, with paddleboat people from at least Mannum downstream, and Yarrawonga upstream.  I had missed the service when my connecting train was cancelled, but arrived on a later service for the wake.  People reported that it had been a happy celebration of a life of service, with lots of laughter and applause.  The 7 min 'This was your life' photo selection (a feature of modern Australian funerals, probably worldwide) was very comprehensive, from childhood through being a young man in the 1950s & 60s, to a life on paddleboats.  There were three brief speeches at the wake.  These included the reading of two goodwill messages from stars of 'All the rivers run'.  There were two more massed whistle salutes.
140307F-Echuca-the'Kev'-RohanBurgess.
160205F-Echuca-PS_Adelaide-CaptainSnell-RSmith.  Michael is now not only an engineer, he is a master 5, with master 4 imminent.  Here he has just completed rafting Adelaide off Hero.
160205F-Echuca-Kevin HutchinsonPaddleboatTribute-RSmith.
160205F-Echuca-funeralcluster-RSmith.
160205F-Echuca-KevinWake-RSmith.  Another son has risen to master 4.

Roderick





Roderick

[Roderick Smith]

Massed whistles: steam Adelaide, Hero, Alexander Arbuthnot, Pevensey, Canberra, Emmylou; diesel Pride of the Murray.
Three of these salutes were provided through the day.
<https://www.facebook.com/PS-Industry-325824597564261>

Roderick

[Roderick Smith]

The water is well up, and is rising.  Lake Eppalock (Campaspe River, near Bendigo) is overflowing.  There is water coming down it, and Murray water backing up into it.  Two big boats have got up to the first road bridge (I couldn't get that far with Jessie II on normal water).
PV Pride of the Murray has been up.  Now PS Etona, on Sat.8.10: https://www.facebook.com/rowland.melville/videos/10153786816301746.

Roderick

[Roderick Smith]

As predicted in at the time of PS Adelaide's 150th anniversary celebrations, Alexander Arbuthnot is on its way to Koondrook in November.
It was the last of the traditional paddlesteamers to be built for Murray trade, and was built for Arbuthnot sawmills at Koondrook.  The mill still trades, and supplies redgum for special uses (AFAIK mainly furniture).  Several triggers have come together for this event:
* The water is up; the voyage will be easy.
* The port has been keen to make the journey ever since AA was restored.  It will have been decades since it was last in Koondrook.
* AA was considered for the Mildura voyage for PS Melbourne's centenary, but the more-powerful Adelaide was deemed to be the more suitable vessel to not only get there, but to get back in a reasonable timeframe.
* A new floating jetty is under construction at Koondrook, funded by grant money as compensation for reduced irrigation water entitlements.
There will be only limited public sectors, as the middle section lacks vehicle access.  I chased Adelaide through there in a good year, and had some mud.  I suspect that, with this higher water, a lot of access tracks are completely impassable.  I won't even be able to chase this one in my all-wheel drive.
The plan:
* Wed.9.11, carrying passengers to Perricoota station (for afternoon tea, inspection, then back by bus. Continue to Torrumbarry.
* Thurs.10.11: through Torrumbarry lock (possible short novelty sector); overnight in state forest.
* Fri.11.11: Koondrook arr ~midday.
* Sat.12 & Sun.13: local 1 h cruises.
* Mon.14: Official wharf opening at 13.00, then vip cruises.
* Tues.15: depart, to reach Echuca on Friday night.

Roderick
 

[Roderick Smith]

Wednesday is booked out.
.jpg versions of the website pdf ones.
161109W PS Alexander Arbuthnot to Perricoota Homestead.
161112Sa-13Su-14M PS Alexander Arbuthnot Koondrook cruising.

Roderick

[Roderick Smith]

The project has been in gestation for around 30 years, and has come to fruition: a floating wharf, capable of holding any boat which can get through this reach of the river.
It has cost $2m, a partnership of federal, state and local government.
The opening ceremony was major, helped by good water.
The centrepiece was PS Alexander Arbuthnot, back home for the first time in 80 years.  It was built for Arbuthnot sawmill, still in operation at Koondrook, and providing redgum for a range of uses.
The mill provided most/all of the timber for the new wharf and associated walkways.
AA left Echuca ceremonially on Wed.9.11, to reach Koondrook on Fri.11.11.  Other Echuca vessels voyaged too: PS Canberra, PS Etona, PS Ranger, PV Billy T, SWPV Adventurous, PV Black Shag.  A wooden putt putt was launched locally.
There were public cruises on Sat.12 & Sun.13.11.
The main ceremony was on Mon.14.11.  Invited guests lunched in marquees from 12.00.  The 13.00 speeches started at 13.10, with a large crowd of onlookers, and primary schoolchildren from a local school and from further afield.
At the end, a ribbon was cut by five dignitaries in unison.  AA ran a cruise for invitees, then two public cruises [I just got one of four remaining tickets].
Etona had left on Saturday, four others pulled out as the afternoon continued, leaving only Black Shag & Ranger.

Here are the newspaper photos; mine are yet to come.

161115Tu 'Gannawarra Times' - Koondrook wharf & PS Alexander Arbuthnot.

Roderick

[Roderick Smith]

Vale Warwick Turner, 6.11.1941-10.6.16.
Warwick was a man of energy and action in the worlds of steam and marine preservation, also community affairs and preserving rare animal breeds.
He was a Sydney boy, and was a keen and competitive rower in his school days.  He became an apprentice with Manly Steamship Co., then moved into advertising.
He had purchased his first steamroller while still too young to drive it home.  He was part of a syndicate preserving steam yacht Lady  Hopetoun, leading to the formation of today's Sydney Heritage Fleet.
He became manager of Lachlan Vintage Village (Forbes, NSW), then Swan Hill Pioneer Village.  He moved to Echuca, buying a farm on the city fringe.  This became the repository for a large collection of steam machinery, boats and rail equipment.  He was active in Rotary, and achieved the top award (a Paul Harris Fellowship) for service.  In Echuca, he became a councillor, and a steam engineer on PS Emmylou and PS Canberra.  He spearheaded the movement which revived the port of Echuca for tourism, and established the annual steam rally.  A memorial service had to await the return of one son from overseas, and was very well attended.  In the one week, Murray River Skippers Association held its agm in Echuca on Tuesday night; attendees could then stay for the Thursday-Saturday celebrations for the 150th anniversary of PS Adelaide.  The family held the memorial service on Wed.20.7.  This was a riverside service, with PS Hero and PS Canberra as a backdrop.  The family  arrived via Warwick's Aveling &  Porter steamroller.  One son had been behind the short-lived move of SL Ena to Melbourne; the other operates river launch MV Grower on Yarra River.  Tributes came from all components of Warwick's diverse life, including a speaker from SHF.  Attendees then boarded the two boats for an ash-scattering ceremony (just one third).  There would be a further service and scattering on Sydney Harbour, and the remaining third would be scattered on Warwick's farm.  Refreshments were served at Radcliffe's bar/restaurant, with lots of mingling and swapping of stories and gossip.  I came from Melbourne for the day by train and bus, and was driven home by a Port Phillip charter-ferry captain.  I had met Warwick aboard one of the Echuca paddlesteamers perhaps 10 years ago.  Via a mutual friend, I had arranged for a visiting group from Wooden Boat Association SA to visit his steam collection during a club rally at Echuca over Queens Birthday long weekend in June 2015.

[DamienG]

 

[Roderick Smith]

The water continued to rise.
Murray River at Echuca (Vic.): PV Billy T floating on high water, inland from the normal bank, above the carpark on the landward side of the pavilion. Oct.16. (Bob McGrath)
The bank where the funeral was held is underwater on the river side of the pavilion.

Roderick