From the outset, Oscar W was in demand. Perhaps the most notable event was Oscar W’s return to Echuca in September 1991 on a 7-week voyage. During this trip, she ventured into the Murrumbidgee River for 25 miles, the first vessel to do so since at least the 1956 flood and possibly earlier. She also ventured up the Darling River for 27/38miles, and while at Echuca went up the Goulburn River to Stewarts Bridge, now the limit of navigation on the Goulburn and 1083 river miles from Goolwa.
The Story of the PS Oscar W
The PS Oscar W (Boat History and Owners 1908 to 1988)
'P.S. Oscar W.' with 'P.S. Avoca' and barges, at Mildura, at low river, with buildings behind and a landing far right, out of water.
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The PS Oscar W 1908 to 1988
Franz Oscar Wallin was a 6-foot tall Swedish sailor who jumped ship at the age of 18 in Sydney in 1885. Twenty years later “Charlie” Wallin was a major figure in the river trade with a fleet of steamers and barges. On September 2 1908, at Echuca, Charlie launched a new paddle steamer named after his 11-year-old son, the “Oscar W”.
The Oscar W did her trials on the Goulburn River and was then put into service on the Murrumbidgee River and Upper Murray trade. Charlie found the Oscar W a difficult vessel to handle and in 1914 sold her to Permewan Wright. Charlie continued the river trade until he died in 1934.
When World War 1 ended in 1918 the way of life before had gone. Steamers and barges were lined up on “Rotten Row” in every port. In 1919 several companies including Permewan Wright, merged to form the Murray Shipping Company. Oscar W went to the new company, working the Darling and Murrumbidgee and by the late 1920s was based at Morgan.
Some of the greatest loads of wool ever hauled by the river were taken out of the Darling by Oscar W and its barges with her record being 2,280 bales carried on a 1931 voyage. The trips were always hazardous due to snags, rocks, reefs, sandbars, overhanging trees and winds. River currents changed constantly while droughts and floods challenged even the most courageous captains.​
1937 Bow and side view of 'P.S. Oscar W' steaming heavily, on its last trip to Wilcannia, 1937, towing a barge with covered cargo.
In the early 1930’s Oscar W was busy carrying supplies to build the locks and barrages but by the late 1930’s Oscar W was laid up at Morgan. As Murray Shipping turned to tourism the old work boats were sold off and in 1941 she was sold to George Ritchie. The Ritchies had been skippers for Cadell and pioneers of the river trade from Goolwa. The Oscar W was laid up at Goolwa but wartime shortages of materials and manpower stopped conversion to a tourist vessel.
In late 1943 she was sold to the South Australian Highways Department for £600 as a floating workshop and ferry transport. She was converted to an oil-burning vessel in 1945, due to the lack of cut wood available along the river. The Oscar W worked through the 1956 floods and was then laid up at Morgan until she was sold to Paddy and Pearl Hogg in 1960 for £50.
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Paddy took the Oscar W to Mildura to commence work as a tourist vessel and workboat. Probably the best-known task for Oscar W was towing the old steamer Gem from Mildura to Swan Hill in 1963. The river beyond Wakool Junction is quite narrow and can be treacherous with the notorious “Bitch and Pups” reef a few miles in from the Junction. Low water stopped progress turning a simple 2-week trip into an 8-month saga. In 1963 Oscar W returned to Echuca where Paddy and Pearl operated tours but lack of funds for repairs forced her sale to a “Bottom Ender” which was deeply unpopular in Echuca.
In 1964 under the command of Captain Allan Moritz, Oscar W sailed to Mannum. Years of neglect and lack of maintenance presented an enormous task. With a background in engineering and navy duty, Allan planned to do most of the work himself. Negotiations to do the work in Goolwa were blocked by Council, who were intent on restoring the waterfront for tourism, so in 1966 Oscar W was slipped by the wharf at Murray Bridge.
'P.S. Oscar W.' towing barge, Echuca wharf in distance, high water. 1915
Allan restored the wood burner and in the early 1970’s Oscar W featured in local rail and steam events as well as television and film productions. In 1971 the Barge Dart was taken to the slip for restoration work. In 1976 Allan slipped Oscar W and began to rebuild her hull but the financial strain weighed heavily and negotiations for funding dragged on until Allan died in November 1984. The Oscar W and the Dart were a sorry site on Rotten Row...until tourism saved them!
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For further information on the Barge Dart go to the following link: Tell me more about the Dart
PS Oscar W Specifications
The Oscar W is 31.52 metres in length, with a beam of 6.27 metres and a draft of 68 cm to 155 cm. It weighs 84.3 tonnes gross, and 60 tonnes net. The paddle steamer is of composite construction and was built from steel topsides and three-inch red gum below. The engine gives out 16 hp—a wood-burning Marshall Steam engine.
OSCAR W is 31.39 m (103 ft) long, 10.88m (35 1/2 ft) wide overall, and draws from 0.84 m to 1.5 m (2 ft 3 in to 5 ft 1 in). Its tonnage is registered at 83 tons gross or 59 tons net.
The hull is composite construction, with riveted steel topsides and 75mm thick tallow wood and red gum planking below. It is powered by a 16 HP, 2-cylinder Marshall steam engine which was imported by Wallin and has been its engine for all of its working life.
Name PS Oscar W
Owners
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Charles Wallin (1908–1914)
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Permewan Wright/Murray Shipping Company (1914–1942)
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George Ritchie (1942–1943)
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South Aust. Govt. Highways Dept. (1943–1960)
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Paddy Hogg (1960–1964)
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Allan Moritz (1964–1985)
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SA Tourist Commission (1985– )
Operator
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Friends of PS Oscar W
Port of registry
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Route River Murray, Australia
Ordered 1908
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Builder Charlie Wallin
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Commissioned 1908
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Homeport Goolwa, South Australia
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Identification 120751
Nickname(s) Oscar
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Status Tourist vessel
General characteristics
Class and type Composite Paddle Steamer
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Displacement 59 tons
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Tons burthen 83 tons
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Length 103 ft 1 in (31.42 m)
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Beam 20 ft 2 in (6.15 m)
Propulsion Steam
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“The past is not dead, it is living in us, and will be alive in the future generations.”
WILLIAM FAULKNER