SHG&HSI Newsletter Page 4

Genealogical &
Historical Society Inc.
No. A17295X
Inaugural Member Society of Genealogical Society of Victoria Inc.
Quarterly Newsletter
Number 63
August 2000
Page 4

Early Murray River Guide
In 1948 the Murray Shipping Co. Ltd. Of Adelaide, owners of the Gem at the time, began compiling the Murray River Guide for steamers and their passengers.
That section of the river near Swan Hill was described as follows:

0 Miles: At the Bitch 'n' pups when there is low water there is a miniature water fall of 2 ft. 6 in. over a reef of rocks which extend across the river.

2.5 Miles: Goodnight pumping station.

4 Miles: A submerged mud island, dangerous on account of snags. Steamers are navigated through a narrow channel.

5 Miles: Clarks Bends.

6 Miles: Lockharts Station [NSW side].

10 Miles: Tooleybuc Bridge and township [NSW side] A main road crosses the river here. Bridge built in 1925 by Public Works Department at the cost of 13,408 pounds.

15 Miles: Piangil Township on Victorian side near railway station. Between Tooleybuc and Piangil the steamer passes a large orangery and one particular house is passed 4 times, the land being like a human hand with the river running around the fringes and the house in the palm.

23 Miles: Wood Wood [Victorian side] A small town situated prettily on rising land.

24.5 Miles Black Stump Bend. The cross currents are very tricky here and alter with the
different levels of the river.

25 Miles: Old Tooley receiving shed. [NSW side] Once the wool storage shed of Poon
Boon Station. Out of this shed the first wool was shipped down the Murray to South Australia in 1853.

29.5 Miles: Koraleigh landing and pumping station [NSW side].

32 miles: Gallows bend.

32.5 miles: Nyah. A prettily situated town on Victorian side. Nyah West, a railway town is
1.5 miles from the river.

34 miles: Traffic bridge connecting Nyah and Bungunya in NSW. Built in 1940 by Department of Main Roads at a cost of 13, 408 pounds.

36 miles: Timbered country and plains; the end of the heavily timbered country and
commencement of the plains.

45 miles: Tyntynder Station [Victorian side]. One of the earliest station properties taken up in this district. It has now been cut up for closer settlement.

47 Miles: Speewa Punt. A means of vehicular traffic crossing from Victoria to NSW.

52 Miles: Beveridge Island. The new or main navigating channel is about 4 miles long. It is
about 8 miles around the other side of the island. Below Swan Hill there are about 30 miles of rich river flats behind levee banks. In the early days few trees grew on these vast areas of low lying land but gum saplings have gradually extended along the levee banks.

64 miles: Swan Hill. The Swan Hill bridge is a steel structure built in 1896 by the Public
Works Department at a cost of 8,750 pounds. It has a very fine appearance and is used for traffic into NSW. Above the bridge the Little Murray flows in and carries the flow of the Loddon River.

Gem Centenary Feature: Guardian October 1976.

The Reefs
In those early days the height of the river at Swan Hill was a marker for the captains of the boats.
When the water level was low at Swan Hill there was little of the river able to be traversed.
At low water the river was a frustrating mistress. Boats and their crews could leave Echuca on a small rise. It would be smooth steaming until the clay bed of Waradgery reef was encountered just above Koondrook.
With all hands on deck or shore the boat and its barges would have to be heaved over the reef before proceeding.
If various clay beds, bad snags and the fast flowing funnel bend could be navigated, a turbulent river across Kelly's Clump alongside Pental Island was the next heave required in order to get cargo to Swan Hill. The boats had to be tough as they were physically dragged over shallow reefs. Then if the boat was proceeding below Swan Hill the notorious Bitch and Pups Reef was encountered.
Apparently it was an interesting experience to go down to the Bitch and Pups below Goodnight to see a riverboat pass through the most difficult obstacle on the river. Here, skippers and crew encountered in low water, a natural rock wall which banks water up the river as far as Swan Hill.
The name Bitch and Pups were derived from a conversation aboard the old paddle steamer the Owen Mutchie. As the skipper came down and hit the first reef and his blood pressure inevitably rose, he called it a Bitch.
After hauling the steamer and barge over the reef he rehooked his tow and went down a short way, only to come across the next reef over which the boat bumped. The mate noted that if the first reef was the bitch then these were the pups.
The inadequacy of the Swan Hill wharf was demonstrated when there were five steamers in port.
"They all pulled up at the bank and the wharf like a white elephant stood high and dry in grand isolation. The bank presented the appearance of a busy beehive with tons of stuff being shipped as fast as the lumpers could pass the goods on board."
"The steamers in port were the Invincible, Corrong, Barqwon, Daisy and Little Wonder. Barges were also one and two deep."
Over and above the tons of goods lying on the river bank, there were truckloads waiting to be disposed of. The Guardian said thousands of pounds had been expended in providing elaborate shipping accommodation at Echuca, principally through the influence of vested interests but at the same time Swan Hill had been ignored.
[Guardian, 100 Years Ago. Undated.]

The Treeless Plain - Guardian Monday 4th July, 1988
From the customs house built on the southern side of the Swan Hill end of the bridge (subsequently destroyed by fire in 1914), the Customs men would have looked out upon a river previously entirely devoid of trees along its banks, all able to see the chimney stack of an approaching river boat at high river from many miles away. Until at least 1920, Alex Fisher , now of Narung, recalls the river winding through a treeless plain. Many have also noted this change which is yet to be conclusively explained.
Alex suggests the growth of redgums along the banks followed the 1931 flood which required massive action by local citizens to save the countryside. Immediately afterwards, according to Alex, the Victorian State Rivers and Water Supply Commission erected a new levee bank back from the river, claiming pasture to do so. He believes the loose rich soil was perfect for gums to seed on the next high river.

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August 2000

Archive
Graphics By: Jelane
WebPage by SHG&HSI Members
Updated: 31 August 2000

0 Miles:	At the Bitch 'n' pups when there is low water there is a miniature water fall of 2 ft. 6 in. over a reef of rocks which extend across the river.
2.5 Miles:	Goodnight pumping station.
4 Miles:	A submerged mud island, dangerous on account of snags. Steamers are navigated through a narrow channel.
5 Miles:	Clarks Bends.
6 Miles:	Lockharts Station [NSW side].
10 Miles:	Tooleybuc Bridge and township [NSW side] A main road crosses the river here. Bridge built in 1925 by Public Works Department at the cost of 13,408 pounds.
15 Miles:	Piangil Township on Victorian side near railway station. Between Tooleybuc and Piangil the steamer passes a large orangery and one particular house is passed 4 times, the land being like a human hand with the river running around the fringes and the house in the palm.
23 Miles:	Wood Wood [Victorian side] A small town situated prettily on rising land.
24.5 Miles	Black Stump Bend. The cross currents are very tricky here and alter with the different levels of the river.
25 Miles:	Old Tooley receiving shed. [NSW side] Once the wool storage shed of Poon Boon Station. Out of this shed the first wool was shipped down the Murray to South Australia in 1853.
29.5 Miles:	Koraleigh landing and pumping station [NSW side].
32 miles:	Gallows bend.
32.5 miles:	Nyah. A prettily situated town on Victorian side. Nyah West, a railway town is 1.5 miles from the river.
34 miles:	Traffic bridge connecting Nyah and Bungunya in NSW. Built in 1940 by Department of Main Roads at a cost of 13, 408 pounds.
36 miles:	Timbered country and plains; the end of the heavily timbered country and commencement of the plains.
45 miles:	Tyntynder Station [Victorian side]. One of the earliest station properties taken up in this district. It has now been cut up for closer settlement.
47 Miles:	Speewa Punt. A means of vehicular traffic crossing from Victoria to NSW.
52 Miles:	Beveridge Island. The new or main navigating channel is about 4 miles long. It is about 8 miles around the other side of the island. Below Swan Hill there are about 30 miles of rich river flats behind levee banks. In the early days few trees grew on these vast areas of low lying land but gum saplings have gradually extended along the levee banks.
64 miles:	Swan Hill. The Swan Hill bridge is a steel structure built in 1896 by the Public Works Department at a cost of 8,750 pounds. It has a very fine appearance and is used for traffic into NSW. Above the bridge the Little Murray flows in and carries the flow of the Loddon River.