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PS Rodney
The PS Rodney was built in Echuca in 1875 by Thomas McDonald. PS Rodney was 106 feet long (32.3 m), 21 foot wide (6.4 m), and had a depth of 7 feet (2.1m). The steam engine was a horizontal direct acting 2 cylinder of 70 horse power built in Melbourne by Robinson Brothers. At the time she was boarded and burned in 1894 PS Rodney was owned by Permewan, Wright Company  Ltd.

PS Rodney had an iron framed hull which was planked with River Red Gum. She had a single deck, cabin and upper saloon and was said to be worth 3000 pounds

Burning of the Rodney
In late August 1894 PS Rodney passed through Mildura towing a barge full of goods as well as 45 non union shearers headed for work at Tolarno Station. Rodney’s captain was Jimmy Dickson. He was warned by other boat captains to expect trouble as he went further up the Darling River. (1/9/94 Cultivator article)

Dickson took on fuel and moored in a swamp opposite Polia Station overnight on the 26 August. In the early hours of the morning a group of masked/disguised men boarded the Rodney – they roughed up the captain and the barge was set adrift. There were bags of chaff on the boat which was set alight with the supplies of kerosene. The burning boat floated down the river and eventually burnt to the waterline.

The news spread quickly and a one hundred pound reward was offered by the NSW government and the boat owners for information leading to the arrest of the offenders. (1/9/94 Cultivator article)The shipwreck of the Rodney can be found on the southern bank of the Darling River on Polia Station north of Pooncarie. What remains is the hull structure of the boat – an iron frame and remaining timbers that show evidence of being burnt.(ref) Nuttley, David and Tim Smith (2003) DarlingRiver, NSW maritime archaeological survey 26-30 July 2002 August 2003 (NSWHeritage Office / Paramatta NSW)

An 1895 (2/3/1895) edition of the Mildura Cultivator reported that the Nile (italics) had passed through Mildura laden with the salvage from the Rodney. The boiler, most of the machinery as well as tools and miscellaneous iron work was raised. (ref)online

Centenary celebration
A crowd estimated at 700 attended the site on Polia Station for a re-enactment of the burning of the Rodney on 20 August 1994. There was a replica which was doused in kerosene and set alight. It was organised by the Pooncarie & District Development Association and the Rivers and Riverboat Historical and Preservation Society.

Archaeological Survey
In 2000 the NSW Heritage office undertook an archaeological survey of the shipwreck and concluded it was significant according to a number of criteria and worth considering for listing on the heritage register. ...”site is significant as a physical marker to a violent episode in the Shearer’s Strikes of the 1890s... the remains provide a tangible link to this colourful era of riverboat activity. (ref -  Page 30 archaeological survey).

The shipwreck site of the PS Rodney was listed on the NSW State Heritage Register in 2008. ref (sunraysiaDaily 21/1/2008 p.4)