yeh... i was thinking the good old wood, iron topsides for a traditionalist like myself!! just as long as i dont burn or sink it eh?!!!!! ta

composite hull construction was not at all unusual, many of the old clipper-ships were built that way. but the iron topsides-planked bottom was more common on the Murray boats. It saved a lot of strife when the boats were laid up over the summer months with no maintenance and planking dried out. I believe it made for very hot quarters down below , but they were tough men in those days. As for rope drive, I think you will find that was used a lot on vessels whose wheels could possibly hit bottom when rolling on corners and heeling when towing, it gave a degree of flex coupling in the drive train and so lessen the shocks. The funnel-firebox location also depends on whether the the boiler is a thru flue or return flue. Many of the boats had thru flue (locomotive style) boilers, these can be seen by the position of the towing mast ahead of the funnel. The mast was generally on or just ahead of the paddle shaft line

Very interesting information there Raymon. Australien was designed to operate on low river, used alot to collect the clipping from the stations on the Murrumbidgee. I have been in Melbourne all week at school and as always the mind can't stop thinking about the paddlesteamers. Luckily I brought plenty of photo's of Australien in her working days and was able to picture her layout. The lower deck was all open, except for a box cabin at the front of the boat covering the boiler's smoke box. She had large canopoy/upper deck than ran nearly both ends of the boat. The forward section being cut back in the 1930's and then she had a derrick crane fitted when she was working on the Yarrawonga weir and then above Yarrawonga with Federal barge collecting timber.
I am going to look up on how and if Australien can apply for grants, as at the moment its the only way she's going to get back in the river. I am also going to try and clean up inside, as Rod will attach her bilge is like a fire hazard ready to burn, lots of dry grass and kindeling. You will also be able to picture how high off the ground she is as you can see the ute in the top right hand side.

Sean's 5 minute assessable solo performance, based on the life of Murray River paddlesteamer pioneer William Randell, obtained the top mark in his school.  This should please all Paddleduckers for two reasons: not just that Sean is doing well despite devoting time to research for the benefit of the whole group, but also that the play brought the river-history message to a new audience.  The rest of the class chose filmstars (already well known by the drama teachers).

James: anybody who doesn't have $2m shouldn't consider wood or composite hulls.  Apart from the difficulty of getting marine-size timbers, the maintenance is horrific, and the risk of damage on snags is too great.  At our Barmah Muster cruise last year, Adam moored Ranger (wooden hull) 4 km downstream, as he would not come through the snaggy section.  He hitched a ride on Billy Tea (metal hull).  This boat is only 3 years old, and has been panelbeaten once, but there are some dents which Luke can't beat out.  He did treat us to a ride into the narrows section of the river: the return, charging around snags at speed (to maintain steerage) was reminiscent of the Disney Splash Mountain ride.

I have copied the main comments relevant to Australien's history and design into a post in the APAM thread.  I have also reposted Michael's first photo.  Paddleduckers trying to understand the history won't have to zigzag via two threads.

Regards,
Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

This is a Disney film musical, about the tensions in factions of a USA high school as the new girl and the basketball jock audition to be in the school's production of 'Juliet and Romeo'.

Sean's school presented the first amateur stage performance in Australia.  The rights were released last year, and the date had to be April.  This is unusually early for school theatre: the Australian school year runs from the end of January to mid December.  This show was in preparation since Dec.06.  Sean was a principal: Ryan Evans (one of two evil characters, but he reforms and helps save the day for the hero and heroine); he was also an assistant director.  I attended the opening night, with fellow Paddleducker Michael.  A highlight for me was an intricate dance by Ryan with his sister Sharpay on top of a rostrum (half the size of a wheelhouse roof).  In common with many of the actors, this will be Sean's last with the school: year 12 is the end of secondary schooling.  Sean is one of the few to have been in the major production for each of his six years.  In 2006, he wrote, directed and starred in the play 'Frank the plucker'.

Before my retirement, and three schools back, I directed school theatre.  Long after they have forgotten most lessons, students remember their involvement in the school musical or play; long after classmates are forgotten, students (including those from other levels) remember a student from the role which they played in school theatricals.

As I post, there are only 5.5 hours to curtain up for the last performance (of two matinees and three evening shows).  In theatre, one must never send a 'Good luck' message; 'Break a leg' matches tradition.  Probably more useful is a 'Cheer up' message 48 h after the final curtain: life is empty and flat, a bit like your favourite paddlesteamer the day after a major voyage: the fire has been dropped; the galley (and bar) have been emptied; the power and drive have evaporated as the boat sits silent, lapping at a mooring.

Regards,
Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

hahahaha
Thanks for updating the ducks again Roderick.

Yes the above is a reason why I've been quieter on here of late. And the shows been in the works since October/November of last year as we progressed into auditions for the show.

And tonight it is all over which is very sad....

Last time I came out of a play I wrote another- which then I put on at my school. 'Frank The Plucker' as above mentioned.

I have now been in three Australian Premieres including my own play.

My life revolves around a few things, paddlers, theatre and lolly shops (my job) and my girlfriend.

Three of these things collided on Thursday night. My show, Roderick and Michael coming to watch (they're the paddler reference) and then they informed me that the Heritage Sweet Shop in Echuca had burnt down! It was a funny night!

Thanks to those who sent me words of encouragement via private message and thanks to Roderick and Michael for coming out to see me!

I'm very glad that it was a success.. still wish I was there though...!!

(is the lolly shop the big one with all the lollies in the baskets???.. I loved that one!!!)

Well Done!!

I posted photos of Michael's 21st (on a PS Pevensey cruise).
Sean's 18th was held at an art gallery at Mt Eliza (a classy Mornington Peninsula outer suburb of Melbourne), in the style of a 21st.
My own gift was a framed enlargement of the best photo which I took of PS Ruby at its centenary celebration cruise at Wentworth Junction Rally in July.
There was no piano, so I did not have to offer my rendition of the song 'Steamboat Sean' [Fast down the Murrumbidgee steamed the Marion, commanded by that skipper Mr Steamboat Sean. Sean he had his orders on the strict QT, you've just got to beat the record of the Pevensey...].
Enclosed: Blowing out the candles, and a close up of the most relevant photo in the 'This is your life' display.  Elsewhere, Sean has posted a photo of him skippering PS Canberra, at age 7; also of being deckhand on a Port of Echuca vessel in year 10 (age 15).  This photo shows that he had started the hobby well before 7.  My guess is PS Melbourne at Mildura, but possibly PS Adelaide at Echuca.

Regards,
Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

And you'd be wrong both times Roderick,

It's none other than the Pev.

And I think that attempt there was about just as good as the first time I really steered her. She makes you feel fairly small.

I don't think I've actually seen that photo for a long time- but out it came for the birthday which was great. Very young at Echuca.

So Echuca's always had a place in my heart for a fair portion of my life.

Thanks for coming down Roderick.

I wish there had been a piano now.

Sean

Today (Mon.10.3.08, Labour Day public holiday in Melbourne) I attended the 54th Moomba parade.  I had also attended the first (1955), and many in between.
The holiday was originally known as '8 hours day', marking a major labour victory c1900: a man should have 8 hours work, 8 hours recreation/family time, and 8 hours sleep.
The Moomba parade enlivened the spirit of postwar-shortage Melbourne: a classic community parade of decorated floats down the main street of the city: Swanston St into St Kilda Rd.
The name was supposedly aboriginal for 'let's get together and have fun'; a more-frank current generation has supplied a better translation, remarkably similar to the derivation of the New Orleans (USA) term 'jazz'.
Two items of interest for paddleduckers:
* A maori war canoe (which would not be incinerated as part of the festival).
* Sean 'wharfonline' having just had his first stop for water on line (35 deg C heat), only 400 m from the start, with 2 km more to go.  He was carrying a large chicken, and providing a sound track of clucks, squawks and other poultry noises without breaking character, even when I was taking photos.

Regards,
Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

The boat was great!

You didn't post a picture of the sail boat though Roderick, for the migrants.

Surprisingly enough carrying a large chicken, making clucking noises and walking in 35 degree heat is ridiculously tiring and water was really really needed. I think I downed 5 bottles today along the course of the road.

It got hard when the road stretched out and became quite wide (we had three of us darting between sides) when the road was narrow it was easier. It also got harder opposite when we reached Flinders Street Station where the road widened, there was no shade at all, and started to go up hill...

But it was well worth it and lots of fun.

Sean

Sean (who couldn't see the parade) requested one of the sailboat.  It appears in the next post.
The blue background of the 'Moomba celebrates' sign is a stylised map of our state (the bulk of the upper border is Murray River).
This float celebrated immigration.  Many of the names are of the famous migrant ships: 19th century, and 1950s.
The politically-correct phrase now is multiculturalism, and this parade was supposed to celebrate that.  It did, without being politically grating - just colourful and fun, in the spirit of the 53 predecessor parades.  I was on a float in 1961, a starry-eyed schoolboy on the same float as my tv hero (who never bothered to say hello to the kids aboard).

Regards,
Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

More Moomba.  Sean had trouble mounting his photos (or those taken by his mother/sister), but 3408 did get up.  I have resized his photo of the immigraton sailing boat, and here it is.

I have photo of a (paddle?) boat float in the 1960 parade.

Regards,
Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

Here is my own photo of a milk float in the 1960 parade.  It was certainly dressed up as a boat, but I can't tell from this view if it was a paddleboat.  Searching through my father's collection found no slide of the 1960 parade, only 1959 floats and me in the 1961 parade.

One of the Blackpool (UK) illuminated trams is dressed up as a boat.  Is it a paddleboat?  Is it the one which went to USA?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackpool_tramway shows 633 as a trawler, and 736 as HMS 'Blackpool'; neither is a paddleboat.

Regards,
Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

On the line of Paddle Boat floats there is some nice footage of a parade in I think Echuca of cars 'dressed up' as paddlers as floats in a parade.

So they are around paddler floats.

Sean