Since the Pride of the Murray was raised from the Thomson river where she sank in March 2022, Richard Kinnon has been determined to preserve her.
Unfortunately it was not practical to get her back on the water cruising again but she will have another role on the riverbank.
This is why it’s so important to help preserve her:
1. She’s an Australian icon
She has become an Australian icon, loved not just in Queensland but in her home state of Victoria where she worked and cruised from Echuca for decades. She holds important memories for thousands of people.
2. 100 years of history is worth saving
Her 100-year history makes her an ideal place to tell the fascinating stories of pioneer riverboats and their role in transport and connecting remote communities.
3. She’s a natural for the wool story
Her origin as a wool transporter is a great fit for Longreach, which was once the ‘Wool Capital of the World’. She is an important part of Australia’s wool story.
4. Our children and grandchildren will thank us
Future generations can be inspired and educated by the stories she can tell. We owe it to them to pass on important cultural and historical items where we can.
5 The outback relies on tourism
She will be an important attraction for Longreach, helping to boost outback tourism and the local economy, not just for our town but for the many towns people drive through on outback road trips.
6. She enhances the outback pioneering destination
She perfectly complements the Outback Pioneers Cobb & Co Stagecoach Experience, The Staging Post accommodation, The Station Store and other heritage buildings in town in telling the story of pioneer life in the outback. Longreach continues to develop as THE destination in Queensland to be immersed in the outback pioneering story.
7. She’s an iconic landmark for Longreach
She’s an iconic landmark for Longreach. Approaching from the air, she can be seen sitting majestically at the river’s edge. She has a place alongside the iconic planes of Qantas Founders Museum as a symbol of how vital transport connection was, and still is, to our remote regions.
8. She's a beautiful old lady
Everyone who has worked around her has felt a certain spirit about her and, when restored and repainted, she will give visitors a rich experience of the past, transporting them back in time to a slower, more graceful era.
9. If we can’t save her together, who will?
Small family companies alone can’t fund the restoration of major heritage artefacts. We can keep them maintained and self-supporting once they are in operation but we ask the community to do what they can to help support the restoration work for this important paddlewheeler.
