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4.2 …A Dangerous Return to the Lakes….Uncle Matt’s early days on the Lakes…Uncle Matt’s Certificate of Competency…

                    …A Dangerous Return to the Lakes….

          “What are you thinking about young Garrath,” Uncle Matt the First Mate said.

        I was standing in the bows hanging on to a stay, because the Paddle Steamer was staring to plunge up a down and tilt from one side to the other as we cleared the entrance to Port Phillip then turned in an easterly direction towards Flinders and Wilsons Promontory.

        “Oh! about how much I am going to miss living in Richmond. There is a large population, Mr. Barraclough reckons about 16,000. With some factories building things, a big Town Hall, Policemen, the Cable Tram into Melbourne, footy and all that, and I have to go and live in the bush on the Lakes.”

        “Don’t worry about that yet! First we have to survive the big storm that’s coming. Anyway, I reckon we can find good employment for you.”

        “I suppose if it doesn’t work out I could get a job in the Camp run by the Painters I met at Mr. Barraclough’s house.”

        “Who were they?” said Matt.

        “Mr. Tom Roberts, Mr. Frederick McCubbin, and Mr. Louis Abrahams. They are Painters, and have set up an Artists camp at Box Hill, where struggling painters can go and live and just contribute to the costs to eat when they can.”

With that Uncle Matt had to rush away to prepare the Steamer to anchor off Flinders, and I had to report to the Steamers Engineer to help in chucking logs into the fire to keep the steam up.

The Steamer had been rolling about something terrible, with the wind and sea’s coming from behind on a westerly heading. The Captain had told everyone we would have to take shelter in Westernport, in the lee of Flinders. It had been a reasonably good trip from Port Melbourne, to the entrance of Port Phillip Bay. The Steamer pitched too much as soon as we hit the open sea. The Captain said we would make our way into Westernport and see if we could anchor off Flinders or Cowes.

Going down Port Phillip, we had even seen the Victorian Naval vessel Cerberus. It come charging over to inspect us.

 

 

 

They even made our Captain show some paper work proving the Steamship was Victorian. During the time we had been hove too, close to the vessel both Captains had a yarn while the Officers looked at the paper work. Our Captain later told me he had learnt that the Naval Vessel was the Second warship ever to steam down the length of the newly built Suez Canal. That happened in the month I was born.

             H.M. Victorian Naval Defense Vessel Cerberus

The anchorage proved not to be good during the night. I just dropped my duffel bag on the deck of Uncle Matt’s cabin, and pulled a blanket over myself. Uncle Matt was up all night on watch. Just as well, because his cabin was so small. Just a bed width, and length with a door. The bed was built half way up the cabin wall, with a closed in cupboard underneath, and several hooks on the other wall to hang clothes on.

Anyway, the next morning the Captain announced that he was going to go out through the eastern entrance of Westernport, and go past Cape Patterson and Cape Liptrap and then inside the Glennie Group of islands between Wilsons Promontory, then up and anchor in Sealers Cove. But if the weather kept deteriorating he would chance going into the Lakes Entrance, he had to be there 1 hour before High Tide, to reduce the risk of running aground. The tide here was exactly 3 hours 24 minutes behind the Port Phillip entrance. He also announced that the wind strengths and direction can increase or decrease the depth of water in the entrance.

This was the time of the year when the weather, and tides, could silt up the Lakes Entrance at the Eastern end of Reeve’s lake, and make it impassable for several months. So we had to get inside.

Oh no! miles away from the entrance we could all see where a disaster had happened, at the Entrance. The surf just crashed onto the beach surrounding the entrance, and the remains of a Schooners masts were still there. People were on the beach area watching…

The masts of the wrecked”Rosedale”,  natural entrance to the Lakes.

The Captain navigated the entrance with great skill. As soon as we got inside the entrance a little way, we tied up at a small wharf, and a small Paddle Steamer Tug, came up to see if we wanted supplies, and also to give our Captain his orders from the Steamer Company.

  My Uncle started a conversation up with 2 deck hands on the Paddle, they looked similar to each other. He pointed them out to me “That’s Chris, and that’s Tristan, I grew up with them.” Then he pointed to me, and shouted to them, “See this is Garrath returning home.”

                                   Inside and safe.

It appeared that our Paddle Steamer was to go all along the Lake system. Through the Reeve Channel, into Lake King, through Lake Victoria, past Holland’s Landing, through McLennan’s Strait, over to the Port of Redcliff, on the Avon River. It would probably take about 3 hours careful Steaming. The Steamer was then to load timber for a return trip to Melbourne. I wondered how the Steamer would get out again.

Near the Port of Redcliffs on the Avon River.

On the way back to Melbourne, the Steamer was to go back to Lake King and go up through the silt jetties of the Mitchell River and dock at Bairnsdale Port to unload cargo.

                  Port of Bairnsdale.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

….Uncle Matt’s early days on the Lakes…

“So you want to hear a bit more about me growing up in the early days of trade on the Lakes?” Uncle Matt said prodding the small fire.

We were sitting on the bank of the Thompson River just 3 miles downstream from Sale. Our fish nets in the river. Maybe we could catch and roast some fish.

        Confluence of the Latrobe and Thomson Rivers.

“Well if you look just over there, that was where your Dad, Malcolm Duncan, when he was 16 years old, used to keep a fire going to create steam so that other men could bend timber for the Paddle Steamer Enterprise while it was being built.”

“ I wondered why there were strange shapes amongst the bush trees.”

“ Your Dad’s father James Duncan owned a local Timber Mill. The American man Philip McArdell and several of his friends wanted to build a small 32 foot Paddle Steamer to run all over the Lakes and rivers carrying passengers and cargo. So they used some of your Grandfathers timber.

Building a Steamer. Engine and Boilers made in Paynesville?

“Anyway your Father, Malcom was 16 years old and he started his interest in boat’s right here. I had too get his lunch and tea from Mum and deliver it to your Dad. He used to go crook if I was late.”

        “But when did you start working on Steamers?”

“Hang on a bit, I haven’t finished that previous story. While the Steamer was being built the Government started, and finished building a road bridge over the Thompson River against all objections. This meant the Steamer could not go down the river to trade.”

“Luckily after 11 months, big torrential rains came and flooding occurred in most of Gippsland. A small channel was cut and the Steamer was able to be floated on the flooded plain, around to the Bridge.

“That must have been a relief for its Owners,” I said..

“The P.S. Enterprise then started carrying flour and other supplies to the Gold Diggings, and back loading posts, rails, shingles, flooring boards and the like from Mr. McArdell’s Timber Mill.”

Going up the Tambo. Delivering stores, & immigrants chasing gold

  Mr. McArdell was finally given 1600 pounds compensation by the Government. In turn he was fined 1 shilling for damaging the banks of the River Thompson.”

“But how did you get started working on Steamers,” I asked again.

        “Hang on a bit, there was another flood called the Great Flood that had an important impact on all of Gippsland. Let’s check the nets first.”

Nothing!

“You know another Steamer was built roughly in this spot, called The Latrobe Port. It was called Tanjil Number 2, after the first one burnt down. Just up from the Swing Bridge and the 2 Hotels that you can see. However I don’t think you want to hear about that.”

 

   

The Tanjil “2” at Latrobe Wharf, just down from the Swing Bridge.

     

                        The Swing Bridge in operation.

        He was right! I was getting bored already!

        “What you have to realise, is that an enormous flood season occurred in 1863 when I was a 16 year old. It suddenly gouged out an enormous channel at the Lakes entrance.”

        “Well the Entrance we use has its variable depths, that make it unpredictable for use. When the Big Flood came and created a bigger and deeper entrance it coincided with a greater demand for stores for the Goldfields, meaning that Trade in and around the Lakes and other Ports like Melbourne, Adelaide, Sydney and the Islands in the Bass Strait became possible and desirable. Meaning more boats, meant more work.”

“The Gippsland Lakes Navigation Company even sent Captain Patrick over to live in Glasgow, where a special Paddle Steamer was to be built. It was to be shallow, and have reversible independent Paddles so that it could skew around in the shallows. It was called The Murray. 228 Tons, 11 knots, Cabin accommodation for 20, and accommodation for another 50 Steerage passengers and the Captain sailed it from Scotland out to these Lakes. How about that hey?

“The Lady of the Lakes”, rendering assistance at the original Entrance.

“Hmm, pretty good!” I replied.

“I remember the Avon being built for the Port Albert trade, the Paynesville, built for The Lakes but too slow, and the Nell purchased in Sydney for use as a Tug at Marlo, and to take maize from the Lakes to Melbourne. Hmmm….”

        “By the way, you do know that a Government plan is being worked on to dig another Lake Entrance closer to Cunninghame don’t you?”

        “No, what’s that all about. “What’s that got to do with another Entrance.”

        “Well to enable the trading to continue year round the Government is thinking about cutting a bigger, deeper, Artificial entrance that could be kept open at all times. Then it can claim more Government tax.”

 

  

          The Artificial Entrance drawings- used at a later date.

        “What’s Government tax?”

        “That’s a big issue. Just think that the Government has to provide some services or items for our people. How it gets its money is taking money from people who have money.”

“Hmm,” I replied. Not really understanding.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

          ….Uncle Matt’s “Certificate of Competency”….

        By this time I was really bored, so Uncle Matt suggested we walk back to the paddle Steamer ties up to the Latrobe Wharf.

        “Your Dad started as a boy seaman on the P.S. Endeavour, owned by McArdell. He tried to get me a job, but I was too young. Anyway a Mr. Nehemiah Guthridge who had been in the Victorian Legislative Assembly but went broke putting money into the Railway from Geelong to Ballarat, settled in Sale where he ran a Hardware business and became Mayor.”

        “Is that why the Lakes just up there is called Lake Guthridge.?” I asked.

        “Yes. Anyway he started building and buying Steamers, with other investors to take advantage of all the Trading possibilities in the area. Remember the Roads in those days were just boggy tracks. Anyway he allowed me to get a job on some of some of his boats.”

        “At this time your Dad, made it clear to everyone that he was going to become a Merchant Captain and sail all over the world. I didn’t want that. So I just worked hard for Skippers. Captain William Williams on the Lady of the Lake, Captain Darby on the Charles Edward, Captain Lapthorne on the Sampson. During my time lots of owners have been around. Also several companies like The Gutheridge Shipping Company, Gippsland Lakes Navigation Company then later the Gippsland Steam Navigation Company, were around..

        “You have seen a lot of boats Uncle Matt, did you see any wrecks.”

 

    Certificate for Victorian lakes and Rivers.

        “Yes, I have seen quite a few wrecks, here on the Lakes, or its Entrance.”

  

                                   Wreck of The Latrobe.

        “Mind you, a lot have been wrecked in the ocean approaches, from ships going to Sydney or Melbourne, either rounding Wilsons Prom or aiming for Point Hicks. The Entrance wrecks were either from shifting conditions, and the Ocean wrecks were mostly due to foul weather.”

        “One of my favorite Paddle Steamers was the little Tommy Norton that was used as a Tug to assist Boats at the Entrance. It was wrecked in 1877.

       

              Tommy Norton, towing a Schooner across the Bar.

I also spent some time away from being on the Steamers, working in Timber Mills, and other jobs. So I had a very long Seaman Apprenticeship”

“ On the day that we left Richmond did you know that I had earlier visited the Home of Nehemiah Guthridge in Emerald Hill, just to see his wife, and ask if I could help her. Mr. Gutheridge passed away in Emerald Hill in 1878, and I will always be grateful for his help.”

“ I have undertaken the testing and I now have my Certificate of Competency, issued by The Victorian Board, as a Master of Lakes and Rivers.”

“I can now command a Steamer. That why now that the Railway is at Sale, more and more Steamer work will be available.”

A small but important early Lakes “Port.” at Cunninghame.



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