ABC Wednesdays - P for Port Festival

Port Adelaide is rich in history and it came alive at the Port Festival last October; stories of the past were told by images projected on many of the buildings.

This image is of a scene in 1904 with with ships of the day on the river; a paddle wheel steamship and a sailing ketch.

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ABC Wednesdays - O for orphan girl

Thanks to Steve for the photo

This is 'Sarah', a young child whose parents died on board a ship enroute to Adelaide in the 1800's. She is sitting on her bunk, holding her only real possession; a straw doll. You can read about her at the Maritime Museum at Port Adelaide.

Last October as part of the Port Festival, Sarah came alive - her story was told by this young girl, my granddaughter, who was employed for the weekend to roleplay her character. During the day she went about her chores, sweeping and scrubbing, spoke to passing visitors and spent time playing with her friend.

Throughout the Museum there were other actors enacting other characters, giving patrons a better understanding of life at sea.

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HMB Endeavour

The HMB Endeavour was built in Freemantle, Western Australia. This beautiful boat is a full scale replica, although some materials used in its construction differed from those used over 200 years ago in Cook's original vessel. Construction began in 1988 using WA jarah. The iron fittings were hand crafted in a blacksmith shop on site.

The Endeavour was launched in 1993, and has since sailed over 170,000 nautical miles, including 2 round the world voyages.

Detailed information about the construction of this magnificent ship can be found here on the Australian Maritime Museum Website.

 

The HMB Endeavour in Port Adelaide

The HMB Endeavour is a full scale replica of the ship that Captain Cook used in his 1768-71 voyage of discovery that resulted in the settlement of Australia by Europeans in 1788.

For detailed information about the ship on the Australian National Maritime Museum website, click here.

A Regal Visitor

On Wednesday Queen Victoria paid us a visit. Over the last few years an increasing number of cruise ships have stopped over in Adelaide, but for us locals it is still a novelty to see these huge luxury vessels.

Brighton Jetty Classic - 2

It was a rather calm day for the surf boat crews who pitted themselves against each other on Sunday. I suspect the swimmers were happy with the conditions though.

Time ball tower at Semaphore

Sitting on a small hill adjacent to Semaphore Road is this time ball tower; this was used by ships at anchor to rate their chronometers.

Back in the Marina

I took this shot yesterday when I returned to the Holdfast Shores Marina after yet another great day of winter sailing; a steady 10-15 knot off-shore breeze on an 18C day.

Cruise ships

On Saturday two cruise ships berthed at Port Adelaide for the day, so we decided to cycle about 30 kilometres from home and along the coast to see them. Visits of cruise ships is not an everyday occurrence in Adelaide, so there are always lots of people paying them a visit and looking for a vantage point to see them depart.

I have never watched such a large ship as this leaving its mooring; marvellous to watch it move sideways from the wharf and then forward into the channel. The ships I have watched in the past have needed assistance from a tug. This gigantic cruise ship could manoeuvre unaided.


This is the Diamond Princess, a very large cruise ship; a floating hotel. Launched in 2004, she is 286.86 metres long and carries 2674 passengers.

Dry Dock

The untimely draining of the Torrens Lake has surely affected some businesses; Popeye and the paddle boats can not operate.

Oh well, let's make the most of it - time for a little maintenance.

HMS Buffalo

Last Sunday (28th December) was Proclamation Day; a commemorative day for South Australians because on that day in 1836 the settlers were notified that the government was in place in the new 'Province of South Australia'.

This is a model of the Buffalo at the end of Jetty Road at Glenelg; this was the boat that brought colonists including our first governor here.

You can see more in my earlier posts Proclamation Day and The Buffalo Restaurant.

My solar energy use

Over the last few days I have highlighted some of the uses of solar energy in South Australia. I will conclude by mentioning my solar devices.

A few years ago I replaced my in-roof hot water service with this on-roof solar hot water service. As with the solar panels for generating electricity for use in the house, the solar hot water systems like this attract government subsidies. Without these subsidies the costs would be prohibitive and so far the savings made have been minimal - but the environmental savings justify the installation.

This is my yacht and the solar panel mounted on the back keeps the batteries topped up; sufficient to keep a fridge running and to run lights and electronic devices on board and still be able to start the motor!

ABC Wednesdays - P for Paddle Boats

Popular with tourists and locals alike, these pedal powered paddle boats are a fun and relaxing way to see Adelaide on the Torrens. The building in the background is the Adelaide Convention Centre.

This is the PS Gem, typical of the river boats that were such vital means of transport along the River Murray in the late 1800's and early 1900's. The vessel is now on display in Victoria at the Swan Hill Pioneer Settlement. For much of its working life it was based at Morgan in South Australia.

To find out more about ABC Wednesdays and see other participants' contributions go to the ABC Wednesdays' site or to see direct links to their own sites go here.

Houseboats

A comment made yesterday prompted me to show these houseboats on the River Murray. Some are privately owned, but most are available for hire from tourism operators. These vessels are moored near Berri, about 200 km from Adelaide.

Do you like to dream? This 10 - 12 berth luxury vessel is for sale; only $255,000. Click here to see the details of "Cocktails and Dreams".

ABC Wednesdays - E for Etchells

The Etchells is an international class racing yacht; designed in USA in 1966 by Skip Etchells. The 22 foot (6.7m) now has fleets in 11 countries around the world. Last year's world championship was held at Cowes (the Isle of Wight) and this year it was in Chicago.

I took these photos at Glenelg in the Holdfast Shores Marina during the 2004 Australian Championships. Australia has 16 Etchells fleets; you can read more about them here.

I only thought of writing about Etchells for this week's ABC Wednesdays after seeing an Etchells on Alice's site (Arrandon, France)

To find out more about ABC Wednesdays and see other participants' contributions go to the ABC Wednesdays' site or to see direct links to their own sites go here.

ABC Wednesdays - D for dredge

This is a familiar sight at the entrance to the Holdfast Shores Marina at Glenelg; it seems that most times I go sailing it is hard at work keeping the channel clear.

To navigate past the dredge one should know that you pass on the side displaying black diamonds, but for those mariners who don't know all the rules they have a sign that says "PASS THIS SIDE".

To find out more about ABC Wednesdays and see other participants' contributions go to the ABC Wednesdays' site or to see direct links to their own sites go here.

The Falie

Here is another shot of the Falie; see my original post here.

Roll-on/Roll-off terminal

Another relic of bygone days in Port Adelaide is this purpose built facility for the Troubridge; a vessel that provided an essential link for freight, vehicles and passengers to Kangaroo Island.

The Troubridge commenced service in 1961 and continued until 1987 when it was replaced by the Island Seaway which itself was withdrawn from service in 1995. Now the only sea link to Kangaroo Island is a ferry that runs from Cape Jervis, 107 km south of Adelaide.

Port River Dolphin Cruises

Want a bargain priced cruise? This company run 2 hour promotional cruises on Sundays and public holidays for $3.50. There are at least thirty dolphins living in the Port River so there is a strong chance you will see one.

The Falie

The Falie, built in Holland, began service in South Australia in 1923 as a coastal trading vessel. After retiring from service in 1982 she was bought by the SA Government and refurbished in time for the state's Jubilee 150 celebrations. She continued working as a tourist boat until 2005 when a marine survey found her unfit for service.

On a couple of occasions when I was teaching I took my class aboard for an exciting day's outing. It was both fun and educational; such a pity she has been retired.