The PS ''Oscar W'' is a restored

paddle steamer A paddle steamer is a steamship or steamboat powered by a steam engine driving paddle wheels to propel the craft through the water. In antiquity, paddle wheelers followed the development of poles, oars and sails, whereby the first uses were wh ...

located at Goolwa in

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

History

(Frans) Oscar "Charlie" Wallin (1867 – 16 August 1934), born in Sweden and naturalised as a British subject in Australia in 1897, owned and skippered several steamboats on the Murray–Darling river system. He built the boat at

Echuca Echuca ( ) is a town on the banks of the Murray River and Campaspe River in Victoria (state), 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 cen ...

in 1908, and named it for his son Oscar William Wallin (c. July 1897 – 20 September 1917) who fought with the 8th Battalion in

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, and was killed in action in Belgium. She was taken over by the shipping firm Permewan, Wright and Co. in 1909; Wallin became owner of the steamer ''Clyde'' as part of the deal. The Murray Shipping Company was formed in 1919, as a result of the amalgamation of the shipping interests of a number of local riverboat trading companies due to the diminishing trade. This included Permewan Wright, and the ''Oscar W'' became one of the vessels to transfer to the new company. By 1942, the

Murray River The Murray River (in South Australia: River Murray; Ngarrindjeri language, Ngarrindjeri: ''Millewa'', Yorta Yorta language, Yorta Yorta: ''Dhungala'' or ''Tongala'') is a river in Southeastern Australia. It is List of rivers of Australia, Aust ...

shipping industry had begun to dry up, with the tourist passenger trade beginning to take over. Due to wartime shortages of materials and manpower the ''Oscar W'' was unable to become a tourist vessel, and in late 1943 was sold to the South Australian Government Highways Department to service ferries along the river. The SAGHD converted her to an oil burning vessel in 1945, due to the lack of cut wood available along the river. The ''Oscar W'' was replaced in 1959, and was sold to Paddy Hogg in 1960 for £50. Hogg took the ''Oscar W'' 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 at the 2021 census. When nearby Wentworth, Irymple, Nichols Point, Merbein and Red ...

to commence work as a tourism vessel. Notably, the ''Oscar W'' was responsible for towing the PS ''Gem'' from Mildura to

Swan Hill Swan Hill is a List of cities in Australia, 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, Victoria, Loddon River. At the , ...

in 1963, where it became a static display within the new Pioneer Settlement. The journey was expected to take ten days; however, due to low river levels the journey eventually took eight months. Hogg sold the vessel in 1964 to Allan Moritz, who began the process of restoration with a series of major hull repairs. Moritz died prior to the project's completion, and as a resulting lack of funds the ''Oscar W'' was sold to the South Australia Tourist Commission in 1985. The boat was returned to the river and steamed back to Goolwa, arriving 31 March 1988. The ''Oscar W'' has since operated as a tourist vessel, as well as completing extended journeys along the Murray River. One such example was the trip from Goolwa to Echuca in 1991, over the course of seven weeks.

Particulars

The ''Oscar W'' is 31.52 metres in length, with a beam of 6.27 metres and a draft of 68 cm to 155 cm. It weighs 84.3 tonnes gross, 60 tonnes net. The paddle steamer is of composite construction and was built from steel topsides and three-inch red gum below. The engine gives out 16 hp—a wood-burning Marshall Steam engine. The ''Oscar W'' was associated with a composite barge known as ''The Dart'', constructed by D Milne at Goolwa in 1912. Originally built as a floating work platform, the barge was used as a pile-driving vessel during the construction of

weir A weir or low-head dam is a barrier across the width of a river that alters the flow characteristics of water and usually results in a change in the height of the water level. Weirs are also used to control the flow of water for outlets of l ...

s and locks. In 1971 ''The Dart'' was taken to Murray Bridge and partially restored, then sunk nearby in shallow water to preserve the timber hull. It was raised in 1985 when purchased by the District Council of

Port Elliot Port Elliot is a town in South Australia toward the eastern end of the south coast of the Fleurieu Peninsula. It is situated on the sheltered Horseshoe Bay, a small bay off the much larger Encounter Bay. Pullen Island (South Australia), Pullen Is ...

and Goolwa, and returned to Goolwa. ''The Dart'' has since been used ceremonially, such as being towed behind the ''Oscar W'' from Goolwa to Mildura in both 1992 and 2001. In 2008, ''The Dart'' sunk at its mooring, and was placed on land awaiting restoration.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Oscar W, PS Paddle steamers of Australia 1908 ships Ships built in Victoria (state) Ships of South Australia Tourist attractions in South Australia