PV ''Murray River Queen'' is an Australian paddle vessel built at

Hindmarsh Island Hindmarsh Island (Ngarrindjeri: Kumerangk) is an inland river island located in the lower Murray River near the town of Goolwa, South Australia, Goolwa, South Australia. The island is a tourist destination, which has increased in popularity si ...

in 1974 as a luxury passenger cruise boat. She was a tourist boat carrying passengers on the

Murray River The Murray River (in South Australia: River Murray) (Ngarrindjeri: ''Millewa'', Yorta Yorta: ''Tongala'') is a river in Southeastern Australia. It is Australia's longest river at extent. Its tributaries include five of the next six longest r ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

. For many years, her home port was Goolwa where she offered week-long cruises operated by her builders, the Veenstra family. She was the first of several large boats built by the Veenstras for the Murray River, they later also built the MV ''Murray Explorer'' and PS ''Murray Princess''. ''Murray River Queen'' retired from regular service in 1993, and spent ten years initially as a floating hotel at Goolwa, then being stored near

Mannum Mannum is a historic town on the west bank of the Murray River in South Australia, east of Adelaide. At the 2016 census, the urban area of Mannum had a population of 2,398. Mannum is the seat of the Mid Murray Council, and is situated in the ...

. In 2003, she was moved to

Waikerie, South Australia Waikerie ( ) is a rural town in the Riverland region of South Australia on the south bank of the Murray River. At the , Waikerie had a population of 2,684. The Sturt Highway passes to the south of the town at the top of the cliffs. There is a ca ...

, running dinner cruises and occasional longer trips until 2012. For three years she operated as a working hostel for backpackers, then as nostalgic accommodation and a restaurant. In August 2017, ''Murray River Queen'' was moved from Waikerie 200 km upstream to Renmark. As the ship was no longer registered and legal to cruise under her own power, the journey was made mostly under tow by PS ''Oscar W'', a 109-year-old paddlesteamer that used to tow barges carrying wool from stations to the markets. After some maintenance in the dry dock on Ral Ral Creek.''Murray River Queen'' was then moored at the Renmark town dock as a tourist attraction, operating as a restaurant and bar. She formerly offered accommodation and live music on the top deck on weekends. In June 2021, D Neale became the new owner of ''Murray River Queen'', and the rooms onboard the vessel were soon restored. An onboard café, Kings on Queen, currently operates while the vessel awaits approval for liquor licensing.

Technical details

Registration: * Registration Opened: 1979 * Registration Closed: Current * Registered Number: 385271 * Owner (at time of registration): Murray River Queen Pty Ltd. Measurements: * Engine: 205 Hp (Diesel) * Dimensions: Length 156.36, Breadth 26, Depth 7.7 (feet) * Tonnage: 878.97 * Construction: Steel

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External links

* {{River Murray paddle steamers 1974 ships Paddle steamers of Australia Passenger ships of Australia Ships built in South Australia