Echuca - PS Alexander Arbuthnot
Oyster Moon
Paul Foskett & Rhu Nash
Fri 21 Dec 2012 00:00
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The Goulburn and Campaspe rivers join the Murray river in
Echuca (pronounced echewka), which means the meeting of the rivers. There is an
historic port here, at one time there were over a 100 paddle steamers sailing up
the rivers collecting wool from remote sheep station and bringing it back down
to Echuca and on to Melbourne. We bought a ticket that allowed access to the old
wharfs, trip on a steamboat and access to the Star and Bridge
hotels.
This gentleman gave us the tour of the wharves – I flagged as
it was 42C and spent most of my time trying to find somewhere to sit down. The
PS Adelaide is the oldest wooden hulled still working paddle steamer in the
world.
  The wharf has been undergoing a major repair job. When the
railway arrived in 1864 material would be off-loaded from the paddle steamers
across the wharf and onto the trains to Melbourne. Not long after the arrival of
the train the port started to decline.
  We went for a cruise on the PS Alexander
Arbuthnot.
 The boiler being stoked and paddle wheel.
  A bit of firewood and look at the height of the piles on the
riverbank. Just shows how high the river can flow.
  Stephen, Annie and a knackered me.
 Coming alongside.
  Still not told him about his hat ... maybe its his
head?
 Tall enough to look over a fridge though..
 Between a rock and a hard place, no the border runs along
parts of the river Murray.
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