PS Pevensey

Last updated

PS Pevensey (2021).jpg
PS Pevensey (2021)
History
Murray River Flag (Combined).svg Australia
NamePevensey
Port of registry Melbourne, Victoria [1]
Route River Murray, Australia
BuilderPermewan Wright & Co. Ltd.
Laid down1911
HomeportEchuca, Victoria
Identification120770
StatusTourist vessel
General characteristics
Class and typePaddle steamer
Tonnage130 grt
Length111.6 ft (34 m)
Beam23.0 ft (7 m)
Depth6.9 ft (2 m)
Propulsion Side-wheel paddle steamer
NotesRegistered Heritage Vessel [2]

PS Pevensey is a historic paddle steamer, with its original steam engine, in the fleet of steamers at Echuca Wharf, Victoria, Australia. Built in 1911, it traded on the Murray River until about 1958. In 1973 it was brought by Echuca for restoration and now operates as a tourist boat.

Contents

Particulars

Pevensey was of composite construction, with timber on iron frames, built at the Moama slipway in 1911 by Permewan, Wright & Co. Ltd. The hull is 111.6 ft (34 m) in length, with a 23.0-foot (7 m) beam and 6.9 ft (2 m) in depth, was measured at 130 grt. [3] It still has its original steam engine and boiler, built by Marshall, Sons & Co. of Gainsborough, England. It is a 20 nhp high-pressure, two-cylinder engine, No 55721, which gives Pevensey a speed of 8 knots (9.2 mph; 15 km/h). [3] [4]

History

The PS Pevensey with covered load of timber (c. 1939) P.S. Pevensey in Morgan area PRG 1258-1-2979.png
The PS Pevensey with covered load of timber (c. 1939)
Ada barge (Moama Slipway - 2022) Ada Barge (2022).png
Ada barge (Moama Slipway – 2022)

Pevensey began life in 1910 as a barge named Mascotte, but was rebuilt as a paddle steamer within twelve months. [5] The completed steamer was named after a sheep property on the Murrumbidgee River called Pevensey Station. [4] It was first operated by its builder and collected bales of wool from sheep stations and brought them to the Echuca wharf. From the wharf, it was loaded onto trains and taken to Melbourne for export overseas. Pevensey, with a cargo capacity of 120 tons, could carry 815 bales of wool and a total of 2,000 bales when barges were towed along behind. [4] Pevensey's barge, also composite built, was called Ada, and is also preserved at Echuca. [6]

Pevensey was sold to Murray Shipping Ltd in July 1919. In October 1932 it suffered a major fire at Koraleigh Landing, near Swan Hill, but returned to service in 1935 after rebuild at Morgan, South Australia, running between there and Mildura. 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 restoration being completed. [7] 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. [3] [7] PS Pevensey arrived in Echuca on 5 August 1973, and was slipped in December 1974 (however, restoration work was delayed by several major floods until 1976). Pevensey was launched back into the Murray River on 29 October 1976. [7]

Pevensey with steam up at Echuca Blowing off Steam (35403191900).jpg
Pevensey with steam up at Echuca

Pevensey starred in the role of the fictional PS Philadelphia in the Australian television mini-series All the Rivers Run , made in Echuca in 1982–1983, alongside fellow Echuca steamer Emmylou . [4]

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". [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Echuca</span> Town in Victoria, Australia

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 settlement in the Shire of Campaspe. As of the 2021 census, Echuca had a population of 15,056, and the population of the combined Echuca and Moama townships was 22,568.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paddle steamer</span> Steam-powered vessel propelled by paddle wheels

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 were wheelers driven by animals or humans.

PS <i>Oscar W</i> Restored paddle steamer

The PS Oscar W is a restored paddle steamer located at Goolwa in South Australia.

<i>Alexander Arbuthnot</i> (paddle steamer)

The Alexander Arbuthnot is the last paddle steamer built as a working boat during the riverboat trade era on the Murray River, Australia.

PS <i>Ruby</i> (1907)

The PS Ruby, also known as the Paddle Steamer Ruby is the flagship of the historic port of Wentworth, New South Wales at the junction of the Murray and Darling Rivers. She is a composite hull paddle steamer that features a 1926 Robey & Co 20 nominal horsepower portable steam engine. Between 1996 and 2007 she was restored to her early 20th-century appearance.

The 1922 Border Railways Acts, were Acts passed by the Parliaments of both Victoria and New South Wales, which authorised the construction of cross border railways in the Riverina region of Australia. Despite being located in New South Wales, the region was closer economically to Victoria and its railway network, operated by Victorian Railways. Another complication was that Victorian Railways used the 1,600 mm broad gauge, while the New South Wales Government Railways used 1,435 mm standard gauge.

PS <i>John H Amos</i> Paddlewheel tugboat

John H Amos is a paddlewheel tugboat built in Scotland in 1931. The last paddlewheel tug built for private owners, now owned by the Medway Maritime Trust. She is one of only two surviving British-built paddle tugs, the other being Eppleton Hall preserved at the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park in San Francisco, California.

PS <i>Adelaide</i> Wooden paddle steamer

PS Adelaide is the oldest wooden hulled paddle steamer still operating anywhere in the world.. It is now moored at the Echuca Wharf and used for special occasions.

PS <i>Success</i>

PS Success is a historic paddle steamer in Victoria, Australia. Originally built as a snagging steamer in June 1877, it is currently being restored by the Port of Echuca to full working order. When operational, it will be added to the fleet of paddle steamers at Echuca Wharf.

PS <i>Emmylou</i>

PS Emmylou is a paddle steamer operated by Murray River Paddlesteamers in Echuca, used for both day and overnight accommodation cruises.

PS <i>Canberra</i> Paddle steamer built in 1912

PS Canberra is an original paddle steamer operated by Murray River Paddlesteamers in Echuca.

PV <i>Pride of the Murray</i>

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 vessel was transported overland to Longreach, Queensland, for use as a tourist attraction on the Thompson River.

PS <i>Hero</i>

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 charters.

This is a list of captains and boat owners and others important in the history of the Murray-Darling steamer trade, predominantly between 1850 and 1950.

PS <i>Enterprise</i>

PS Enterprise is an 1878 Australian paddle steamer, currently owned by the National Museum of Australia in Canberra. It is still operational, and one of the oldest working paddle steamers in the world. It is listed on the Australian Register of Historic Vehicles.

PS Rodney is a heritage-listed paddle steamer shipwreck on the Darling River at Polia Station, Pooncarie in the Wentworth Shire, New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by Captains Dorward and Davies and built by Thomas McDonald. The property is owned by Department of Trade & Investment, Regional Infrastructure & Services, an agency of the Government of New South Wales. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 23 November 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moama Historic Precinct</span> Historic site in New South Wales, Australia

The Moama Historic Precinct is a heritage-listed abandoned settlement location, river wharf and public space on Hunt Street, Moama, New South Wales, Australia. It includes the Echuca – Moama Bridge and the Echuca Wharf on the Victorian side of the river. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.

PS <i>Gem</i> Side-wheel paddle steamer

The PS Gem is a retired side-wheel paddle steamer that was first launched in 1876 on the Murray River at Moama, New South Wales. She operated as a cargo and passenger steamer, regularly cruising between Morgan and Mildura. The Gem operated as a tourist passenger vessel during the 1930s and 1940s, and was retired in the early 1950s. In 1962 the Gem was sold to the then Swan Hill Folk Museum, where it would become a static display and historic monument.

PV Pyap Paddle vessel at Pioneer Settlement, Swan Hill

The PV Pyap is a tourist paddle vessel operating within Swan Hill's Pioneer Settlement. Originally launched as a barge in July 1896 at Mannum, the Pyap was completed as a paddle steamer in late 1897 and operated on the Murray River. In 1970, the Pyap was purchased by Toby Henson and refitted with a diesel enginge, with the intention of relocation to the Pioneer Settlement.

PV <i>Coonawarra</i>

PV Coonawarra is a diesel-powered paddle vessel that operated as a tourist vessel on the Murray River. Built in Echuca in 1950 from the barge J L Roberts, the Coonawarra was intended by owners Murray Valley Coaches Ltd to replace the tourist vessel PS Murrumbidgee, which burnt beyond repair in 1948. The Coonawarra is currently moored in Midlura, overlooking the weir and wharf, operating as a floating motel.

References

  1. ↑ "P.S. Pevensey in Morgan area". State Library of South Australia. 10 May 2001. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  2. ↑ "PS Pevensey". Echuca Historical Society. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 Parsons, Ronald (1996). Ships of the Inland Rivers (3rd revised ed.). Gumeracha, South Australia: Gould Books. p. 116. ISBN   0-947284-34-6.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "P.S. Pevensey". Echuca Paddlesteamers. Archived from the original on 22 October 2020. Retrieved 22 May 2012.
  5. ↑ "PS Pevensey". Australian National Maritime Museum . Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  6. ↑ "A black and white photograph, Approx.1980s". Victorian Collections. Archived from the original on 23 September 2020.
  7. 1 2 3 Plowman, Peter. Murray Darling Paddleboats. Dural Delivery Centre: Rosenberg Publishing Pty Ltd. p. 61. ISBN   1877058378.
  8. ↑ Lamb, Jessica (14 June 2017). "Ada barge needs fixing but with what money?". PressReader. The Riverine Herald . Retrieved 14 June 2021.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.