PS ''Pevensey'' is a historic paddle steamer, with its original steam engine, in the fleet of steamers 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 ...

Wharf,

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

, Australia. Built in 1911, it traded 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 ...

until about 1958. In 1973 it was brought by Echuca for restoration and now operates as a tourist boat.

Particulars

''Pevensey'' was of

composite Composite or compositing may refer to: Materials * Composite material, a material that is made from several different substances ** Metal matrix composite, composed of metal and other parts ** Cermet, a composite of ceramic and metallic materials ...

construction, with timber on iron frames, built at 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 ...

slipway in 1911 by Permewan, Wright & Co. Ltd. The hull is in length, beam and in depth, was measured at 130 grt. It still has its original steam engine and boiler, built by Marshall, Sons & Co. of

Gainsborough Gainsborough or Gainsboro may refer to: Places * Gainsborough, Ipswich, Suffolk, England ** Gainsborough Ward, Ipswich * Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, a town in England ** Gainsborough (UK Parliament constituency) * Gainsborough, New South Wales, ...

, England. It is a 20

nhp Horsepower (hp) is a unit of measurement of power, or the rate at which work is done, usually in reference to the output of engines or motors. There are many different standards and types of horsepower. Two common definitions used today are the ...

high-pressure In science and engineering the study of high pressure examines its effects on materials and the design and construction of devices, such as a diamond anvil cell, which can create high pressure. By ''high pressure'' is usually meant pressures of th ...

two-cylinder engine, No 55721, which gives ''Pevensey'' a speed of .

History

The Pevensey began life in 1910 as a barge named ''Mascotte'', but was rebuilt as a paddle steamer within twelve months. The completed steamer was named after a sheep property on the

Murrumbidgee River The Murrumbidgee River () is a major tributary of the Murray River within the Murray–Darling basin and the second longest river in Australia. It flows through the Australian state of New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, desce ...

called Pevensey Station. It was first operated by its builder and collected bales of wool from

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 and brought them to the

wharf. From the wharf, it was loaded onto trains and taken to

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

for export overseas. ''Pevensey'', with a cargo capacity of 120 tons, could carry 815 bales of wool and a total of 2000 bales when barges were towed along behind. ''Pevensey''’s barge, also composite built, was called ''Ada'', and is also preserved at Echuca. ''Pevensey'' was sold to Murray Shipping Ltd in July 1919. In October 1932 it suffered a major fire at Koraleigh Landing, near

Swan Hill Swan Hill is a city in the northwest of Victoria, Australia on the Murray Valley Highway and on the south bank of the Murray River, downstream from the junction of the Loddon River. At , Swan Hill had a population of 11,508. Indigenous Peopl ...

, but returned to service in 1935 after rebuild at

Morgan, South Australia Morgan is a town in South Australia on the right bank of the Murray River, just downstream of where it turns from flowing roughly westwards to roughly southwards. It is about north east of Adelaide, and about upstream of the Murray Mouth. At th ...

, running between there and

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 ...

. After the river trade ended around 1958, ''Pevensey'' was tied up at Mildura where it was sunk by vandals in 1967, though later raised. In 1968, ''Pevensey'' was purchased by the Collins brothers (of Mildura) with intention of use as a tourist attractions. The vessel was refloated and moored at Gol Gol, however the intentions were never carried out. The Collins brothers later sold the paddle steamer to the Mildura City Council, with no further resotration being completed. In 1973 the steamer was purchased by Echuca City Council for $20,000 and towed there for restoration (leaving Mildura on 22 July 1973), with assistance of the

Victorian Government The Victoria State Government, also referred to as just the Victorian Government, is the state-level authority for Victoria, Australia. Like all state governments, it is formed by three independent branches: the executive, the judicial, and th ...

. ''PS Pevensey'' arrived in Echuca on 5 August 1973, and was slipped in December of 1974 (however restoration work was delayed by several major floods until 1976). ''Pevensey'' was launched back into the Murray River on 29 October 1976. Blowing off Steam (35403191900)

''Pevensey'' starred in the role of the fictional PS ''Philadelphia'' in the Australian television mini-series ''

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 ...

'', made in Echuca in 1982–1983, alongside fellow-Echuca steamer '' Emmylou''. The Pevensey's composite barge, ''Ada'' (built in 1899), was purchased by the Port of Echuca in 1974. In an preservation effort, the 52 tonne barge was removed from the Murray River in August 2012 (at a cost of $33,000), and now resides towards the rear of the Moama slipway. The current condition of the barge is described as 'poor', with "no funds available, nor plans in place, to restore the Ada barge".

References

External links

''P.S. Pevensey''
Paddle steamers of Australia 1911 ships Echuca-Moama {{VictoriaAU-struct-stub