Images via Canvas Sails
After five weeks on the slip in Goolwa, the historic PS Marion is back in the water.
The heritage vessel was built in 1897. It was one of the first paddle steamers to run cruises on the Murray River. Now she stands as one of the last operational, heritage steam-driven, wood-fired paddle steamers in the world. These days, the steamer is open to the public daily and runs passenger trips throughout the year.
In the past five weeks expert craftsmanship by the team at Burgar’s Boat Co. has gone into repairing the iconic vessel in an impressive maintenance process, which included the tricky practices of steam-bending and hot-pitching.
The boat was originally commissioned by Mr George Swan Fowler, a prominent Adelaide businessman, to be built by Milang shipbuilder A.H. Landseer.
The steamer was intended to be used for work and pleasure for Mr Fowler, but unfortunately, he passed away soon after the building began. This left the vessel in the hands of his trustees, who decided that the hull should be completed and offered for sale as a barge. It was named Marion and first floated in February 1897.
The PS Marion was designed and built with the Murray Darling River system in mind. Through spending well over 100 years on the river, she has become a part of it.
The Marion is a true reflection of the economic, trade, transportation and social development of the Murray Darling system and the region’s evolution during the twentieth century.
Over time the vessel has been altered and adapted to meet the challenges of the evolving conditions of the river. The current configuration of the Marion is a representation of these changes, which made it the ideal mid-twentieth-century river boat.
Throughout the boat’s lifetime, significant personalities and organisations that have contributed to the development of the Murray Darling system, have worked with vessels, as captains, members of the crew or owners, amplifying the boat’s historical connection with the river. Moreover, notable Australian political figures and dignitaries cruised the river on the Marion, including Prime Minister Andrew Fisher, and Attorney General Billy Hughes.
Over the years, the Marion was sold to different owners, even spending time as a floating boarding house and resting in the Randell Dry Dock at Mannum for over thirty years. In 1994 the boat was restored by a team of dedicated volunteers who lovingly donated thousands of hours. This volunteer-led restoration saw her return to her heyday with cabins, lounges, dining room, galley and bathrooms. The perfect passenger steamer.
For those keen to see the new and improved PS Marion, exciting news comes as the PS Marion will be back at the river port of Goolwa for the 2025 South Australian Wooden Boat Festival. Occurring from the 26th to the 27th of April 2025, this is a fantastic chance to take a cruise aboard the historic Marion. sawoodenboatfestival.com.au
To read more about the Marion and to enquire about cruising aboard it, click here.
More News
