The+Murray+River+and+the+Chaffey+Brothers

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Sturt’s journey in 1830 had opened up the idea of settlement in South Australia. The river was first thought of in terms of transport to bring wool and grain of NSW and VIC to the sea until railroads took over later in the century. Irrigation along the Murray was going to provide food for all the colonies.

In 1850 a sum of 2000 pounds was offered to the first iron steamers to go from Goolwa to the Darling junction. The steamer "Mary Ann" was the first, owned by William Randell. Randell raced against Captain Cadell in the "Lady Augusta."

 In the days of the river trade, Mannum was built with a wharf and dry dock. Shearer’s engineering works at Mannum built strippers that could be transported up and down the river. (In 1900 they also built a steam car, SA’s first car.) Goolwa in those days was the busiest port on the Murray.

However in 1878 the Kapunda railway line extended to Morgan. From then on goods could be railed from there to Adelaide. Previously, the boats had gone all the way to Port Elliott and Victor and from there on the train to Adelaide. In 1887 Canadians George and William Chaffey came from California and established an extensive irrigation system of channels to bring water from the river to farms at Renmark. Their scheme ended in 1895 but had shown the way to others.


 * Article about the Murray River paddle steamers from the "Australian Heritage" Magazine

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