OK< so we all need a paddle wheel fix

more from the MP

Here are some from the journey

1. Looking back....only thing missing is flying a kite!
2. The captains wheel
3. It's not the Texas Bar, but the beer was cold.

MP and some shore leave photos

Just like the DQ/MQ/AQ, you do get some shore trips. However, in Australia, some of the towns have zero population...

Sometimes shore leave is not an option

The MP carries a small "tender" outboard powered to help getting crews to shore for setting lines, etc. One day on the trip they offer rides while going down the river. Each "volunteer" passenger must wear a life jacket, and you get to board the small boat while it is tied onto the MP, all while skimming along at 15 mph. Now, 15 mph may seem slow, but try boarding one of these small boats after a few beers...

1. A volunteer in line (Pat Duffy)
2. The boat about to depart
3. Catching up to the MP, about to pass.

One more from the ride, another shore stop, contest winnners

Last photo...One night they had a costume contest...We dressed up as DQ deck hands, and won....

Lots of other things to see

There are a lot of private and restored side paddle wheelers to be seen. Here are just a few..

One more side wheeler, then on to Murray Bridge

This side wheeler is now a museum.

A few shots taken chasing the MP by car.

away she goes, stacks down

Power lines in the distance require the fake stacks to be lowered...

Last post...

I really want to ride on the Ohio/Mississippi again...by paddle wheel

Forgot, the one thing I told the captain..

They need to paint the paddlewheel RED....

That looks like one huge wheel. How does he keep the windows from gettin' broken by stuff flung up by the wheel?
S
David D
PS notice the nice lines on the boat--curved!

Not sure about the vestigial smokestacks (which I guess are small so they can easily be lowered?) but it is a nice looking boat. Why does it look like an older boat and the newer riverboats in this country look like metal boxes? How big or small were the rooms?

Yes, I think this boat looks more like a traditional "Mississippi-Style" steamboat than the MQ ever did. It's refreshing that nice-looking boats still ply the rivers somewhere, wish this boat was here in the U.S.! The hull has a nice, gentle shear to it. Thanks for sharing these photos Richard!

stacks and rooms...

The two stacks are fake, way too thin to be of any real use. That is about the only thing as far as "lines of the boat" that could complain about.

Rooms were great, very large compared to the DQ. If you have been on the DK in Sacramento, the rooms are about that size.

Again, they need to paint the paddlewheel RED!

Amen to those three posts by Lexie, David and Steve. Not a bad looking design at all, unlike another one I saw just recently.(ahem) At least she's got some sheer. Is that big wheel the only source of propulsoin? Judging from the wake, I'd say it was.

Richard, I notice the interior wheel house pic looks like it's actually below the roof-top wheelhouse, is this right?
Also, a wheel, no sticks!
S'
David D.
PS The lines are great--what did you mean about the hydraulic drive being distracting?
How many cabins on board?

wheel house....

I figured someone would see this. The top (upper) wheel house is nothing more than a storage shed painted with "windows". If I have time I'll dig out those photos.

Visits to the operating "wheelhouse" are open to passengers almost all day long, except when docking. No TSA here...! I brought my laptop along with photos of the last runs of the DQ and the crew was amazed at it's large size..Too bad I didn't have any of the DQ next to the MQ or AQ.

The hydraulic motors for the paddlewheel seem to generate a steady whine or high pitched hum in concert with the speed. Sitting in the stern room/lounge one can hear this all day. To me, compared to the DQ which has (had?) that minor but steady rumble, it was too noisey. However, they do not run at night so it would not be distracting for end of boat sleepers.

Not sure about the number of cabins, I think this is shown on their website (try googling Murray Princes, Austrailia and look on the Cook Tours site). As I recall it is somewhere around 40 cabins or so.

To answer other responses, the forward/reverse drive is from the paddlewheel only, no props, but it does have side thrusters. The Murray River can get quite narrow in spots so it has to be able to be get through some tight spots. Also, the Murray River has several locks, although last year the water was too low to travel very far upstream. Our trip stopped 5 miles short of the first lock due to low water and rocks. The one lock we visited on a shore leave trip was just wide enough for the MP, so that is why it is sized the way it is. They used to run much longer trips up the river, but nothing again until the water situation comes back. Drought plus excessive irrigation have taken a toll on the Murray River.

Another thing I missed was watching the barge traffic seen on the Ohio and Mississippi. The last barge on the Murray River was 20+ years ago according to the crew. Just pleasure boats, a few other tour boats, and lots of nothing.

Remember, the ship's owner took a trip in the US many years ago (on the MQ or AQ from what we could garner) and came back wanting to create a Mississippi type river boat but fit to Australian toursit needs, and limitations of the Murray River. There is no traditonal "stage" but they use side ramps to board and exit for shore visits where docks are not set up. They do have a small gift shop, open during certain hours. Only local brews at the bar (sorry Bruno).

David Dewey;22608 wrote: Richard, I notice the interior wheel house pic looks like it's actually below the roof-top wheelhouse, is this right?
Also, a wheel, no sticks!
S'
David D.
PS The lines are great--what did you mean about the hydraulic drive being distracting?
How many cabins on board?

An actual pilotwheel is a nice touch. That's the way to steer a riverboat! I've always thought they should have left the DQ's original pilotwheel aboard the boat, even if steering levers had been "mandated" or desired by someone, the wheel could have remained for show. It would have taken the few inches of forward space in the pilothouse that it always took, so what?

Not only that, after 1989 I doubt the National Park Service historians would have allowed its removal due to National Historic Landmark status. It would have been nice to still have the original wheel there, where it belongs, even after conversion to "stick" steering. (in my opinion!)

For a while after a deep-sea fire on an uninspected ship near Bermuda the Coast Guard cracked down on wood. That is the reason the Natchez has no pilotwheel. The Ste. Genevieve was forced to get rid of theirs, but when they pointed out that the wheel was also the rudder brake the inspectors merely made them cut off everything but the hub. Sure enough, the Ste. Genevieve had no fires after that. NOR BEFORE!

And lets hope all those white oak paddlewheel bucket boards never catch fire! 🙂

I have a question about the MP's paddlewheel, it is rather unorthodox looking to us Western Rivers fans. It looks huge in proportion to the boat and the buckets look very thin and there are a gobb of them. Does the boat vibrate much from bucket splash? And going 15 mph it must work pretty darn well, did you get to count the wheels RPM's?

paddlewheel design

Yes compared to the DQ the paddlewheel size vs boat size makes the MP look more like a top fueler dragester, but it didn't seem to vibrate or have much splash. It did seem to "get up and go" pretty quick, and the rollers when looking behind were the classic shape. And no, I didn't count the wheel rpms, something I'll do if I ever get the chance to ride again.

BTW. check out Echuca and Murray River websites. There are some really neat steamboat events this year. Yes, Australia is an 18 hour flight from the US, but until next year (hopefully???), this could be a good bet. If you don't want to drive, there are bus and train connections to Echuca from Adelaide and Melbourne as well.

Jim Reising;22654 wrote: I have a question about the MP's paddlewheel, it is rather unorthodox looking to us Western Rivers fans. It looks huge in proportion to the boat and the buckets look very thin and there are a gobb of them. Does the boat vibrate much from bucket splash? And going 15 mph it must work pretty darn well, did you get to count the wheels RPM's?