2013 Goolwa Wooden Boat Festival (South Australia)

[Roderick Smith]

I collected Jessie II on Monday, trailed part way that day, and more on Tuesday, and reached Murray Bridge at 8.45 Wednesday.  The Mannum fleet was moored next to local PV Captain Proud, having turned the positioning move into a 2 day public voyage.
I am at the library as the fleet passes my launching marina, so I will join then at Wellington this afternoon.
The wind today was favourable for a lake crossing: hopefully tomorrow will match.

Two photos of a houseboat and five paddlers, taken around 9.00 this morning (Wed.20.2).

Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

[stephenf10]

Roderick, what's the timetable for the fleet for the rest of the trip to Goolwa? Griff Rhys Jones was on ABC radio in Adelaide this morning saying that he is on the Marion and will arrive in Goolwa on Friday, which makes it two days from Wellington. Are they overnighting at Milang or Clayton Thursday night?

Stephen.

[Roderick Smith]

We came all the way today.  This was one of the best days on the river which I have ever had: the triumph of achieving the crossing, and the fleet.  We paused at Clayton for four Goolwa boats to arrive and join us, then fleeted into Goolwa.
PS Marion, PS James Maiden, PS Oscar W, PS William Randell, PV Amphibious, PV Flender Himmel, PV Killawarra, four wooden cruising launches (Jessie II, Kaworra, Argus, Pompoota), one pontoon houseboat (Champion Ruby).
I did photograph Griff Rhys Jones on the wharf, as part of a crew group in front of Marion.

Several other large cruising launches had crossed up to a week earlier.

Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

[Roderick Smith]

Here are two photos of the fleet assembling at Wellington (SA), which is where Murray River opens into Lake Alexandrina (or at least, 4 km downstream).
PV Mayflower was a tourist boat at Mildura in the early 1960s, then was private at Morgan, then at Wellington marina, now at a mooring in front of a private house.  It did get to Mildura in 2003 for Randell Cadell.  It wasn't fleeting to Goolwa.
The other shows Wellington vehicular punt (24/7 operation, free), PS Marion, PV Amphibious, houseboat MV Champion Ruby, Halvorsen cruiser MV Kaworra and PS James Maiden.  Hidden is small cruising launch Argus.  I rafted off Kaworra, and PV Flender Himmel rafted off JM.  The top of the ramp is the front terrace of Wellington Hotel.  We all dined there that night.  Crossing the lake is never taken lightly: it can cut up rough.  We would be up at 5.00 for a pre-dawn departure for first light as the river entered the lake channel markers.
Halvorsen is one of the famous names in cruising launches in Australia (Hawkesbury, NSW).  There must be lots available by googling.  I have the history book.  The other famous name is Bull (Gippsland Lakes, Vic.)

Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

[Roderick Smith]

Here are four photos of the fleet setting forth bravely.  We pulled out of Wellington at 6.00.  The date stamp hints that I was still on Victorian time with the camera.
Roughly the crossing was in five parts: a bit in the river, a bit in the markers into the lake to Point Pomanda (vaguely sheltered), the main crossing (~30 km), a bit from Point Sturt to Clayton (vaguely sheltered), a bit in a sheltered passage to Goolwa (but it is still broad, and can be rough with the wrong wind: I witnessed that aboard PS Industry).

I was running in second spot, at 10 km/h on reduced throttle.
The first photo shows the leader of the pack: Flender Himmel.
The next shows Point Pomanda as I left the world which I know, and headed into the grand adventure.  Think of Ferdinand Magellan passing Gibraltar.
The next is looking back: the opposite of land ahoy (water ahoy?  land avast?).
The fourth was taken to be arty.  Marion has crossed the lake many times, as a regular participant in Goolwa Wooden Boat Festivals.  It is not allowed to take passengers (free or paying, members of Friends of Marion or not), but was conveying Griff Rhys Jones as a special international guest this time.  His marine fame comes from the series 'Three men in a boat', exploring various waterways.
Lake Alexandrina is the only inland lake in Australia on which boats must meet offshore rules.  It has the only inland lighthouse in Australia.  I had the standard safety gear, plus marine radio, and flares.  As with all skippers: prepare for the worst, but hope for the best; the hopes were realised.

Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

[Roderick Smith]

Continuing to give you all a cheap holiday to Australia: just a fraction of your monthly internet bill.

Today's cluster shows the successful completion of the crossing of Lake Alexandrina, and joining with the Goolwa welcome fleet for the final stage of the day.
Land ahoy: Point Sturt.  Amphibious is trailing its tinnie on a long line; MV Argus is matching it for pace.
Clayton Bay: How to pack a large fleet onto a small wharf.  PS Marion got the main wharf, with PV Flender Himmel rafted off; MV Pompoota, PS James Maiden & PV Amphibious fitted onto the inner wharf; MV Jessie II took the end, into the shallow leading on to the boat ramp, with MV Champion Ruby behind and MV Argus rafted; MV Kaworra was in the gap between this cluster and Marion.  PS Oscar W, PS William Randell and PV Killawarra simply circled while the rest of the fleet cast off and moved into formation.  A tv crew ran ahead in a tinnie, and the image which I placed in an earlier post appeared on national television.

Also enclosed: an earlier adventure at Clayton Bay as PS Industry neared the end of its journey from Renmark to help mark the centenary of the Goolwa - Port Elliot railway.

Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

[Roderick Smith]

Here are the Saturday views, mainly static, but giving an idea of the size of the festival, and the diversity.
Goolwa was a working port: transferring river produce to the railway to Port Elliot, then Victor Harbor as a better port.  It was also a centre of boat construction.
Its transfer role was eclipsed when the railway reached Morgan, and river trade could go to Port Adelaide.
Fleurieu Peninsula has long been a holiday and day-tour favourite with SA citizens.  Today it is also a major retirement zone, and even a dormitory zone for seachange people commuting to Adelaide.  The railway is now a tourist operation, run by SteamRanger volunteers.  Goolwa is a major recreational boating centre, and the base for commercial cruises.  It has three wonderful hotels built of SA limestone: two still trading as pubs, the third as an upmarket restaurant.  Armfields slip maintains and restores classic wooden craft, and was one of the founders of the wooden boat festival.  The success of the festival has prompted the council to extend the wharves beyond the nearer two, to a pumpout jetty.  For the festival, auxiliary floating pontoon jetties are lashed onto the permanent wooden ones.
Marion and Oscar W were running frequent short cruises.
In view 318, Jessie II is hidden behind the boat with the blue flybridge canopy.

Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

[derekwarner_decoy]

Morning PD's....& great images Roderick &    thank you........but were you in the helicopter?  .........Derek

[Roderick Smith]

No: some were from Hindmarsh Island bridge (built to clear yacht masts, which is more clearance that the upstream bridges built to clear three-deck paddlesteamers); some were from the upper deck of PS Marion.

The 2013 helicopter was an MRH90, but it wasn't taking joyflight passengers, and I wasn't willing to sink my boat for a real search & rescue move to be activated.
The 2007 helicopter was a Sea King, a type withdrawn since the 2011 Goolwa festival.

Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

[kiwimodeller]

Hi Roderick, Derek and any others in that part of the world, can you tell me if this is the only event of its kind on your calender? We are starting on planning a trip to Aus around the end of August and beginning of September. Any suggestions of events or places of interest and boats to see or go for a ride on would be most welcome as would reccomendations of places to stay (on a modest Kiwi budget). We need to go to Brisbane and then to Melbourne and to an event about 100km north of Melbourne but should be able to arrange at least 2 to 3 days to look at boats etc and were planning to spend this time based in Euchuca but welcome any ideas. Thanks, Ian.

[Roderick Smith]

AFAIK Goolwa is the second largest, but the largest (Hobart) was 2 weeks earlier, and not when you are travelling.
Geelong has happened too, in Jan.-Feb.  Junction Rally, Wentworth, is July.
PS Marion hasn't much happening during your visit, but hunt up this one:
23-25 August, 2013Rockford Steam Powered Dinner

This is the year for the centenary of PS Canberra, in Echuca.  There is a sailpast before Easter, for invited guests, but I suspect that the main events are around the time of your visit, program not published yet.

What is available all year around?
Longreach: PV Thompson Belle.  Too remote unless you are aiming for an outback Aussie experience, with Stockman Hall of Fame and the Qantas museum too.
Brisbane: two diesel paddleboats on Brisbane River for dinner cruises.
Sydney: one or two diesel paddleboats for dinner cruises.
Bourke: PV Jandra.
Murray Bridge: PV Captain Proud (dinner cruises).
Perth: PS Decoy on Swan River possibly not operating.
Orbost, Vic.: Chase up via Google dates for PS Curlip.
Ballarat Vic.: PV Begonia Princess readily available, but not a large lake.

So now we are down to the mighty Murray, in its many moods and locations.
You could hire a car, and traverse the river from Albury to Goolwa or vv, and do all the day boats along the way.
You could pause for something of longer duration: PS Emmylou will twin you onto an overnight charter.   I have given a Marion date.  MV Proud Mary and PV Murray Princess may be beyond your budget.
Forget the car, and hire a River Wren from Riverglen marina: the most affordable houseboat.  Head down to Wellington to start your coverage with PV Mayflower, then up as far as you have time (Renmark would be good, but Waikerie would suffice).
There is immense choice.
Chase up Spirit of the Murray to see if a date fits: not cheap, but you see a lot, with no responsibility.

Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

[Roderick Smith]

I have added to last night's hasty post about visiting Australia in Aug.-Sept., and may yet add more: keep checking.
Here are my final Goolwa paddleboat photos.
Rough & ready is a Goolwa WBF institution.  On Saturday, competitors are given a standard kit (one or two sheets of plywood, some framing, stitching wire and caulking.  They build a boat of their own design within a time limit.  On Sunday they have to get out to a marker and back without sinking: row one way; sail the other.  I did notice an umbrella in use as a sail on one this year.  There is surprising design diversity.  Supposedly Griff Rhys Jones was a contestant, but I didn't recognise him.  The husband & wife owners of PV Flender Himmel entered a canoe-style boat, dubbed 'Slender Himmel'.
The others show bits of the grand parade, which marks the end of festivities.  After parading, most local boats head back to their moorings.
My photos show only three of the paddlesteamers, as I was a guest aboard PS James Maiden.

Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor