Many runners in Echuca's Sweat Vs Steam would like to know more about the paddlesteamer they run against each year. The following article was published in Echuca's Riverine Herald in December 2005:

One of Echuca's icons, the PS Adelaide, has plied the Murray River for 20 years as a tourist boat.
 

But, it was not always so.
 

Echuca resident Don Norris recently came across an account written in 1960 by his brother, the late Jack Norris, telling of the Adelaide's return to Echuca.
 

It also gives an insight into days which will never return.
 

The following comes from his account.
 

''In October 1960, the Echuca Historical Society decided to purchase a steam boat to be preserved at Echuca, which, in its heyday, had been the second largest port in Victoria. So, what better boat could be purchased but the PS Adelaide, which had been built in Echuca just on 100 years ago and had been engaged all its life in work from the Echuca port?
 

The boat had recently been purchased by a mill owner in South Australia. The historical society decided to purchase it back, to be preserved at Echuca. As the boat was 700 miles from Echuca, a volunteer crew was called to bring the boat home.
 

So, under captain Norm Collins, Les Telley and with Eddie Hazelman as fireman and Jack Norris as mate, the old boat started on its voyage home. When we left Renmark in SA, the old boat seemed to know that this  was going to be no ordinary voyage, this was the swan song. And it was going to be a real triumph over all obstacles which the Mighty Murray had thrown in the way of boats since Captain Cadell started on his maiden voyage up the Murray.
 

As we got full steam up, the old boat caught the bone in its teeth and with whistle blowing, disturbed the bird life on the river which had been so quiet for so long. We set sail for home and we could feel the lunge of power as the engineer fed the old loco boiler with wood, which we had to load before starting _ approximately 30 tons which would get us started on our way. We would have to put wood aboard quite a few times before we would reach Echuca.
 

As we travelled up the river, people came from miles away to see the old paddle wheeler on its last trip and to give a cheer for all the boats that had gone before and which had done so much to make the life and work of all the old pioneers so much easier in the past.
Most of the big station properties used to take a full boat and barge full of stores as this would be the only stores they would get until the same time the following year.
 

It had been a few years since a boat had travelled the distance we had to go, so great care had to be taken that trees that had fallen in to the river would be avoided and also sand banks that had built up over the years were in no charts of the river that we had.
 

...At night, when we tied up after the day's run, people who had lived on the river all their lives would come aboard and we would yarn about all the old boats and their crews.
 

Captain Collins and Telley had spent all their lives on `Old Man Murray' and us younger ones would listen to the stories, sad, humorous and otherwise, and we would relive those days over again with them. The old river hand was a special species of man in those days. And there was no boat as good as the  one they happened to be working on at the moment. And at last, after 10 days travelling, we are now entering the last leg of our journey. Coming around the last bend before Echuca, we were met by all sorts of boats and great crowds along the river bank, who all gave a great cheer to see our old boat home again".
 

Reports and photographs in The Riverine Herald, 45 years ago last week, also tell of the Adelaide's return.
 

Mr Norris ended:
 

"She is now preserved for all time in dry dock in Hopwood Gardens at Echuca and to let all future generations see what made Echuca the second largest port in Victoria."
 

But the Adelaide was not destined to remain on dry land forever. In 1980, restoration of the Adelaide began and she was refloated in 1984. Twenty-five years after coming home, she was recommissioned in 1985 by Princess Diana during a royal visit to celebrate Victoria 150th anniversary. The Adelaide continues to operate, taking particular pride of place as the oldest wooden hulled paddlesteamer still operating in the world.

So now you know a little of this history of the fabulous PS Adelaide and when you do visit Echuca, try to enjoy a cruise on one of Port of Echuca's historic paddlesteamers.

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One of Echuca's icons, the PS Adelaide, has plied the Murray River for 20 years as a tourist boat.
 But, it was not always so.
 Echuca resident Don Norris recently came across an account written in 1960 by his brother, the late Jack Norris, telling of the Adelaide's return to Echuca...