ps little wonder

[anth]

HI all
        watching a video called "river boats remembered" there is some black and white footage at the end and a little paddle steamer called "the little wonder" anyone know anything about this boat or further pics.
from my research there were 2, the smaller vessel was around 40-60 ft and this was the one featured.

cheers Anthony

[michael]

think one ended up sunk in Lake Nagambie- not the wrecks seen in the lake today.
The boiler and engine out of it is in the sawmill area at the port of echuca

[anth]

which boiler and engine is that ..?

[anth]

To answer my own question  : as I don't like leaving post's unfinished

LITTLE WONDER
built in 1875 and it official registered number was 73342
from what i was able to find out, it was owned by the murry river saw mill company in 1891 apparently it was amongst the last to be used for logging in the golburn river.

she was 63 feet with a 10 ft beam and around a 12 hp engine which i think michael said is at echuca wharf.

If anyone has any further information or picture's feel free to post..!!!!!

cheers Anthony

[Excelsior]

She ended up being used as a timber barge on Lake Nagambie with, I think, the PS SAWMILLER.  I'm pretty sure that the hull is still visible where it was abandoned.

[Roderick Smith]

The Goulburn was navigated to Shepparton regularly, Seymour occasionally.
The Melbourne - Shepparton railway dated from the late 1880s.
Victoria's first irrigation scheme was based on Goulburn Weir, built downstream of Nagambie, in 1887.  This blocked navigation, but a paddlesteamer and two barges were kept on Lake Nagambie (formed by the weir) to bring timber in from upstream to a sawmill at Nagambie.
Chinamans Bridge, on the Nagambie - Rushworth Rd, was fitted with a hinged lifting span (not quite bascule: it was hauled up by cables, but seems not to have had counterweights).  Paddlesteamers continued to reach Shepparton.
When I cruised Jessie II on the lake, I had the local historical-society secretary aboard.  He presented me later with a set of notes on the boats and the bridge.  They are buried during my house rebuilding, but will surface within 12 months.

From the local tourism website:
• Goulburn Weir built in 1887 (212m long & 15m high) - the first major diversion structure built in Australia. Irrigates N.E. Victoria.
• Heritage listed bridges - Chinaman's, Kirwan's and Mitchellstown timber bridges.
• Chinaman's Bridge - built in 1891 it is the only strutted-stringer style drawbridge in Victoria.
• Kirwan's Bridge - built in 1890 this 313m long, 55 span bridge is still in use today.

Today, I enclose two photos of the two hulls at Nagambie, and the replaced lifting section of Chinamans Bridge.  The bridge has been bypassed with a modern one alongside (visible at the top of the frame; visible at the bottom is the aft deck of Jessie II).

Regards,
Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

[anth]

Thanks to you both I found the extra information and picture most intresting...thankyou

cheers Anthony

[Excelsior]

By the way, the "LITTLE WONDER" shown at the end of Riverboats Remembered isn't the proper vessel.  It wouldn't have been filmed till way after the original was converted into a barge, and it was too small.  I doubt that the boat shown was actually called LITTLE WONDER.  It's probably just a nickname.

[anth]

that makes sense....as the scale of the crew walking around makes the boat only look about 40 ft....
It makes it difficult....

cheers Anthony

[Roderick Smith]

Despite being late with RNV, I couldn't resist watching that wonderful video again over dinner tonight.
The glimpse of Little Wonder was very fleeting.
The scene did seem to be from part of the vintage collection, which could well be 1920s & 30s.
Parsons is good, but not 100% complete, and not every boat is illustrated, and boats tend to be illustrated in only one era, when many had three eras, with major modifications.
The original Little Wonder vanished c1904, so there could well have been another which didn't reach the book.
Since it was down to the fishing/launch class rather than a tow boat or cargo boat, it could well have slipped through records and research.

Michael may well have an idea.

Regards,
Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

[Excelsior]

Good point, there were many boat which went undocumented throughout the the years of the river trade.  But, a boat which made it onto film in the early 20th century...  There's a wealth of information on boats throughout this period, both documented & anecdotal.

It's quite likely that the boat was known as LITTLE WONDER, but I'd almost put money on it being the CHARLOTTE.  A small trading vessel built in the 1880s & thought to have been renamed DARGO at some point.  The design looks pretty similar to a painting of the CHARLOTTE.

[michael]

Either way I reckon the boat features on Riverboats Remembered would be a good size boat for your engine Anth, not to big and small enough to go exploring up the smaller rivers.

[anth]

your right there michael

would love to have something that size for my engine but.....without a mooring we are stuck with it being trailerable so 30 ft will be the max.
If i felt we could power a larger hull we would have bought billytea

It's amazing how a  boat feel's and looks a lot bigger until it's on the river with bigger boats...so at 30 ft : oh well

 If the "little wonder" is Charlotte there seems no records on the vessel except it's name sake to say "Charlotte" existed.
built in 1878 and about 35 ft in length, the picture i saw was of a different looking boat no top storey,different paddle boxs,but as we know paddlers changed through out there working life to suit there new roles and needs.

It would be good if we could solve this mystery

thanks too all who have helped so far..!

cheers Anthony

[Roderick Smith]

I couldn't find my history of Gippsland lakes shipping over dinner.
I am sure that there was a steamer on the lakes named 'Dargo'.
This would be no surprise, as Dargo River is a south-flowing one; it is a Mitchell River tributary, flowing into Lake King near Bairnsdale.
The boats which I can recall were Omeo and Tanjil, but there were many others.
There was some interchange of boats between the lakes and Murray River, but not much.
On the Murray, many names were recycled, but how many existed concurrently?
In an era before national tv or internet, to what extent did did one navigation empire know about another?  Did Murray crews head to the lakes in the off season for river operation?

Regards,
Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

[Excelsior]

There was definately a DARGO  on the Gippsland Lakes, but not the one I was talking about.

As for the Murray system, I'm not aware of two boats with the same name existing at the same time (unless they were renamed).  Although, maybe a couple of the RUBYs co-existed.

Communication tended to be good along the rivers.  Because of the seasonal nature of the flows, the bottom end boats needed to be aware of what was happening up the top end.  Also, even though boats tended to work particular areas, they also went where the cargos were.  Which could be anywhere on the system.