Imagine standing on a boat deck, looking out at gum trees dotting the water's edge while cruising peacefully down the Murray River.
This is a moment steam engineer Dave Broadbent steals while on break aboard the PS Marion, one of the world's oldest surviving steam-driven, wood-fired, side paddle steamers with overnight passenger accommodation.
Based in Mannum in South Australia's Murraylands region, the 1897-build, heritage-listed vessel has lived life as a floating store, a passenger vehicle and cargo carrier. Today she operates multi-night cruises plus short trips. It has three decks and can accommodate 40 people.
Her heart is a two cylinder wood-fired steam engine, rated at 20 nominal horsepower (NHP) and 120 indicated horsepower (IHP), built by Marshall & Sons, Gainsborough, who also built its steel boiler. And yes, they're the originals.
All in a day's work
So how do steam engineers like Dave, of Fairview Park in Adelaide, come into it?
"What we do is we maintain the jolly thing," he said.
Steam engineers are on board the whole trip; they arrive the day before departure, put a fire in the boiler and allow about five hours for it to warm up.
"Being an old boiler, we treat it gently, otherwise you get unequal expansion," Dave said. And then they keep it firing during the trip.
It's not just the engine an engineer is responsible for; they also become the overall boat's Mr Fix-it. That includes managing the showers, toilets, and a 40-volt generator that runs pumps for other parts onboard. If it gets stuck on a sandbar, they'll run a rope around a nearby tree stump and use a boat-mounted, steam-powered winch to dislodge it.
The worst problem is when they can't get water from the river into the boiler, which could result in "catastrophic" results - but there is a backup plan for that.
To work as a steam engineer, Dave has a high risk work licence, formerly known as a steam ticket. He's had a locomotive-type boiler and engine in Victoria for 50 years, plus he has a display at the Lake Goldsmith Steam & Vintage Rally.
"I was fascinated by gold mining and the part steam played in gold mining with the machinery, mining engines and so forth. That's what led me to go onto the boat; I had experience at working (with such equipment), and they said, 'Can you come on and help work on the boat?'."
As for what he loves about PS Marion?
"It's an old cliche, but in the back of my mind it's preserving the past for the future," he said.
"To me, there's nothing worse than a static museum. And this is a floating working museum piece. You're transported back a hundred years and that, to me, in itself is fascinating. River boats were an integral part of Australian history, particularly in the Murray-Darling Basin."
There are moments he sneaks out for himself while on shift.
"I must confess, when you're travelling along, I do take time out to look at the river as you go past. I am fascinated by the gum trees and the history that as you're going past the canoe gums and so on. It's a pretty old river system when you think about it. It's been going for a few million years, and I just find the place fascinating."
A brief history of PS Marion
PS Marion was commissioned in 1896 by businessman Mr George Swan Fowler for work and pleasure, but died before it was finished. It then had numerous owners and uses including a hawking steamer (floating store), a passenger ship and cargo carrier. It was best known as a passenger steamer for Murray Shipping Limited, cruising up to Renmark in the Riverland, down to Goolwa near the Murray Mouth and back to Morgan.
She was bought by the National Trust and sat at the Randell Dry Dock at Mannum for more than 30 years as a static museum, before it was restored and ultimately recommissioned in November 1994.
How can I see her today?
PS Marion is based at the Mannum Dock Discovery Centre.
She has a galley, passenger dining room, two lounges and multiple cabins. Passenger accommodation aboard the PS Marion is in the form of bunk style twin share cabins.
Visitors can inspect the vessel whilst moored at Arnold Park Wharf.
They can also take a cruise, including a three day, two-night upstream into the heart of the International Dark Sky Reserve $900 (twin share), plus one-hour cruises ($30 adults, $15 children, $25 concession).
Listening to the slap of the paddles against the water, passengers pass spectacular river cliffs and a myriad of bird life. They can also observe the engineer and fireman as they work their magic in the art of steam engine operation.
For more information and bookings, visit psmarion.com or phone 1300 626 686.
