The Steamtug Blog

Part 3 On the road at last!

The next morning, we drove back to Stoker’s Siding, and checked things over for a final time. It was Monday morning, so Peter went to work and left us down by his dam to make the final preparations and would catch up later in town. After negotiating the steep incline on his driveway, and the tight twisty turns up with narrow trees, we finally made it up onto the road. (continue reading…)

Part 2 The trip

I left Queensland, trailer in tow and crossed the border to NSW. But the concrete road was so bumpy it shook everything violently. The road looked smooth enough, but the whole trailer was suffering massive vibration. I sped up, I slowed down. Nothing helped. I wanted to stop and check everything was alright, but no place to stop. The trailer really didn’t like these roads without a load on top. (continue reading…)

Just after Steam Launch Edelweiss was admitted to the register of Historic Australian boats and ships with the Australian National maritime museum, and after more than a year of planning, Edelweiss has met the purpose built boat trailer that will become her next best friend, and made the journey from the Northern most border of the state of NSW down to the most Southern coast of Australia at her new home in Geelong. But what now? (continue reading…)

The “Sud Hamburg line” ship Cap Capricorn  finally arrived with my boat trailer after being laid up in San Francisco, then going to New Zealand, Melbourne, Sydney and finally arrived in Brisbane. I got notification that it was ready to be picked up, so got together all the paperwork and my brother picked me up from my office and we drove together down to the docks together, only to be met by a big surprise! (continue reading…)

Imagine designing an irrigation pump, to move water from the Murray River up and out to the surrounding farm land that was of such radical, unusual and interesting design that modern engineers would lock you up as insane!

Well, that is how I see the amazing Humphrey pump at Cobdogla. Of the 7 wonders of the modern world, the Humphrey pump would be listed as the eighth. The fact that this pump was though up, conceived, designed, built and actually ran successfully for many years is what this wonder is all about. (continue reading…)

Beer Facts

A 2009 study found that the average Australian walks about 900 miles a year.

Another study found that the average Australian drinks 22 gallons of beer a year.

That means the average Australian gets about 41 miles per gallon.

Bloody good value that!

Merry Christmas and Happy New year!

I was rostered to start work 24th December. So all my family from Geelong decided to come to Brisbane and do Christmas at my brothers house up here. He was recently married and his new wife likes to cook. (continue reading…)

Things in Brisbane had been a little quiet until an old mate from Geelong took a job in the office next to mine. So now I have taken him out on the town, and life here has become more interesting. (continue reading…)

I recently sailed an antique steam yacht built in 1901 from Sydney to it’s new home in Melbourne. Steam yacht Ena is a magnificent vessel, and typical of those built in a bygone era when money was not considered to make her the best and most oppulent in Sydney. (continue reading…)

Did I tell you I left Shell? They refused to give me my holidays, so I took the rash step of threatening my manager that I would leave. He happily accepted it! So 2 weeks into my 1 month notice, I was offered a job with Origin Energy and accepted it to work in their Brisbane central control centre. Then I brough the steamboat I have been searching many years for, and got roped into helping a mate with the world’s most beautiful ship, the Steam Yacht Ena! read on…. (continue reading…)