In between jobs, and struggling for a dollar, I drove the paddle steamer Pyap for a few weeks.
I didn’t have the right license (which is a NSW license because the river is actually in NSW, not Victoria) but I got a temporary dispensation…
It was great fun and I really enjoyed the time. It was pretty easy to drive once you got the hang of it, and a very different world to mine at sea. The 'charts' were pretty weird!
A lot of history on the river – but no money, for me!
The paddle-boat Pyap (not paddle-steamer as she’s now diesel) was built at Mannum in South Australia in 1896 as floating shop. Almost 30 metres long and 4.8 metres wide and very shallow draft which means she can float in less than a metre of water. At one stage she had a Ferguson tractor to provide the power to the paddle wheels. Improved road transport killed off the river transport system and she was sold off for 100 pounds. She became a tourist boat licensed for 200 passengers and in 1988 the Pyap was given to the Swan Hill City Council and the engine replaced with a 6 cylinder Gardiner.
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