Crossing History
The Murray River at Barmah was easily crossed in dry weather and became a recognised crossing point. A ferry was put in operation prior to the town of Barmah being surveyed in 1866. It was popular as a loading place for wool from neighbouring sheep stations and as a small boat centre.
The original punt was replaced in 1870 when James Maloney, who had previously operated the Campaspe Punt in Echuca, gained the licence operate the ferry at the crossing. The new Punt was believed to be able carry 40 tons and was propelled by a revolving drum on steel cables with an engine house and engine added in 1922.
The New South Wales Department of Main Roads took over the Punt operation and had this punt built in Euston (NSW) and towed by steamer to Barmah. It remained in place until 1966, when the ferry crossing became redundant with the construction of a road bridge.
The Punt
The Barmah Punt is a timber structure consisting of a pontoon base with an attached engine house counterweighted by timber box filled with concrete. The pontoon has a high whale-back form and is constructed of thick hardwood longitudinal planks over hardwood timber joists. The pontoon structure is braced and stiffened by steel cables over high timber posts. The side rails are constructed of timber post and rail. Timber gates are located at each end of the deck and were closed to secure the ends of the punt during crossing.
The punt ran along a guide cable on the upstream side and a drive cable on the downstream side. The cables were anchored to each bank. The concrete base of the drive side anchor point is still visible on the Victorian bank and the anchor points are clearly visible on each bank. The Victorian side remains in use as a boat ramp.
Historical Significance
This punt is an example of a cable punt ferry crossing over the Murray River. Punt ferries were once the most common form of deep river crossing in the colonies. Important crossings became the location of settlements and most eventually were replaced with bridges. There remains two ferry crossings on the Murray River between New South Wales and Victoria, (Speewa and Wyma) but both of these use punts are of later construction.
The Barmah Punt is of historical significance for its role in facilitating intercolonial trade and communication between New South Wales and Victoria.
The Barmah Punt is of historical significance as an intact example of an early motorised timber cable punt. Early cable punts were operated by hand, with the introduction of motors only occurring in the early twentieth century. These early motorised punts maintained the form of the early hand operated punts. The Barmah Punt is of this type and illustrates both the form of punts that regularly crossed the colony's rivers in the nineteenth century and their later developments. The setting of the punt with its extant anchor point and road approach provides the context to fully appreciate to operation of such a ferry crossing.
Update:
May 2017- the Victorian Government granted $200,000 for conservation and repair. Moira Shire Council will contribute $29,000.
2017 - the punt remains suffered fire damage that was suspected as being deliberately lit.
2019 the burnt out punt has been restored and officially reopened.
The Cache:
The posted coordinates will take you to the now restored Barmah Punt. There are several signs behind fencing around the Punt. Take a stroll and find the numeric answers to these questions.
1. Mr O'Neill accidentally put his vehicle in reverse and ended up in the river in 19F0
2. The NSW main Roads replaced Maloneys Punt with this was No D (and the last) punt built to cross the river at Barmah.
3. The fire that damaged the punt occured in the 1Ath month in what year? 201B
4. The reward offered to Mr Edgar Atkinson was C pounds.
5. In what year did the Punt ferry 2000 sheep in a 45 minute period and subsequently dubbed as "Noah's Ark". 192E
GZ can be found at: S 36 01.ABC E144° 57.DEF
CHECKSUM Seconds S=12, E=15
GZ is nearby, a magnetic micro container. BYOP.