After an epic 2,300-mile journey from Victoria Country, a historic shovel vehicle begins a new life in the interior of Queensland.
Key points:
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Pride of the Murray, a 98-year-old steamer, has been moved 2,300 miles inland.
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He will begin his new life in Longreach this week
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Boat tours have been booked for a month despite the slow start to the inland tourist season
The one-week operation to move the delicate and aged 100-ton Pride of the Murray was made possible by a team of more than 40 people, a police escort and nerves of steel.
Outback Pioneers founder Richard Kinnon said that while he was thrilled to see him safely arrive at his new home on the Thomson River, it had been an emotional journey.
He bought the boat after it was recently put on the market.
“When we were leaving the Murray River down there (Victoria) and the Emmylou passed for the last time, the horn sounded and he said goodbye to his sister,” Kinnon said.
“It was very meaningful and very sad for me to see her leave her classmates and leave that part of the world.”
The 98-year-old vehicle traveled through two states to reach his new home.
Kinnon said it would be the last time the ship could survive a move on such a large scale, but that it had arrived in “great shape”.
Originally concerned about the final stage through an infamous oblong roundabout in Longreach, the team was surprised that the boat “passed” without any hiccups.
“Looking back, the last bridge over the Murray River at Tocumwal was probably the biggest challenge,” Kinnon said.
A truck driver guided the mammoth boat through 12 kilometers of railing that went up and across the bridge with only 50 millimeters left on each side.
Organizers said they had to move a few signs and a tree to accommodate the boat on its journey north. (ABC Western Qld: Carli Willis)
The bush cannot be removed from the ship
As word spread that the piece of pioneering history was in motion, the crowd came en masse to cheer it on.
Charleville local Karen Tully rode the Pride of the Murray in 1985 and was overwhelmed by nostalgia at seeing the convoy.
“Despite the cold, there was no difficulty in getting up and welcoming the Pride of the Murray on its odyssey inside,” Ms. Tully said.
Charleville resident Karen Tully took this photo of the boat on the Murray River in 1985. (Supplied by: Karen Tully)
Kinnon said the boat, originally built in 1924 to move wool down the Murray River, had a special connection to the forest.
He said it only seemed appropriate that the ship would now make its home in Longreach, the world capital of merino wool.
“It almost makes you cry when you look inside and you can see the wear marks of the 100 year old patterns [ago]”Kinnon said.
The Pride of the Murray will be used for river cruises down the Thomson River in Longreach. (ABC Western Qld: Carli Willis)
“You can see where the back chains were pulling the rudder from side to side … the stories that that rudder could tell.
“She has a real spirit about her this old woman.”
Kinnon said the Pride of the Murray had traveled more than a million miles on the Murray River in its day.
The top deck of the boat was dismantled so that it could be safely transported to Longreach.
It would be reassembled this week.
Organizers said they will work throughout the day to put the boat in the water before June 16th. (ABC Western Qld: Carli Willis)
At full speed despite the slow start of the tourist season
The Longreach Regional Council said it had reported a slow start to the tourist season after a rain event once in a decade caused road closures for weeks at a time.
Mayor Tony Rayner said the numbers were returning to normal, but it was unclear whether the outback would reach record numbers he saw during 2020 and 2021.
“Realistically, it was probably an exceptional couple of years for clear reasons why people couldn’t travel outside of Australia and therefore were traveling inside Australia,” Rayner said.
Longreach residents waited in advance as the boat overcame its last obstacle, the city roundabout. (ABC Western Qld: Carli Willis)
He said the kind of tourist experience Pride of the Murray could bring would be a boost to the region and would add to the city’s pioneering history.
“It’s still very early, but we’re studying the possibility of a partnership of sister rivers with two famous rivers in Australia,” Cr Raynor said.
Doug Allpass, a local from Longreach, said the boat was one of the main attractions for the region which had suffered a prolonged drought before the latest rain events.
“It’s captured people’s imagination, it’s unreal,” Allpass said.
Longreach residents gathered in the city center to see the arrival of the Pride of the Murray. (ABC Western Qld: Carli Willis)
“If there’s a drought or things are a little tight in other areas, you know tourists come here to spend a few bucks, so we have to take care of them.”
Kinnon said the first cruise was scheduled for Saturday and Pride of the Murray cruises had already been booked online for a month.
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