PS Adelaide

The PS Adelaide is the oldest wooden-hulled paddlesteamer still operating anywhere in the world, and watching her leave the wharf under a head of steam is one of the more stirring sights in inland Australia. Built in 1866 and restored by volunteers over a decade, she makes regular one-hour cruises on the Murray, paddlewheel churning, boiler hissing, timber hull leaning slightly into the current.

You can walk through the engine room when the boat is docked and see the wood-fired boiler that drives the whole operation. The crew are enthusiasts rather than actors — they know the mechanics and the history in detail, and they'll answer questions. Book ahead in peak season; the Adelaide is small and fills quickly.

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A story
The Adelaide was built in 1866 and worked the Murray for decades hauling cargo before being retired and left to rot on the riverbank. In the 1970s a group of volunteers began a meticulous restoration using period techniques and salvaged materials. She was relaunched in 1980 and has been running under steam ever since — the only wooden-hulled paddle steamer still operating in the world. The rivets are hand-driven, the boiler is wood-fired, and every cruise is a working demonstration of 19th-century river engineering.

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