The ''Hero'' is a

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 ...

that was built 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 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 charters.

History

The ''Hero'' traded on the Murrumbidgee River as a hawking vessel until the 1930s when sold to Arbuthnot Sawmills at

Koondrook Koondrook ( ) is a town situated on the Murray River, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. The town is located in the Shire of Gannawarra Local government in Australia, local government area, north west of the state capital, Melbourne. At ...

as a logging boat. The company also owned the PS Alexander Arbuthnot. In 1942, the Hero and two barges (''John Campbell and Cannally'') were purchased by the

Forests Commission Victoria The Forests Commission Victoria (FCV) was the main government authority responsible for management and protection of State forests in Victoria, Australia between 1918 and 1983. The Commission was responsible for ″forest policy, prevention and ...

from Arbuthnot Sawmills and moved to

. One of the pressing requirements during the War was to organise emergency supplies of firewood for a range of uses including military and civilian heating and cooking, and as a substitute for coal for locomotives because of a miners strike at Wonthaggi. PS Hero, under well known Captain Spencer (Spinny) Clark, was used to transport the much needed redgum logs from near

Yielima Yielima is a locality in northern Victoria, Australia in the local government area of the Shire of Moira. The New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in A ...

in the Barmah State forest about 80 upstream to Echuca wharf. The two loaded barges were floated downstream from the forest to Echuca and the logs cut into foot blocks before being taken by rail to Melbourne. At one stage, annual production was upward of half a million tonnes. Most of the labour was provided by Italian internees. In 1950 the ''Hero'' and barges were sold to the Collins Brothers and moved to Mildura. Later, in 1956, the ''Hero'' sold to Chislett Brothers at

Boundary Bend, Victoria Boundary Bend is a small town in the state of Victoria, Australia. It is near the junction of the Murray River and Murrumbidgee River. It is located about 50 kilometres east along the Murray Valley Highway from the twin towns of Robinvale in V ...

, and again worked as a logging boat. During the 1952 and 1956

floods in Australia This is a list of notable recorded floods that have occurred in the country of Australia. References Further reading * Devin, L.B. and D.L. Purcell (1983) ''Flooding in Australia'' Canberra : Australian Government Publishing Service : (Wat ...

, ''Hero'' was used for various flood mitigation purposes. In January 1957 ''Hero'' caught fire at Boundary Bend, near

Robinvale Robinvale is a town on the south bank of the Murray River in north western Victoria, Australia. It is connected by a bridge to Euston on the other side of the river in New South Wales. At the , Robinvale had a population of 3,313, however a p ...

, and sank. Over the years it was stripped and slowly deteriorated. Its paddle wheels were removed and installed on the ''

PV Pride of the Murray PV ''Pride of the Murray'', like many other Australian paddle wheelers, started out life as a timber logging barge. It was built at Echuca on the Murray River in 1924, and relaunched as a tourist vessel in 1977, also at Echuca. In 2022 the ves ...

''. In 1989, Gary and Irene Byford purchased ''Hero''. They raised it in February 1998 and removed the boiler and engine. The hull was moved to Echuca where it was restored and re-launched on 16 September 2000, the 126th anniversary of its original launch.

Particulars

''Hero'' is 28 metres long and can carry up to 75 passengers. Its original steam engines have been refitted.

References

External links

The history of Hero
* List of Murray–Darling steamboats Paddle steamers of Australia 1874 ships Echuca-Moama {{VictoriaAU-struct-stub