Marine Life Society of
South Australia Inc.
Newsletter
February 2008 No. 351
“understanding,
enjoying & caring for our oceans”
Next Meeting
The next General Meeting will be held in
February on Tuesday the 19th.
PLEASE NOTE THE NEW DAY FOR FEBRUARY AND MARCH ONLY. This will be
the first meeting of 2008 and we hope for a splendid turnout.
This will be held at the Adventure Blue
clubrooms on the Patawalonga frontage at 7.30pm. PLEASE NOTE THE NEW PLACE.
Our speaker will be Peter Christopher who will be speaking on the historic clipper ship the City of Adelaide.
PLEASE NOTE THE NEW MEETING DAY AND PLACE
CONTENTS
‘Of Rocky Reefs, Headlands and Rock Flatheads’ (David Muirhead)
The
P.V. Akuna Amphibious (Steve Reynolds)
Please note this Newsletter is shorter than usual and is only 12 pages long
in the hard copy, not the usual 16. This is because of a lack of suitable
articles from members and as this is YOUR Newsletter we prefer whenever
possible to publish articles generated by our members.
A lot of information could be published but much is either out of
date/published elsewhere/or has already been sent to you by the time we print
this Newsletter.
Please assist me in the coming months to create a full length Newsletter by
sending in articles.
‘Of Rocky Reefs, Headlands , and Rock Flatheads’
by David Muirhead
This living rock
did indeed have a head, but not as flat as many of its mates.
And what
with the large and not very streamlined spiky eye and opercular bits,
weird-looking tube-like or noodle-like multicoloured dorsal fin
spines and other appendages and adornments, coupled with
the seemingly haphazard light and dark head body and fin
markings manifesting as spots blotches lines and bands, at first
glance I found it hard to decide whether I was looking at a very spiky and
almost deformed or diseased flathead versus some sort of unusually
low-profile gurnard or other member of the scorpionfish family.
Rock Flathead - Thysanophrys
cirronasus
Where?: Carrickalinga Beach: the nice reef out from the elevated
wooden access walkway by the toilet block, well-known as a good
shore dive.
When?: recently.
Why?: have camera will dive. (And to prove yet again that
my ankle is no longer busted)
Conditions:
fairly average with a surgy swell and viz of about 8 m at best but as
little as 3 m close inshore.
I think it’s worth while writing this little snippet to
direct fellow divers’ attention to yet another supposedly fairly common
but in my experience seldom seen highly cryptic local critter. This is an
excellent larger example of the sort of fish you will only have much
chance of noticing if you are having a careful look at everything on the
bottom, especially amongst the more boring low-lying substrate lying
between the more interesting ledges and larger rocky outcrops
(consisting in this case of low profile rock, rubble, sand
and scanty algae).
I’ve only
seen this flathead species a few times in my diving memory, and this
was the first dive where I had the luxury of unhurried close observation as
well as being the first time I’ve been able to get photographs of a rock
flathead Thysanophrys cirronasus.
Dorsal fin
detail
The reference
books indicate that this is really quite a small species as flatheads go, and
is not surprisingly usually found in or near rocky areas such as inshore
reefs, but I can tell you that of the flathead species I’ve seen here
in South Australia the rock flathead is definitely the most appealing to
the human eye because of its highly developed site-specific cryptic appearance.
Despite
the limited visibility and surgy conditions making it hard to get good
photographs my images still seem to convey what this fish is all
about. If you don’t agree please look at the images showing detail of the
spinous dorsal fin, quite fantastic really. Indeed if I could just indulge my
poetic licence, as is my want, after one of two drinks, one can even
see subtle nuances of anglerfish, weedfish, velvet fish and suchlike
southern temperate marine masters of disguise!
Dear readers,
yes I know that I again risk losing you if I continue, so enough said
but for your own entertainment sake do please keep a lookout for this
very colourful and ‘ugly-cute’ little flathead , representing as it also
does yet another unique local fish endemic to southern Australia.
Is there
anything like it amongst its tropical reef cousins? Don’t know and don’t
care.... as if you lot didn’t already know, I’m totally hooked till
death us do part on our very own and very magical southern temperate
marine biodiversity!
by Steve Reynolds
I
first became interested in a riverboat called the Amphibious whilst I
was researching the Decoy for my article titled “More On
Former River Boats In SA Waters” (MLSSA Newsletter October 2006,
No.337). The information that I have managed to gather about her since then is
detailed below: -
In
1875, the Britannia Ironworks in Melbourne, Victoria built a 49-ton, 60’-long
iron-hulled twin-screw steamer, which was to be called the Amphibious.
She was intended for trading on both the River Murray and the Murrumbidgee River. Her design was ‘experimental’ in that
the top halves of her propeller were above the water for times of low water in
the rivers. She was launched in Victoria’s Yarra
River before steaming from Melbourne to Goolwa in June 1876 for a trip upriver
to Wagga Wagga on the Murrumbidgee River. That involved her negotiating the
Murray Mouth. Going through the Murray Mouth was not uncommon back then, before
the Goolwa barrages were built.
She
became registered in Port Adelaide in 1877. She was acquired by Richard Fricker in 1904 and converted into a ketch. She was
lengthened to 75’ and had her hull timbered over to apparently become a 40-ton
composite vessel. Her engines were removed and masts were fitted to her for
rigging as a ketch.
She
later came under the joint ownership of Richard Fricker
and Albert (aka ‘Skug’) Cutler*.
*
(See my article titled “More On Former River Boats In
SA Waters” (MLSSA Newsletter October 2006, No.337).
By
1956, motor engines were installed once more and she was fitted with
twin-screws again. Two kerosene engines powered her. In 1959, Roy Bascombe bought her for use as an excursion vessel on the
Port Adelaide River. He converted her into a showboat by enclosing the deck and
fitting a dance floor. She began a regular programme of three-hour pleasure
trips along the Port River to Outer Harbor in September 1959.
She
continued as a showboat in this manner until she was replaced by the Lady
Chelmsford in 1971. She later featured in movies such as Peter Weir's 1981
film “Gallipoli” and the TV mini-series “The River Kings”. Whilst laid up in
the Port Adelaide Canal at some stage, she sank at her moorings and remained
submerged for some months. When she was eventually raised, she was sold to
cover the salvage costs. At some stage, a Mr R.Bromhead
became her owner and returned her to the River Murray.
Dick
and Wendy, the present owners of the Decoy, told me around 2006 that it
was the Amphibious that towed the Decoy down river from Paringa
(near Renmark to the Mannum Boat Haven, where she was to become the family
home, in 1984.
In
1999, Peter Teakle became the new owner of the Amphibious
and renamed her PV Akuna Amphibious after his Akuna Station (where she
was located at that time) - ‘PV’ meaning ‘Paddle Vessel’, as opposed to ‘PS’
for ‘Paddle Steamer’.
Akuna
Station is located on the River Murray, between Kingston-on-Murray and Waikerie. ‘Akuna’ is believed to be Aboriginal for ‘running
water’. (‘Amphibious’, of course, means ‘living both on land and water’,
etc...)
Akuna
Station was established during the 19th century as a fording station
for stock crossing the river. It was also a Cobb & Co. coach stop and
postal depot.
Source:
http://www.murrayriver.com.au/members-club/riverboats/akuna.htm
The Akuna
Amphibious is said to have participated in the “Mildura Celebrations”
from 1st to 2nd September 2001. She was there with the Oscar
W to help to ferry people from the smaller boat mooring area to the main
area (and return).
The Akuna
Amphibious was also present on the Wentworth riverfront in July 2004 for
the recommissioning ceremony of the Ruby following
her restoration.
A
Riverland tourism operator called Don Workman died at Christmas 2006 when his
1940s single-engine Auster J5 light plane hit
powerlines and nose-dived into the ground moments after taking off in
south-west Victoria. As the Akuna Station manager, he had often skippered the Akuna
Amphibious. Mr Workman was the only occupant of the plane which he flew
most days. It had been built in 1947 but was fully restored. Workman's funeral
was held on the lawns overlooking the river and the cliffs alongside where the Akuna
Amphibious was moored at the wharf. His coffin was then carried aboard the
teak and redgum paddleboat, which then drifted
downstream.
The Akuna
Amphibious is now described as a 72-tonne displacement side-wheeler whose
dimensions are said to be 78’ long, 16’ beam (35’ across her paddle boxes) and
2’6” draught (23.4m x 4.9m x 1.7m). She is now apparently powered by a rebuilt
“120hp 6354 Perkins diesel engine into a Paragon marine gearbox into Cat D4
dozer diff. electronic clutches and brakes”.
Her
accommodation is said to comprise of the Captain’s State-room and two guests’
bedrooms. She is completely fitted out with all the required luxuries,
including private toilets and bathroom.
Source:
http://www.boat-brokers.com.au/AUCT/b_57/b_57.html
The Akuna
Amphibious is said to be the second oldest paddleboat in Australia. She has
featured on Channel 9’s “Postcards” program a couple of times. A couple of
great photos of her can be seen at: http://www.smashn.com/index.html
(http://www.smashn.com/gallery.php?do=individual&photo_id=10000537
and
http://www.smashn.com/gallery.php?do=individual&photo_id=10000550
).
The
same two photos can also be seen at:
http://www.rivermurrayphotos.com/search.php?action=search&keyword=paddlesteamers
.
More
photos can be seen at:
http://www.theultimatetodolist.com.au/view/165/akuna-station
. You may be able to find more details and photos by doing a more exhaustive
search on the Internet.
At the time of
writing, the Akuna Amphibious is/was being offered for sale. Details can
be viewed at:
http://www.boat-brokers.com.au/AUCT/b_57/b_57.html
.