Online Catalogue last updated 14th of August 2025
This book covers the paddleboats the author has seen and photographed along the Murray and Darling Rivers in recent years. It includes all the paddlers presently operating public cruises at numerous towns on both rivers, as well as the privately owned and operated boats that can be seen along the rivers.
The information on each vessel has been gathered from numerous sources, and every effort has been taken to ensure accuracy.
At present there are about twenty paddleboats under construction or undergoing restoration at various places along the Murray River. Those boats that are nearing completion are included in the main body of the book, and they should be operating within the next year. Most if not all of the others will be in active operation on the river within the next three or four years.
This book is intended primarily as a brief guide to these fascinating craft for both visitors to and residents of towns along the Murray and Darling rivers.
Peter Plowman lives in Sydney and is one of the most noted maritime historians and writers in Australia. This is his eighth book to be published locally, and his second on paddleboats. His first book on the subject, The Wheels Still Turn - A History of Australian Paddleboats, was published by Kangaroo Press in 1992. Peter has been visiting towns along the Murray and Darling Rivers to see and photograph paddleboats for the past twenty years. He goes to Echuca, Mildura, Mannum, Goolwa and other river towns several times each year to attend special events featuring paddleboats, and has now photographed almost every paddler presently to be seen on the river, plus those under construction or restoration.
Peter Plowman is also well known for his books on ocean liners of the past and present, including the many ships that brought migrants to Australia after World War Two, which featured in his major work, Emigrant Ships to Luxury Liners, published in 1991. He is a regular guest speaker at special events conducted by the Immigration Museum in Melbourne, and also has given talks at the Australian National Maritime Museum in Sydney.
Code No. 011597, 80 pages, ISBN 1877058378, $25.00