Emmylou

The P.S. Emmylou is a Murray River paddlesteamer, driven by a completely restored 1906 steam engine, and built to the highest world classification standards. She was built locally during 1980-82 in the style of the 19th century paddleboats, and is perfectly at home in the Port of Echuca, residing with the very few remaining paddlesteamers of the past. She is 30 metres long and 10 metres wide, steel hulled and timber decked.

The Emmylou is in fact the only wood-fired paddlesteamer in the world offering regular overnight cruising. Fuelled by redgum logs and named after US country and western singer Emmylou Harris, the paddlesteamer offers modern convenience and some old-world charm.

It's the senses that engage you the moment you go aboard: you can smell the warm oil of the engine, feel the heat as the engineer stokes the boiler with redgum logs, climb up to the wheelhouse to chat to the skipper, or just sit and gaze at the changing reflections in the water and let the lilting rhythm and swish of the paddlewheels, the nostalgic hooting of the whistle, and the distant croaking of frogs conjure up the leisurely pace of bygone days.