Source to Sea - the Story of the Murray Riverboats
A Story of Passion and Love!
The Centenary of Federation's Source to Sea event in 2001 took more than three years to plan and three months to complete. It's one of the most memorable journeys ever undertaken down Australia's greatest river - the Murray - from its source in the Kosciusko high country to the sea at the Murray mouth town of Goolwa.
The documentary made about this journey is a story of passion and love - passion for old paddle steamers and the love of a river.
Australia has more original paddlesteamers than anywhere else does in the world. Never before had such a flotilla been assembled on the Murray River – hundreds of heritage and leisure craft, paddle steamers and riverboats, some more than 100 years old took part.
Produced by documentary maker Ian Doyle and directed by Paul Williams, Source to Sea - the Story of the Murray Riverboats includes memorable vision of many of the paddlesteamers that took part in this historic journey.
It also includes never before seen private family archival footage and historic photographs and celebrates the unique story of the Murray paddle steamers.
Source to Sea - the Story of the Murray Riverboats brings to life the colourful history of a number of the old riverboats and shows the dedication of an increasing number of 'passionately mad' wooden boat restorers.
"Compared to the stories of drovers, shearers and squatters, very little is known about the important role these boats played in the history of Australia. Things would have been much different had Lawson and Patterson written about the Murray and her riverboats as Mark Twain did about the Mississippi. It would have placed the Murray more in the centre of Australians consciousness. This documentary tells their story," said Ian Doyle.
Mark Middis edited the production and Chris Alderton recorded the location sound. The vision was beautifully shot by Walkley and Logie Award winning cameraman Wayne Harley. Frame Set and Match in Sydney and Wombat Studios in Adelaide completed the post-production.
Proceeds from the sale of Source to Sea - the Story of the Murray Riverboats in part support of the Royal Flying Doctor Service.
