PS. Hero

16/09/2024

Today, we celebrate the Hero’s 150th Birthday! Or is it? Last week, a local posted photos wishing her a happy birthday on September 12th, and it seems he has articles dating back to then (we’ll investigate this further). Regardless of this discrepancy, our family have always celebrated her birthday on September 16th. We relaunched her hull on September 16th, 2000, at 3:00pm, after resurrecting her from the muddy banks.

The paddle steamer Hero was built in Echuca in 1874 to serve the burgeoning river trade. She was constructed on a slip at James Mackintosh’s sawmills, four miles upstream from Echuca, by shipwrights Messrs Thomas McDonald and George Linklater. She was built to the order of Captain Joseph Touchstone Maultby of Narrandera, situated on the Murrumbidgee River near Wagga Wagga. She had a long and checkered life working as a tow boat and hawking steamer towing laden barges of wheat, flour, wool, copper ore, and building materials. She serviced outback stations and towns along the Murray River, reaching as far as Tocumwal, down to Goolwa, Narrandera on the Murrumbidgee River, and Bourke on the Darling River carrying firewood for Melbourne during the war years. She finished her working life towing laden barges with sawmill logs at Boundary Bend before catching fire and burning at her mooring in January 1957.
In 1983, she was spotted from the riverbanks by Gary Byford and his family while on a holiday, which was mostly spent looking for old wreck sites along the river. After making a few local enquiries around Boundary Bend, they discovered her owners and approached them to see if they would sell the burnt, twisted wreck. From there, the enormous task of recovery began. After many attempts to pull her from her final resting spot, she was finally salvaged in 1998 and underwent a complete and meticulous restoration in Echuca.
From the very beginning in 1983 until today, our family has been blessed by the support of many individuals who have joined us on this special journey, investing their time, passion and love. While there are too many to name, you know who you are, and we will forever be grateful to you all. Thank you.
Thank you for all the joy you have given us over the years. We love you.
Hip hip hooray! Happy birthday to you, grand old lady. May we enjoy many more years together!

15/09/2023

Today the Hero celebrates her 149th Birthday....

P.S Hero was built in Echuca in 1874, she had a long and checkered life working on the Murray River as a tow boat and hawking steamer towing laden barges of wheat, flour, wool, copper ore and building materials servicing outback stations and towns along the Murray River as far up as Tocumwal, down to Goolwa, to Naranderra on the Murrimbidgee and Bourke on the Darling carrying firewood for Melbourne during the war years. She finished her working life towing laden barges with sawmill logs at Boundry Bend before catching fire and burning at her mooring in January 1957. In 1983 she was spotted from the river banks by Gary and his family on a holiday which was mostly spent looking for all the old wreck sites along the river, after making a few enquiries locally around Boundary Bend her owners were discovered and approached to see if they would sell the burnt twisted wreck. From there the enormous task of recovery started and she was finally salvaged in 1998 after many attempts at pulling her from her final resting spot and underwent a complete and meticulous restoration in Echuca.

Thank you for all the joy you have given us over the years, we love you x

Hip Hip Hooray, Happy Birthday Grand Old Lady....may we enjoy many more years with you. X

28/11/2021

What a cracker ###

Morning Murray magic 😍



Photo credit

11/11/2021

We are back in! Yay..........toot toot x

10/11/2021

Lest we Forget x

25/10/2021

It has been a while, we hope you are all well. Today was an exciting day for us, the Hero's time came to be taken out of the water for some extra love.............as always thanks to our wonderful crew, Snelly, Anton, Brendan, Bruce, our family and the great team at Murray River Services on the Moama Slipway for making the process as easy and streamline as possible. x

16/09/2021

Today the Hero celebrates her 147th Birthday....

P.S Hero was built in Echuca in 1874, she had a long and checkered life working on the Murray River as a tow boat and hawking steamer towing laden barges of wheat, flour, wool, copper ore and building materials servicing outback stations and towns along the Murray River as far up as Tocumwal, down to Goolwa, to Naranderra on the Murrimbidgee and Bourke on the Darling carrying firewood for Melbourne during the war years. She finished her working life towing laden barges with sawmill logs at Boundry Bend before catching fire and burning at her mooring in January 1957. In 1983 she was spotted from the river banks by Gary and his family on a holiday which was mostly spent looking for all the old wreck sites along the river, after making a few enquiries locally around Boundary Bend her owners were discovered and approached to see if they would sell the burnt twisted wreck. From there the enormous task of recovery started and she was finally salvaged in 1998 after many attempts at pulling her from her final resting spot and underwent a complete and meticulous restoration for operation in the thriving tourist industry in Echuca. Today the Hero is arguably one of the most luxurious Paddle Steamers operating on the Murray River and offers ‘Enchanted Journeys’, Corporate Functions, Weddings and Charters.

Hip Hip Hooray, Happy Birthday Grand Old Lady....may we enjoy many more years with you, helping create special memories for everyone. X

24/07/2021

Happy Birthday to one of our most treasured Skippers of all time..have a great day celebrating Snelly ###

21/07/2021

Happy Birthday Sis...Hopefully we can be out on the beautiful Murray River soon, toot toot toooooooooot ###

09/06/2021

❤

The PS Adelaide was built in 1866 and is the oldest wooden hulled paddlesteamer still operating on any river in the world. Tonnage 58, length 76 feet (22.8 metres) Horse power 36h.p passenger load is 49 plus crew and fuelled by red gum logs, she travels at 16km/h. The PS Adelaide has just undergone significant refurbishment and recertification-she will be cruising the mighty Murray River again very soon. We will announce dates & times shortly. #1866 Adelaide steamer

24/04/2021

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning

We will remember them.

Lest we forget. X❤X