The Australian Twin Steamer “Bunyip”

Scarce, c.19th hand coloured engraving one of the most innovative river steamers constructed in colonial Australia.

Designed by Captain William Richard Randell, the Bunyip was built specifically for navigation of the Murray River system, where shallow water, shifting sandbars and narrow channels demanded vessels of light draught and exceptional manoeuvrability. Launched in 1858 at Mannum, South Australia, the Bunyip was a development of Randell’s earlier experimental twin-hulled steamer Gemini. Rather than employing a conventional single hull, the vessel comprised two long, narrow hulls joined by a common deck, with a large paddle wheel mounted centrally between them. This catamaran-like arrangement combined the stability of a broad beam with the shallow draught of two slender hulls, allowing the vessel to carry substantial cargo while operating in water often too shallow for ordinary paddle steamers. Contemporary reports note that the design gave the vessel an excellent rate of speed and proved highly successful on the Murray.

The Illustrated London News described the Bunyip as representative of “a class of vessels now becoming general on the Murray and other rivers in South Australia.” It observed that the steamer had recently entered service carrying passengers and merchandise between Adelaide and settlements connected with the Murray trade, and that its performance had been “giving the greatest satisfaction.”

The Bunyip formed part of the pioneering fleet that opened the Murray-Darling river system to regular steam navigation during the late 1850s. These vessels transformed inland transport by providing a reliable means of carrying wool, produce and passengers between remote pastoral districts and the port of Goolwa, from where goods could be shipped to Adelaide. Randell’s innovative steamers played a major role in establishing the Murray as one of Australia’s principal commercial highways before the expansion of the railway network.

From the original edition of the Illustrated London News.

Collections:
National Library Australia: Bib ID 759241
State Library New South Wales: RECORD IDENTIFIER 74Vv5Oy4wEgl
State Library Victoria: YA 059.42 IL6 1845-1873
State Library Queensland: Record number 51209384670002061