The Murray River is Australia's longest river. At 2, 375 kilometers (1, 467 miles)1 in length, it spans three states - Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia. The Murray is the third longest navigable river in the world, after the Amazon and Nile2. From its source in the Kosciusko National Park, it flows across inland Australia forming a border between NSW and Victoria. For the final 500 km (310 miles) of its journey, the Murray flows through South Australia where it meets the Southern Ocean at Lake Alexandria.
 |
| The Murray River at Howlong, NSW - image by Tannin |
During the 19th Century, the Murray River supported a commercial river trade and by 1860 river boats regularly operating on the Murray. Steamboat transport brought relief to the shortage of transport in the goldfields and paddle steamers were used to carry goods such as wool, wheat and gold-mining supplies up and down the Murray. The introduction of the rail link to Melbourne virtually brought the commercial river trade to an end. However, tourists can now enjoy the beauty of the Murray River on one of the many fully operational old paddle steamers which operate along the river.
The following are images of some of the beautiful old river boats which would regularly be seen along the Murray River:
 |
| Murray Steamer 'Corowa' (1900) |
 |
| Launching of P.S.Wahgunyah at Wahgunyah (1867) |
 | |
| Night Travel on the Murray (1800) |
 |
| Paddle Steamers 'Ruby' and 'Marion' on the Murray River (1915) |
 |
| Paddle Steamer 'Gem' on the Murray River (1921) |
 |
| P. S. 'Corowa' at landing (1892) |
This post is part of a series of posts for Sepia Saturday, which
provides an opportunity for bloggers to share their history through
photographs. You can view more Sepia Saturday images here.
References:
1 "Murray River." Wikipedia. N.p.. Web. 6 Mar 2013. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murray_river.↩
2 "About the Murray River." Discover Murray Mallee - Australia's Greatest River. N.p.. Web. 6 Mar 2013. http://www.murrayriver.com.au/about-the-murray/.↩
Photo Credits:
Harny, Paul. Night Travel on the Murray.
1880. Drawing. commons.wikimedia.orgWeb. 6 Mar 2013.
Launching P.S. Wahgunyah at Wahgunyah. 1867. State Library of South AustraliaWeb. 4 Jan 2013.
<http://images.slsa.sa.gov.au/godson/1/04000/PRG1258_1_3900.htm>.
Murray Steamer 'Corowa'. 1900. State Library of South AustraliaWeb. 6 Mar 2013.
Paddle Steamer 'Gem' on the Murray River. 1921. State Library of South AustraliaWeb. 6 Mar 2013.
Paddle Steamers 'Ruby' and 'Marion' on the Murray River. 1915. State Library of South
AustraliaWeb. 6 Mar 2013. <http://images.slsa.sa.gov.au/searcy/22/PRG280_1_22_205.htm>.
P. S. 'Corowa' at Landing. 1892. State Library of South AustraliaWeb. 6 Mar 2013.
Tannin, . Murray at Howlong. 2004. commons.wikimedia.orgWeb. 6 Mar 2013.
Are boat still used for transport on the Murray or does everything go by dusty old roads?
ReplyDeleteHi Mike,
DeleteThe river boats are now used for recreational cruises along the river and for birthdays, weddings and other functions - everything else is transported by dusty old road or rail.
They look like palaces. I'm intrigued by the photo of The Gem - it looks as though the waves are flowing right through the boat.
ReplyDeleteHi Brett,
DeleteThey're lovely old boats with a lot of history attached to them.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great variety of different sorts of river boats on your famous river. Very nice. Some of them look like they might easily tip over though, like the last one, as tall and skinny as it is!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the interesting post.
Kathy M.
Hi Kathy,
DeleteI imagine a trip on these paddle steamers would be a lot safer now than it was in the 1800s! Well, one would hope so!
Those are some huge boats. You have to wonder why they don't sink. Science is a wonderful thing!
ReplyDeleteHi Wendy,
DeleteI have never understood how something that big can stay afloat - the wonders of science!
I bet it would be fun to cruise along the river in one of the old paddle steamers still operating.
ReplyDeleteA cruise along the river in one of these old boats is a lovely way to spend a day.
DeleteThese old paddle steamers are so interesting.
ReplyDeleteHi Kathy, I find the story of the paddle steamers interesting, I'm pleased you do too!
DeleteGreat photos of the old paddle steamers. The ones still in use offer great full or half day trips with lunch as well. A very pleasant way to spend a day.
ReplyDeleteHi Liz, I agree, a cruise along the Murray is a great way to spend the day.
DeleteA fascinating post and I learnt a lot about the Murray River.
ReplyDeleteThank you for visiting. I am pleased you learned a little about the river.
DeleteThanks for the education, never having heard of the Murray River before, and being a bit of an armchair traveler these days, it's great to know more about Australia! These river boats are quite interesting!
ReplyDeleteI am happy you learned a little about Australia! The river boats are an important part of Australia's early history and I am pleased that some of that history is being preserved.
DeleteThey really are beautiful images, and so clear too. Ruby and Marion are great names for paddle steamers - very friendly!
ReplyDeleteI agree Nell, some of the old paddle steamers had lovely names.
DeleteIts interesting how they were so commercially flexible.Just changed the type of 'cargo' they transported! Saying that,I'd love to jump aboard and try it for myself!
ReplyDeleteHi Tony, the river boats are a wonderful way to experience the beauty of the Murray River.
DeleteWhat fun times on the river- excellent photos of beautiful steamers!
ReplyDeleteThere is a lot of fun to be had on the river. For many Australians who live along the river, it is a big part of their recreation.
DeleteI will always regret that I never got to visit Australia. So much of it is so similar to the US, but so different.
ReplyDeleteAustralia is a beautiful country and, I agree, in some ways very similar to the US.
DeleteThis is what I love about Sepia Saturday, you start with a picture and learn so much by reading all the various posts. Thank you for such an interesting contribution.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your kind comment Alan.
Delete