PS ‘Ethel Jackson’ packed with Cargo of Wool c 1880
The 159 tonne paddle steamer, PS ‘Ethel Jackson’, was built in 1876, by William Wilson of Echuca for McCulloch & Co. She was designed as a cargo steamer, of composite construction (being a hull of iron or steel ribbing, lined with wooden planking), clocking in at a length of 115 ft (35 m). The PS ‘Ethel Jackson’ was powered by a massive 62 horsepower engine. She was the largest boat on the Murray River and the flagship of her owners.
She entered the Gippsland Lakes trade in the March of 1885.
On December 23rd 1885, she was recorded in an article published in the Gippsland Times reporting on The Vice Regal Visit to Gippsland.
Daily Standard Brisbane – 2 Oct 1913
PS ‘Ethel Jackson’ towing a Barge – both packed with Cargo of Wool c 1880
The PS ‘Ethel Jackson’ was sold to Scott & Young of Melbourne in 1905 – converted to hulk in Townsville c 1913 and sadly, after some 42 years of service, was scrapped c 1918 . . .
View other important events in the history of Gippsland’s Steamers . . .
