Paynesville Maritime Museum

08/07/2026

What a great shame that Paynesville's 1935 Boxing Day Regatta was postponed on account of rain.

It was to be a wonderful event for the district. There was to be plenty of fun and entertainment with a programme of events including high speed motor racing, dinghy sailing, swimming races, rowing races, a tan tub race, sheath tossing etc. And the day was to finish off with a "Grand Ball " featuring music by the King Brothers orchestra .

The regatta was postponed a second time before the organisers decided that it would definitely go ahead, no matter what the weather, on Saturday 11 January 1936 .

The regatta committee President was A.J.Gilsenan, and he was ably supported by the Secretary boat-builder C.C.Neill.

The regatta committee as published in the Bairnsdale Advertiser reads like a Who's Who of the district ...

President : Cr. A. J. Gilsenan
Vice-Presidents : R. Simpson, J. G. Stanaway
Treasurer : J. F. Fleischer
Secretary : C. Neill
Assistant Secretary : O. D. Day
Judges : R. Simpson, W. Duffy, A. J. Gilsenan
Timekeepers : D. R. Brown. J. F. Fleischer
Children's Sports : J. G. Stanaway, C. Marsh, R. Medling, W. Ray, F. Haylock, Rev. R. M. Southey (secretary and handicapper)
Miscellaneous Events : F. Fleischer, F. C. Rosenbrock
Sheaf Tossing Officials : F. Fleischer, C. Marsh, R. Reside

General Committee: W. Marriott, F. Marriott, H. Thorpe, A. McLeod, J. Baker, J. Blake, K. Dahlsen, W. Dowe, C. Doherty, G. Ray, S. Morrison, F. Robinson, W. Bolleman, W. Duffy

08/07/2026

Help Wanted: When was the tree removed from in front of the Paynesville pub .. fishermen must have used the tree as a beacon to guide them in to the wharf .. did the tree get the axe in the early 1950s?

08/07/2026

Do you have any home movies or photographs taken in and around the lakes. Any movies or snapshots of Paynesville's many regattas? The museum is happy to help make back-up copies of your collection, helping to ensure that precious memories in the form of photographs and film are kept for future generations.

Here's a "home movie" from 1958. The title "1958 Paynesville Airport & Bruno" refers to the fact that there are 3 parts to the movie:

"Paynesville" Opens with a car heading along a stretch of road - is it the main road into Paynesville? Also there's rare footage of the fishermen's nets , and the ferry.

"Airport" unique footage of two planes arriving at Essendon airport - a deHavilland DH104 Dove and a deHavilland DH114 Heron. Both the planes were operated by Southern Airlines from about March 1958 until about October 1958 when the airline closed due to fierce competition from Ansett. Southern did service Gippsland.

"Bruno" a very cute long-haired dachshund, no doubt a loved family pet

The video was loaded onto youtube 2 years ago by Dave Robinson - thank you Dave .. and has had 22 views as of the time of this post 4pm 8 July 2026.

05/07/2026

The museum's next Open Day is scheduled for Sunday 12 July 2026 from 10am to 12pm .. we hope to see you there -

01/07/2026

Here's an interesting story of the S.S.Riverina .. Were pieces of the Riverina used to build other boats and where are they now? Please share your tales of the re-use of salvaged timbers.

BTW. Be sure to call in to Metung to see one of Riverina's lifeboats.

24/06/2026

Some news from the past ... a clipping from a newspaper published 14 February 2018 - a call for help to get the replica PS Curlip back in the water.

Note the teredo wormholes in the planking hanging from the hull.
An eye witness recalls seeing the disgusting mess of dead teredo worms hanging from the hull of the Curlip. There are about 20 different types of teredo and some may grow up to a meter long.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shipworm

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EAST GIPPSLAND NEWS WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2018 page 3

What's happening with Paddle Steamer Curlip?

Members of the Paddle Steamer Curlip committee are often asked this question. The answer is quite a lot, although it is not really obvious to the casual observer, or person, that makes the trip to Pay- nesville to find out.

The reproduction of a 1900s Snowy River paddle steamer was constructed by the Orbost community starting in 2002, and in 2016 members of the Gippsland Lakes boating community offered help to save the Curlip from falling into complete disrepair.

This culminated in the Curlip being relocated to the shore of the lake in Paynesville for repair after she made a triumphant trip from Marlo to Paynesville under her own steam.

The present members of the committee are committed not only to repair the vessel, which has had its bottom timbers ravaged by marine teredo worms while moored in the Brodribb River, but also to run her as a commercial charter vessel on the Gippsland Lakes, with all profits re-invested back into charities for the community benefit.

PS Curlip herself is in a very good state, being soundly constructed of quality East Gippsland hardwoods and having a relatively new steam power plant in strong operating condition. This is demonstrated by her journey through the ocean and the fact, there was no flex when lifted out of the water onto the hardstand. The only problem is that the bot tom planking is almost completely eaten out by marine teredo worms and has to be replaced. This will be done in exactly the same manner as she was constructed with carvel planking of Australian hardwood, sourced locally, from East Gippsland.

There have been, of course, a number of administrative responsibilities to deal with along the way and these have been dealt with but have taken time, but concurrently with this learning process, the members of the eight-strong committee have spent many Saturdays removing the damaged planking, which although worm damaged puts up a tremendous fight to stay on the stout frames to which it was vigorously attached, in the original building of the vessel.

More than half the planking has been removed and replacement timber has been ordered. These timbers will be reinstalled by qualified shipwrights, under the guidance of a naval architect and marine surveyor.

All this is of course contingent on sufficient funds being available and this is the major task facing members now. PS Curlip arrived with very little funds in the kitty, which was quickly consumed by the process of getting her to Paynesville.

A benefactor has offered a short-term loan in order to purchase the timber. Fundraising activities include a very successful trivia night and a recently drawn raffle. Further plans involve crowd funding and conducting a 'Black and Gold' fundraising gala night, before mid 2018. Planning for both events are in final planning.

Books and keyrings have been made from the damaged planks plus other PS Curlip merchandise is available at the Slip Road Paynesville worksite most weekends.

Work will continue on all these projects and with community support the committee can raise the finance required to have her bottom repaired and she will be good to go again.

If you can see your way clear to support Paddle Steamer Curlip in any way, contact the committee or visit the website, or just join in most Saturdays.
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19/06/2026

This short video explains a little about small boat design and uses.

BTW, the Mystic Seaport Museum, in Mystic, Connecticut, USA, is running its 34th Annual Wooden Boat Festival from 26-28 June 2026. https://mysticseaport.org/event-directory/woodenboat-show/

https://youtu.be/9qI0Zu7wdgg?si=gW2tgc6Qm1eE3tnT

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

18/06/2026

PSA - We've changed some of our display in the breezeway. We now have on show some of historian Don Love's posters with their brief stories of lost boats, lost lives and even a UFO "sighting"

Don Love is a published author, ship-wreck explorer, underwater photographer and museum supporter. Don researched shipwrecks along the eastern coast and made several mini-story boards which he donated to the Paynesville Maritime Museum in 2022.

Do yourself a favour - visit the Paynesville Library, read and/or borrow a book (or two), deposit some of your e-waste in the handy bin, say g'day to the great library staff and spend some time reading Don Love's stories - in the breezeway.

BTW, the little paddle steamer Tommy Norton had a big heart and was a great help in the early days of shipping on the lakes, helping boats to cross the bar. The modern day dredge keeping the entrance free of troublesome sand, the Tommy Norton, continues the work - helping to get boats across the bar.

Mayor Jodie Ashworth - East Gippsland Shire Council Gippsland Ports East Gippsland Shire Council Friends of Paynesville Library Inc

16/06/2026

PAYNESVILLE MARITIME MUSEUM need your help.

Volunteers are Wanted to Help Preserve Our Local History.

Do you have a few hours to spare each month?

The Paynesville Maritime Museum is looking for volunteers to help preserve and share the stories of our district. Whether you enjoy research, writing, photography, administration, or hands-on projects, there may be a role for you.

Opportunities Include:

📖 Researching family histories and local stories

📰 Exploring old newspapers using TROVE

⚓ Assisting with museum displays and exhibitions

📸 Photographing historic buildings and places

🗂 Developing historical databases and records

💻 Entering information into Victorian Collections

✍ Writing articles for the Advertiser

📧 Producing our monthly eBulletin

📚 Helping create museum journals and publications

📋 Bookkeeping and membership administration

💰 Assisting with grant applications and special projects

🏛 Helping welcome visitors on museum open days

No Experience Necessary - You don't need to be a maritime expert.

We welcome people with a wide range of interests and skills. Some roles can even be undertaken from home.

Every Volunteer Makes a Difference
Help preserve our heritage, learn something new, meet like-minded people, and contribute to projects that will benefit future generations.

Interested?

Contact the Paynesville Maritime Museum [email protected]

Or send PMM a message

Or better still, visit the museum on its next Open Day - Sunday 12 July between 10am and 12pm, you'll find us next to the AJ Gilsenan reserve off Raymond St..

Keeping the stories of the Gippsland Lakes alive.