Todays Date:
For a brief but exciting period between the 1850s and the 1890s, Australia's Murray Darling and Murrumbidgee Rivers were the scene of a thriving transport industry. Over 300 paddlesteamers meandered their way up and down these great inland rivers and their tributaries,carrying cargoes of wool,wheat and timber,hardware and haberdashery,clothing,liquor,furniture,groceries-and people. The little town of Echuca became the chief port of the riverboat trade,and in the 1880s it was the second largest port in Victoria, Australia. Its wharves and shipyard bustling with constant activity. The paddleboats were often linked to the railways, to carry goods and people to larger cities. My grandfather,Ken Francis, used to work on one of the old paddlewheelers called the S.S. Waikerie as a deck hand.It was built and owned by a distant relative of mine, Mr Albert Francis who used it to trade between Morgan and Waikerie.
In recent years many of these paddlewheelers have been restored with some being converted to diesel.
Until about five years ago we had a paddlewheeler, the PS Madam Jade which used to travel up and down the river as a trading vessel,from Morgan, one of the many ports along the river where it docked at towns selling and buying wares.Unfortunately it was short lived when the captain and owner of the vessel passed away after a few years of trading.
About four years ago the owners and captains of these old river craft decided to get together and travel from Goolwa here in South Australia, across the border up stream to Echuca in Victoria and work their way back to Goolwa again where other paddlewheelers and other river boats of various sizes joined in the floatila.
So since then, every two years in August they have what is now called, Source to Sea.
Today we see the more modern paddlewheelers that are made of all metal and diesel driven, which only travel a short way up the Murray River and back due to frequent changing water levels.
