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6 - Commerce and the Steamboat(Part 3)
Enterprises Down UnderAustralia has a rich maritime heritage, and the name Enterprise is an important part of that heritage. Perhaps the most historically significant Australian Enterprise was a 54-foot square-rigged schooner that was built by John Pascoe Fawkner in 1829 at Hobart on the southern side of the island of Tasmania. Around August 23, 1835, the Enterprize (spelled with a "z") sailed from Launceston, on the northern side of Tasmania, carrying John Lancey, George Evans, William Jackson, Robert Marr, five servants, and supplies that included 300 sheep. On August 30th, the Enterprize tied up on the north bank of the Yarra River on Australia proper, depositing the party that would become the first European settlement at what is today the city of Melbourne, Australia.
In 1989, Melbourne businessman Hedley Elliott came up with the idea of constructing a replica of the 1835 Enterprize. With contributions from all sectors of the local community, $2.5 million was raised, and the schooner was built by shipwright Erik Erikkson during the 6-year period of 1991 to 1997. The new Enterprize was launched on August 30, 1997, the 162nd anniversary of the original landing at Yarra River, and the following year she re-enacted the original voyage from Tasmania to Melbourne. Today, the schooner Enterprize is homeported at Williamstown (near Melbourne) and is available for charter cruises around Port Phillip Bay.
The paddle steamer Enterprise was built at Echuca on the Murray River in 1878 and joined a fleet of more than 300 riverboats that sailed the Murray, Darling, and Murrumbidgee Rivers (in New South Wales) in a thriving and competitive trade. Under the command of William Leitch Keir (the builder's son) the Enterprise towed barges loaded with wool from sheep stations for sale in the cities and, on the return trips, towed mixed cargoes of provisions that included tools, flour, tea, and liquor to the sheep stations, timber camps, and settlements along the rivers. In 1919, August Creager purchased the Enterprise and used it as a fishing boat and his family home until the steamer was again sold in 1944. The new owners also used it as a houseboat and pleasure steamer, which helped to ensure it's continued survival. In 1984, the Enterprise was purchased by the National Museum of Australia and went through an extensive restoration process. Four years later, the Enterprise was recommissioned on Lake Burley Griffin and is today a working exhibit that provides visitors with first hand experiences of Australia's unique and colorful riverboat heritage.
There have been many other Australian sailing vessels named Enterprise, some of which are listed in Appendix A. But one that survived the years is a 2-masted schooner that today serves as a tourist attraction at Bicheno on the island of Tasmania. She was originally built in 1902 and owned by wood merchants at Hobart, Tasmania.
[EDITOR'S NOTE: I want to give special thanks to Mr. Andrew Mangno, a volunteer at the South Australian Maritime Museum in Port Adelaide, South Australia, who provided all of the wonderful information and photos presented here about the Enterprises Down Under.]
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1996-2008 Arnold E.
van Beverhoudt, Jr.
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