Cadell

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BRIEF FACTS

	Captain Francis Cadell (1822-1879)
	Born 9 February 1822 Cockenzie, Scotland.
	Died 1879 - murdered.
	Early navigator of the Murray River.
	Captain Francis Cadell is honoured in Swan Hill as a person who saw the Murray River becoming the Highway of the Inland, with paddle steamers carrying  supplies to out-back stations and returning to the sea-board with freight of wheat and wool.

Francis Cadell arrived in Adelaide,  Colony of South Australia in 1848. He made his way to Lake Alexandrina, which the Murray River enters before it empties into Encounter Bay, Southern Ocean. Cadell came up with the idea of steamboats navigating the Murray, transporting stores/provisions to the outback and returning with other produce back to the cities and ports. Cadell placed his idea before Sir Henry Young, Governor of the Colony of South Australia. In 1850 the South Australian Legislative Council offered 2,000 pounds to the first two iron steamers to navigate the Murray River. Cadell travelled from Melbourne overland to Swan Hill in 1851. Here, he built a boat out of saplings and canvas (21' 6'' [6m 45cm] long by 3' 8'' [1m 10cm] wide) and sailed it from Swan Hill to Goolwa to prove his idea that the river could be used as a means of transport. The journey took him 21 days. 

Cadell then placed an order for a steamer, of his design, to be built in Sydney . It was launched on the 24th of March, 1853 and named the P.S Lady Augusta, after the wife of the Governor of the Colony of South Australia. The P.S. Lady Augusta arrived at Goolwa, Colony of South Australia on the 16th of August 1853. On the evening of the 25th of August, the Lady Augusta with the barge 'Eureka' in tow, departed Goolwa for the junction of the Darling River. Captain Cadell had two aims. One was to reach and enter the Darling River, the other was to transport wool for the squatters up-stream. On achieving this the South Australian Government was to pay him the 2,000 pounds. 

Cadell believed he had the first steamer on the inland waters. This honour actually belonged to Randell, but, Cadell was the first Riverboat Captain to reach Swan Hill on  the 17th September,1853 - approximately four hours ahead of the P.S. Mary Ann. He was also the first director of the River Murray Navigation Company when it was formed.

To commemorate the first river voyage of the P.S. Lady Augusta, three gold medals were struck. Cadell received one of these for this voyage and because he had taken with him the Governor of the Colony of South Australia and many journalists. The economic benefits to the Colony of South Australia had been recognised. The Governor received a gold medal and the government kept one. All three gold medals are now lost. The government medal was place in the Art Gallery of South Australia, but was stolen in 1914.

Original Gold Medal

2003 Commemorative Medal.