PS Industry centenary Apr.11

[Roderick Smith]

Helped by improved water levels, this is shaping up to be the biggest river event since the 2003 Randell Cadell 150th anniversary and the 2001 Source to Sea fleet.

It will be 100 years next year since PS Industry (moored in Renmark), was commissioned. A celebration to commemorate this milestone is being
planned for 1-3.4.11.
A Commmittee of Friends of the Industry is inviting boat owners and organisations connected to other paddle boats to come to Renmark for this occasion.
Industry will steam to Whirlpool Corner [4 km, way below lock 6] to meet with the flotilla of boats mid morning on Sat.2.4 and come on into the Renmark riverfront, where Riverland Brass Band will be playing to greet them. We are hopeful that barge A11, also turning 100, will be in the flotilla. PS Ruby will
also be amongst the boats, having carried passengers from Wentworth. Industry will cruise for 1hr trips during the weekend, with the crew dressed in the style of the era.
The Renmark Hotel function room will house memorabilla of PS Industry and items of history of the river will be on display. There will also be a display of some beautuful replica models of paddle boats. A collection of articles of a bygone era will also be displayed.
A local historian will be there with her computerised encyclopaedic 75year history of boats that have worked on the rivers, so visitors can check on details of interest, such as when and how a boat was built, names of captains and crew and cargo carried.
We are planning to have working displays of 'olden time' skills how things were done in years gone by, eg milking a cow, separating the cream and making butter.
Stationary engines, vintage cars and motor bikes will be on display.
John Angove of Angove Wines is bottling red and white wine for us to commemorate the centenary.
Food and refreshments will be available on the lawns.
Children's entertainment will not be forgotten with the Cubs and Scouts running old style races and games. Ian McNamara (Macka) from 'Australia All Over' has been invited to attend on the Sunday, although his attendance is to be confirmed.
The committee is planning the creation and installation of some historic bollards (or similar) to be a permanent feature of the riverfront.
A quilt depicting the Industry's centenary, is being planned by the two quilting groups, the 'P's and Q's and the Evening Stars, which when completed will be put on display for people to view for many years to come.
An informal dinner has been planned for Saturday night in the Renmark Club. This will give people a chance to mingle and talk about times past. A dance is being
organised in the Paringa Hall for the Friday Evening.
The committee encourage folk attending the weekends event to come dressed in costume of the era.
See www.southaustralia.com/9001605.aspx

The ever-gregarious Mildura paddleboat owners will voyage in full force: perhaps 10-15 paddleboats as a fleet.

With the water up and the temporary Clayton dam now breached, river gossip is that PS Oscar W will voyage upriver from Goolwa (probably with day sectors available), and PS Marion may yet commit, probably with full voyage standards (cabin and meals).  Many private downriver boats may well commit too now.

Ever since I have been posting to the group, I have tried to entice those of you from other countries to come to Australia, and experience our landscapes, our river and our paddleboats (steam & diesel).  If ever you are going to come, this event is the one to attend.  It will be easy for the New Zealanders, but for almost everyone else, coming half way around the world could be a daunting prospect.  There is plenty enough on the Murray alone to justify the journey.
Mini: fly into Adelaide, hire a car, drive to Renmark for the weekend (but you may have to use another river town for accommodation), drive back and fly home.
Improved: Hire a Liba Liba houseboat at Renmark as your accommodation.  They are sternwheel, and it would be quite legitimate to tuck in at the rear of the flotilla.
See www.libaliba.com.au/
Better: Hire a River Wren from Murray Bridge, and voyage to Renmark, photographing every paddleboat along the way.
See: www.riverglen.com.au
and www.riverwren.com.au/main.asp
These boats hold 7-8 km/h, so a journey would be leisurely, particularly juggling around lock times, and the desire to tie up at night at towns with pubs vs bush camping and cooking on the barbecue and stove.
Consider the possibilities:
Slow itinerary
Day 1: collect at midday, Riverglen - Lake Alexandrina entry - Wellington (downriver) 34 km; overnight moored at a pub.
Day 2: Wellington - Murray Bridge (pub) 46 km
Day 3: Murray Bridge - Mannum (pub) 38 km, time to inspect the museum.
Days 4 & 5: Mannum - Swan Reach (camp plus pub) 94 km
Day 6: Swan Reach - Blanchetown (pub) 28 km, 13.00 locking and resupply the larder.
Day 7: Blanchetown - Morgan (pub) 46 km
Day 8: Morgan - Waikerie (pub) 62 km
Day 9: Waikerie - Kingston 54 km (lunch at Overland Corner pub; camp) [or push to Cobdogla, pub, 61 km]
Day 10: Kingston - Loxton (pub) 53 km [or start at Cobdogla, 46 km]
Day 11: Loxton - Berri (pub) 37 km
Day 12: Berri - Renmark (pub) 42 km, with 13.00 locking.
Day 13: Renmark - Border Cliffs (camp) 68 km, with 15.30 locking.
Join the downriver fleet [Day 13 could be cut, or days 14 & 15 could be added: upstream for a day to just short of the Warrakoo, to join the fleet below lock 7; the hirer may not allow passage above Border Cliffs].

Tighter:
Day 1: Riverglen - Wellington - Riverglen (camp) 52 km [the whole day could be deleted]
Day 2: Riverglen - Murray Bridge - Mannum (pub) 48 km.
Day 3 & 4: Mannum - Blanchetown (bush & pub) 2 x 61 km.
Day 5: Blanchetown - Morgan (pub) 46 km
Day 6: Morgan - Waikerie (pub) 62 km
Day 7: Waikerie - Kingston 54 km (lunch at Overland Corner pub; camp) [or push to Cobdogla 61 km, leaving only 46 km for next day]
Day 8: Kingston - Loxton (pub) 53 km
Day 9: Loxton - Berri (pub) 37 km
Day 10: Berri - Renmark (pub) 42 km, with 13.00 locking.
Day 11: Renmark - Border Cliffs (camp) 68 km
Join the downriver fleet [Day 11 could be deleted, simply join the fleet at Whirlpool Corner]

Tightest:
Day 1: Riverglen - Wellington - Tailem Bend (pub) 34 km [or cut this day, begin on day 2, and go 48 km to Mannum]
Day 2: Tailem Bend - Mannum (pub) 62 km
Day 3: Mannum - Wongulla (bush camp) 66 km
Day 4: Wongulla - Blanchetown (pub) 58 km, with an early start and 16.00 locking, or moor below the lock.
Day 5: Blanchetown - Morgan (pub) 46 km
Day 6: Morgan - Waikerie 62 km, 14.00 lock 2
Day 7: Waikerie - Cobdogla (pub) 61 km (pause at Overland Corner), 15.30 lock 3
Day 8: Cobdogla - 503 km (bush camp) 60 km
Day 9: 503 km - Renmark 65 km, with morning at lock 4 and 16.00 at lock 5.

Or downriver:
Day 1: Renmark - Berri (pub) 42 km with morning locking.
Day 2: Berri - Loxton - Moorook (pub) 74 km, morning locking.
Day 3: Moorook - Overland Corner (pub) - Waikerie (pub) 70 km, morning locking.
Day 4: Waikerie - Morgan (pub) 62 km, morning locking.
Day 5: Morgan - Swan Reach (pub) 74 km, afternoon locking.
Day 6: Swan Reach - Coolcha (bush camp) 66 km
Day 7: Coolcha - Mannum - Murray Bridge (pub) 68 km.
Day 8: Murray Bridge - Wellington - Riverglen 62 km

Riverglen is very flexible.
One way hires are certainly possible and are available in either direction at most times – as long as we have enough lead time to get a boat to Customs House or Renmark as they are based at Murray Bridge.
A return hire is not necessarily required at the time of booking as we have a couple of people interested in taking return hires on a “on demand” basis.  If this didn’t work out, we would offer it to our database of past customers.  Of course, hirers are welcome to hire for a long enough period to do the trip both ways as well.
At this stage we still have plenty of availability around Easter but would recommend making bookings before Christmas.
River Wrens can maintain an average cruising speed of 7–8 km/h going either upstream or downstream. We don’t expect much flow or wind during April but either of these would affect fuel usage rather than speed.
A UK drivers licence is acceptable.  Full instruction on use of the boat and its appliances is given on boarding, along with navigation information and map interpretation.
Positioning could be by bus from Adelaide via Mt Barker to Murray Bridge, then taxi.
Riverglen Marina RSD 3152A Jervois Road MURRAY BRIDGE  SA  5253
Phone: 08 8532 1986 Fax: 08 8532 2565 enquiries@riverglen.com.au

Maxi: On top of a mini or midi voyage, hire a car and take in paddleboats along the rest of the Murray (mainly Mildura, Swan Hill, Echuca & Albury), possibly Ballarat, Orbost, Sydney and Brisbane.
The remaining ones are rather remote: Perth, Bourke and Longreach.

March is the best month for weather in southern Australia: fine, without the baking heat of high summer.
Not all of the boats will be moored for you to view: some will be voyaging to Renmark, but you may well end up travelling in tandem for a while (most paddleboats will be faster than a Wren].

I will have Jessie II at Renmark, but probably positioned well in advance, so that I can voyage in aboard a paddlesteamer.  Being in the fleet was my original goal, but being aboard a voyaging paddlesteamer beats that.

There are lots of photos of Industry (at various events) in Paddleducks already.  For convenience, I am reposting two here for a short while.

Regards,
Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

[Barry]

Do the 'Friends of the Industry' have a web site?

[Roderick Smith]

AFAIK, no website as such.  Googling on 'PS Industry Renmark' brings up 13 sites, mainly tourism ones.
One good one: www.visitrenmark.com/pdf/PS-Industry.pdf (a history of the vessel and its preservation)
Another: www.visitrenmark.com/html/renmark-ps-industry.html (some good historical photographs)

Rumours not confirmed
PS Marion and PS Oscar W may make it to the celebrations, along with PS William Randell, Pv Hebe and PV Flender Himmel.

Other downriver boats with enthusiastic owners could well include: PV Matilda, PV Tania Anne and PV Chloe.

I have checked the dates for Spirit of the Murray cruises.  http://spiritaustraliacruises.com.au/great_murray_riverrun.html
They are either mismatched dates, or fully booked already.

Regards,
Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

[Barry]

Thanks for that Roderick. I'm going to try and get there. Check the dates with you if I could, it's the 1st to the 3th of April 2011?

[Roderick Smith]

Yes, Fri.1-Sun.3.4, carefully planned to be the week before Easter to avoid too many clashes, and problems with accommodation.  The main fleet parade is planned for Sat.2.4.
PS Ruby is announcing Fri.1-Mon.4.4 from Wentworth to Renmark, which must be a miscalculation: it would arrive too late to participate.
The return is planned for 4 days over Anzac Day long weekend: Fri.22-Mon.25.4.  At this stage, only expressions of interest are being taken, not bookings.  The deciding factor now is not water, or even wood, but crewing.  Most of the commercial steamers pool crews; operating them simultaneously becomes a problem.  Some potential crew members will be skippering their own boats.  Thinking back, I recall only two at a time for any recent major event.  Three or four at a time, for several consecutive days, will be pushing to the limit, but should not be unachievable.

Regards,
Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

[Barry]

I've got my accommodation booked so I'll be there for the weekend. Planning on driving there via Swan Hill and Mildura and checking out the paddlers there. Round trip of some 1400kms.

[Roderick Smith]

For those of you coming up the river on a hired boat to attend the event, see
www.paddleducks.co.uk/smf/index.php?topic=2475.msg13389#msg13389

The message includes information on a floating hotel downstream from Morgan, and a photo of Jessie II tied up there.

Here are some more photos of that happy location on a through voyage.
The burnt-out stump houses the hotel toilet.

Regards,
Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

[Roderick Smith]

I could put these into off-topic, but they do match the spirit of the Murray River floating 'Globe Hotel', which has been a popular viewing choice.

All river journeys are great, but one favourite was coming up Sangker River from the tourist city Siem Reap to Battambang (Cambodia).
The journey from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap is very touristy, across Ton Le Sap, but that lake is so large that the shore is often out of sight.  There are boats of the Burmese style providing upmarket overnight cruises: these ones are screw, as were many of the ancestors, but there were also paddle versions in Burma.  Most tourists ride the fast boats.
Stung Sangker is also touristy, but is a genuine river.  The cruise takes all day, with a lunch break at a floating restaurant, when upriver and downriver boats meet and pass.  While passing is possible in most places, there are narrow bits through reeds where one-way traffic is advisable.
I went upriver, commencing at Siem Reap's port.  Because of highly-variable lake levels, the whole village is built on boats/rafts/pontoons: houses, the school, a church, even a basketball court.

This selection shows a floating school and a floating basketball court at the port for Siem Reap, and a view from a floating restaurant back onto the four boats converging there at lunchtime.

Regards,
Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

[Roderick Smith]

Drifting even further offstream, but responding to the worries about group quietness, here are four more photos of Siem Reap (my arrival on Wednesday), and the river voyage to Battambang on Thursday.  In between, I had a private motorcycle to some of the many temples, including the one used as a set for an Indiana Jones movie.
The last of the selection is my favourite.  We stopped to clear a snagged fishing net from the prop.  I am a river boater, and of course jumped ashore to get a photo, while the European backpackers were amazed/dumbfounded/bemused.

Don't lose track of the main theme: start planning your Mar.-Apr.11 Australian adventure to be at Renmark for PS Industry's centenary celebrations.

Regards,
Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

[Roderick Smith]

I was looking for something else, and found my photos of the Renmark waterfront and of Paringa lifting-span bridge, attached to
www.paddleducks.co.uk/smf/index.php?topic=2475.msg20730#msg20730

Jessie II (and River Wrens) can get under the bridge at normal pool level without having to book an opening.
In one photo Renmark Club is visible, right on the waterfront.  In another photo, Renmark Hotel is visible: on the opposite side of the waterfront road.

Regards,
Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

[Roderick Smith]

As the September floods receded, the November floods advanced.
The river is flowing strongly: Lake Hume is full; 2 m above the notorious Bitch 'n Pups (below Swan Hill)
Some locks are being bypassed with the navigation channel open (something which I have never witnessed before).
The short-lived dam at Clayton has been bulldozed open again.

Planning for the centenary is proceeding with confidence, with perhaps 100 visiting boats (not all will be paddlers) attending.
The Mildura private fleet: leave lock 11 on Sat.26.3, and arrive at Renmark on Fri.1.4.
PS Oscar W, PS Marion and PS Ruby will all be in attendance, along with many smaller private paddle vessels and other craft. The committee is expecting at least 100 boats. After the weekend, Ruby, Marion and Oscar W will paddle in convoy to Morgan before returning to their home ports. Angove Wines have bottled Special Industry Centenary Wines, a Sauvignon Blanc and a Shiraz at $15 per bottle. You can order it from the Renmark Visitor Centre.

And so, if the thought of balmy 25 deg days and 20 deg nights appeals, with our beautiful river at its best: blue sunny skies, muted green gums, lifegiving megalitres of water, filled with paddlesteamers, abundant birdlife, classic riverside pubs: book your air ticket now.  Ruby will be running with overnight accommodation; probably Marion will for this one; Oscar W can offer only day sectors.  You can be part of history without having to hire your own vessel, or you might feel that that is the best way to get the photographic coverage which you want.

Regards,
Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

[Roderick Smith]

You will have noticed my increasing confidence as hopes have been supported by good water levels.  Everything is happening as hoped, and this is the time to look at your bank account and visit your travel agent.  You will not get as grand a spectacle as this again in under 10 years.  The water may well stay up; private owners may well voyage in smaller convoys, but assembling the big passenger boats again will be rare.

I have put up various options:
* Hire a River Wren from Murray Bridge to Renmark or vv, and follow the fleet.
* Hire a Liba Liba at Renmark, and follow the fleet for a day or two upriver or downriver or both.
* Book your way as day sectors on Oscar W, with views of Marion running in tandem upriver from Mannum, or Marion, Ruby & Industry downriver to Morgan.  Ten day stages from Tailem Bend 24.3 to Renmark Fri.1.4 (but with gaps left), AUD60 per day including morning or afternoon tea and a bus return to the starting point (you would need a hire car, and arrange your own accommodation each night).  12 day stages from Renmark Mon.4.4 to Tailem Bend Thurs.14.4 (but with gaps left).  See www.oscar-w.info/cruise_to_renmark.html
* Book a grand voyage on PS Marion, staying onboard, with meals and sightseeing.  I don't think that there is anywhere else in the world where you could make a steam voyage of this duration in 2011.  You will have enthusiasts for company, experience our great Australian weather, scenery and wines, and see a lot of history along the way.  www.psmarion.com/html/marion_cruises.html
Celebrate the PS Industry Centenary Long Overnight Cruise Mannum to Renmark (9 days 8 nights)  26.3-3.4 (248 KB PDF)
Heritage Flotilla Cruise Renmark to Morgan with PS Marion,  PS Ruby, PS Industry & PS Oscar W. Long Overnight Cruise (7 days 6 nights)  4-10.4 (252 KB PDF)
Short Overnight Cruise Morgan to Mannum (3 days 2 nights)  11-13.4 (260 KB PDF)
* Book a grand voyage on PS Ruby.  No details are up yet.
* Somehow make friends with a private owner.  That fleet is running: Mildura dep. Sat.26.3 to Wentworth; Sun.27 to Frenchman's Creek (50km); Mon.28 to above Lock 8 (48km); Tues.29th to Lake Victoria Station (47km); Wed.30 to Higgins Cutting (30km); Thurs.31 to Chowilla (45km); Fri.1.4 to Whirlpool Bend (40km); Sat.2 join PS Industry leading a grand parade for a ceremonial entry to Renmark.  PS Ruby will leave Wentworth a few days later, and steam in longer stages.  Mon.4: Private owners have a choice of heading home, or following the four steamers to Morgan.

Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

[Roderick Smith]

The PS Ruby program has been announced.  The main downriver program is itemised on the 740 kB pdf, which Eddy has posted here on my behalf.
A summary of the downriver and upriver programs is in the pricing schedule, only 460 kB.

Eddy Matthews: Main list added to this posting, at Rodericks request

There are full length and substage overnight voyages, also day sectors in the lower section: something for everyone.  I have reserved a spot on the Wentworth - Renmark stage.

I doubt that any further event for 20 years will see the big four in-survey vessels in fleet mode.  The downriver from Renmark from Mon.4.4 is the prize for paddlesteamer enthusiasts, and justifies the cost and effort of flying to Australia.  Anyone flying into Mildura, there are local buses to Wentworth.  Greyhound runs a daily service between Adelaide and Berri and Renmark (and Mildura).  The fleet will also have a lot of the private paddleboats (and my own riverboat).  A big fleet on a big river: perfection.

Regards,
Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

[Roderick Smith]

The Ruby program is now on the website, and also there is a deckplan.
www.psruby.com/programs.php
The booking and enquiry email for Ruby is tourism@wentworth.nsw.gov.au

Monday edit: Here is the promised photo of Industry in action in 2004, taking Riverland produce to Goolwa for the railway 150th anniversary.  Foreground: crates of Angoves wine from Renmark (Angoves is bottling centenary wines for the April festivities); rear: crates of oranges from Berri; middle: sacks of wheat or chaff, threshed on old machinery at Loxton Vintage Village.

Monday further edit: There are lots of photos of PS Ruby in the 2010 Wentworth Junction Rally thread, at
www.paddleducks.co.uk/smf/index.php?topic=5263.0

I have prepared two more, not posted hitherto, and am adding to this.
Combine them with the deckplan on the website, and you have a good idea of what a voyage aboard should be like.  On this occasion, the lock beckoned, but Ruby was rounding into Darling River.  In March, Ruby goes through this lock for the first time in 80 years, and keeps going, and I will be in one of those 14 cabins.

I have lots of photos in various spots in Paddleducks showing PS Marion, providing an overnight voyage from downriver; I also have lots of photos of PS Oscar W, providing day stages.

Regards,
Roderick

[Roderick Smith]

River captains are looking at water levels now just as nervously as forebears did 150 years ago, but for different reasons.
* With the river high, it has been closed to all boating from Murrabit through Swan Hill to Tooleybuc, for fear of wake damaging levees.
* Barham bridge should be available again from Feb.11, but Swan Hill may not be available until June 11, blocking several boats.
* Lock 15 Euston is still unavailable until the water level comes down: which may not be in time to reach the Mildura fleet (currently promising to have about 12 paddleboats).
In the upriver direction:
* Murray-Darling is planning work at lock 2 in March.  the lock 4 navigation pass hasn't been opened; if the river stays too high, the lock may remain unavailable.

I have now paid for my Wentworth - Renmark voyage on PS Ruby.
On one recent cruise, it made a fine sight beating up in the current through the navigation pass at lock 10 Wentworth.

Regards,
Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor