PS ''Adelaide'' is the second oldest wooden hulled
paddle steamer
A paddle steamer is a steamship or steamboat powered by a steam engine that drives paddle wheels to propel the craft through the water. In antiquity, paddle wheelers followed the development of poles, oars and sails, where the first uses wer ...
still operating anywhere in the world. Hjejlen from Denmark is older and have sailed since 1861
It is now moored at the Echuca Wharf and used for special occasions.
History
Early life
PS ''Adelaide'' was built by George Linklater at
Echuca
Echuca ( ) is a town on the banks of the Murray River and Campaspe River in Victoria, Australia. The border town of Moama is adjacent on the northern side of the Murray River in New South Wales. Echuca is the administrative centre and largest s ...
in 1866 for J.C. Grassey and Partners.
[ It was used by the original owners to transport wool to Echuca from nearby ]sheep station
A sheep station is a large property ( station, the equivalent of a ranch) in Australia or New Zealand, whose main activity is the raising of sheep for their wool and/or meat. In Australia, sheep stations are usually in the south-east or sout ...
s. It was also a part-time passenger boat, bringing the ladies into town to do their shopping. The ''Adelaide'' was purchased by the Murray River Sawmill Co in 1891 (from D Blair, at a cost of ten shillings per each of his 64 shares), and used as logging steamer.
Capt. William Thompson served as skipper of the PS ''Adelaide'' from 1890 to 1912, prior to succession to foreman at the Murray River Sawmills. Capt. Charles 'Swan' Anderson (1871-1942) served as captain of the ''Adelaide'' from 1912 to 1939 (once captain of the PS ''Melbourne''). In 1938, it cost £9 10p to hire the vessel. Employees of the Murray River Sawmills were employed on board a steamer for a season of five to six months a year, and within the mill for the remainder of the year.
1900s
From 1900, the Murray River Sawmill adopted the practice of name their barges by ordinal letter and number of year built. This resulted in the construction of the A11, B22, C24 (later the PV ''Pride of the Murray''), and D26 barges. When sold to Paringa in 1958, the PS ''Adelaide'' towed Barges A11 and B22 to Mildura
Mildura is a regional city in north-west Victoria, Australia. Located on the Victorian side of the Murray River, Mildura had a population of 34,565 in 2021. When nearby Wentworth, Irymple, Nichols Point and Merbein are included, the area had ...
(the A11 was eaten by white ants, and sank to the bottom of the Murray River where it remains).
The PS ''Adelaide'' was modified several times during her first seventy years; the deckhouses were rebuilt twice, the hull was replanked twice, and in 1924 the paddleboxes were converted to a more conventional square design. ''Adelaide'' operated as a logging steamer until 1958, before being sold to the South Australia Sawmill Company and leaving Echuca for Paringa. The ''Adelaide'' left Echuca on Wednesday 24 September 1958, headed for Paringa, near Renmark, South Australia
Renmark is a town in South Australia's rural Riverland area, and is located northeast of Adelaide, on the banks of the River Murray. The Sturt Highway between Adelaide and Sydney runs through the town; Renmark is the last major town encountered ...
. The purchasers, A B Rowe and Sons, intended to use the vessel in connection with a mill they planned to establish near Paringa. The ''Adelaide'' (under the command of Capt. Norm Collins) towed two barges laden with firewood for the journey. The vessel's only incident was recorded as a near-miss at Nyah
Nyah is a town in northern Victoria, Australia. The town is located on the Murray Valley Highway, in the Rural City of Swan Hill local government area, north west of the state capital, Melbourne. At the , Nyah had a population of 530.
The t ...
; under darkness the ''Adelaide'' only narrowly missed the new bridge upstream of the village.
Around 1959, the Echuca Apex Club began the first interest in providing a tangibile sign towards its towns' previous involvement in the steamer and logging industries (signified by the placement of a log buggy in the Hopwood Gardens). The PS ''Adelaide'' was purchased by the Echuca Apex Club, with help from the Echuca Historical Society in 1960, the vessel returned to Echuca, beginning her journey from Paringa on Friday 14 October 1960, under the direction of two skippers: Capt Norm Collins (of Mildura) and Capt. Les Telley (of Woorinen). The PS ''Adelaide'' made a triumphant return to Echuca on Saturday 29 October 1960 (slightly after two years since departure).
Return to Echuca
On Saturday 9 May 1964, current Governor of Victoria
The governor of Victoria is the representative of the monarch, King Charles III, in the Australian state of Victoria. The governor is one of seven viceregal representatives in the country, analogous to the governors of the other states, and the ...
Sir Rohan Delacombe unveiled a plaque on the site of the PS ''Adelaide'' in the presence of some 300 people, celebrating the handing over of the former steamer to Echuca's Mayor, Cr W A Lynch from Barry Beehag (President of Echuca's Apex Club). The Echuca Council guaranteed in June 1981 to preserve the PS ''Adelaide'' in the Hodwood Gardens, opposite the Bridge Hotel, Echuca. However, this was soon reversed in 1984 when the council opted to refloat the vessel in the Murray River. In 1980, the Echuca City Council received a $150,000 grant from the State Gold Lottery funds, and restoration works began in December 1980. Work was interrupted in 1983 when shipwright K Hutchinson was seconded to caretake the PS ''Pevensey'' during filming of All the Rivers Run
''All the Rivers Run'' is an Australian historical novel by Nancy Cato, first published in 1958.
It was adapted as a 1983 Australian television mini-series starring Sigrid Thornton and John Waters. The mini-series is marketed with the tagline ...
. The ''Adelaide'' was re-introduced to the waters of 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 ...
on Sunday 4 March 1984, at 5:20pm.
By March 1985, the paddleboxes of the vessel had been re-shaped to become semi-circular. At 11:30am on 10 September 1985, the PS ''Adelaide'' left her port under her own steam for the first time in 25 years. With restoration completed in 1985, the ''Adelaide'' was re-commissioned by the Prince
A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...
and Princess of Wales
Princess of Wales (Welsh: ''Tywysoges Cymru'') is a courtesy title used since the 14th century by the wife of the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. The current title-holder is Catherine (née Middleton).
The title was firs ...
. Following four weeks of refurbishment, the PS ''Adelaide'' returned from a prolonged hiatus to regular passenger service from the Port of Echuca over the Queen's Birthday long weekend in June 2021.
Remaining barges
A11
The A11 barge was the first logging barge built by Murray River Sawmills in 1911. Though originally sunk at Mildura
Mildura is a regional city in north-west Victoria, Australia. Located on the Victorian side of the Murray River, Mildura had a population of 34,565 in 2021. When nearby Wentworth, Irymple, Nichols Point and Merbein are included, the area had ...
, A11 was raised in 1994 and moved to nearby Bruces Bend.
B22
The B22 barge was constructed with a length of 24.9m and a beam 5.1m. Though recovered from Mildura to Echuca in 1980, the barge is considered to be beyond repair (having sunk again in the mid-2010s).
C24
The C24 barge sunk at the end of her working life, the ''C24'' rotted and sank into the bank near the Moama
Moama ( or ) is a town in the Riverina district of southern New South Wales, Australia, in the Murray River Council local government area. The town is directly across the Murray River from the larger town of Echuca in the neighbouring state of Vi ...
slip. In 1972, Max Carrington purchased the wreck for $100, and refloated the vessel (with restoration beginning in 1973). Following renewal of some hull planks, addition of two decks of accommodation, installation of the paddlewheels of the PS Hero
The ''Hero'' is a paddle steamer that was built at Echuca in 1874 by George Linklater. The working life of ''Hero'' first ended in 1957, but it was later restored c2000 as a first class luxury paddle steamer finely fitted-out for private charter ...
, and the addition of a diesel engine, the vessel was launched as the PV ''Pride of the Murray'' in 1976. In 2022, the ''PV Pride of the Murray'' was purchased by Outback Pioneers and relocated to Longreach, Queensland
Longreach is a town and a locality in the Longreach Region, Queensland, Australia. It is the administrative centre of the Longreach Regional Council, which was established in 2008 as a merger of the former Longreach, Ilfracombe, and Isisford s ...
for cruising on the Thomson River.
D26
The fourth barge built by Murray River Sawmills, the D26 barge (built 1926) was saved in 1987, when bought by the Echuca Council at the request of its Shepparton
Shepparton () ( Yortayorta: ''Kanny-goopna'') is a city located on the floodplain of the Goulburn River in northern Victoria, Australia, approximately north-northeast of Melbourne. As of the 2021 census, the estimated population of Shepparton, ...
owners. While located at Mooroopna (nearby to Shepparton), the ''D26'' had undergone some restoration work to her hull, though funds nor skill were available to complete her restoration. The ''D26'' was refloated by Kevin Hutchinson in Echuca
Echuca ( ) is a town on the banks of the Murray River and Campaspe River in Victoria, Australia. The border town of Moama is adjacent on the northern side of the Murray River in New South Wales. Echuca is the administrative centre and largest s ...
on Australia Day
Australia Day is the official national day of Australia. Observed annually on 26 January, it marks the 1788 landing of the First Fleet at Sydney Cove and raising of the Union Flag by Arthur Phillip following days of exploration of Port Ja ...
, 1990.
Particulars
''Adelaide'' was one of the fastest paddles steamers 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 ...
. The original engine of the PS ''Adelaide'' is a twin-cylinder 30 horsepower nominal steam engine (featuring 14 inch bore and 36 inch stroke), made by Fulton & Shaw (built in Melbourne, Victoria
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung–Taungurung language, Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the St ...
). The boiler of the ''Adelaide'' was replaced twice, the last time in 1936 or 1938. This replacement boiler is a Buchanan & Brock boiler, also built in Melbourne.
References
External links
''P.S. Adelaide''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Adelaide
Paddle steamers of Australia
1866 ships
Echuca-Moama