This photograph show the ship in dry dock (possibly Melbourne) for maintenance. The steamer S.S.CASINO was much loved by the whole Port Fairy community- with the possible exception of some of the fishermen whose boats she ran down! Transport of the large quantities of wool, potatoes, onions, grain, sheep, cattle and other produce grown on the rich lands of the Western District Belfast was served by a plethora of shipping, both sail and steam, but only one of the steamers then in the regular trade (S.S. DAWN) would ever be able to get up the river and reap the cost savings of loading against a wharf. It was not unusual for four steamers to be anchored in the bay at once and for seven or eight different steamers to call during a week. A number of inter-colonial steamers also called to pick up produce for delivery to Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide. Production in the Western District was increasing and virtually all of that production had to go through one of the western ports in order to reach markets. By 1882 a meeting 15ft. March, 1882, in the office of auctioneer, J.B. HoIden in Cox Street took action and it was unanimously resolved - that the Belfast & Koroit Steamship Company be formed with a capital of £20,000 in 10,000 shares of £2 each". A number of steamers were offered by letter to the fledgling company, including the new and almost sister ships, CASINO and HELEN NICHOLL. The CASINO was on her delivery voyage from England was due to arrive in Warrnambool to load potatoes for Sydney and, initially, arrangements were made for her to call into Port Fairy for inspection by the BKNS Co directors. She eventually proceeded direct to Warrnambool and the Directors inspected her there. Without hesitation they purchased her even though they had to raise a large bank loan to do so. The CASINO arrived in Port Fairy on Saturday, 29th. July, 1882, steaming triumphantly up the Moyne River, and was greeted by crowds, many of whom had driven in from the surrounding countryside, which gave her “loud ringing English cheers". By 1884 the CASINO could not carry all the cargoes available to her and in December of that year the company purchased the new steamer BELLINGER to provide additional capacity. She helped to open up the intermediate ports of Lorne, Apollo Bay and Port Campbell, but the BELLINGER was not really suitable for the trade and she was sold in 1887, leaving the CASINO to operate alone -as she was to do for almost all of the next 45 years. The opening of the railway in 1890 decreased the cargo available to the steamers and the economic depression of the early 1890's worsened the situation. The weak soon began to fall by the wayside and when the Portland & Belfast SN Co. decided to go into liquidation in April 1895, the Belfast & Koroit Company bought the Portland Company's steamer DAWN on advantageous terms, a substantial part of the payment being in BKSN Co shares. The BKNS Co and the Howard Smith Line came into direct head to head competition and nearly forced the BKNS Co out of existence. Cargo dropped to such an extent that in 1899, they reached agreement that only one ship would run and that the ship which ran would pay a weekly amount to the competitor to stay out of the trade. This controlled service ceased in1909, and competition intensified when Howard Smith placed the newly built, larger steamer EUMERALLA on the run. The BKNS Co survived this competition and even prospered during it partly by extending on a more regular basis, the CASINO'S voyages to South Australian ports Port Macdonnell, Kingston, Beachport, Robe and, on occasions Adelaide. There were setbacks when, on 20 October 1924, CASINO went ashore at the Kennett River, near Apollo Bay, and again, in February l929, when she struck a submerged object at Warrnambool and had to be beached. The railways placed great competitive pressure on the small steamship company and this pressure was intensified when the Great Depression slashed the market for Western District produce, BKNS Co struggled on, paying dividends in most years, and the company planned a big celebration for the CASINO'S fiftieth anniversary in the trade on 29th July, 1932. Disaster struck soon after 9 o'clock on the morning of Sunday I0 July, 1932 when the CASINO was lost at Apollo Bay together with the lives of 10 crew members. Black and white photograph of ship in dry dockship, boat, sea, river, industry, belfast and koroit steam navigation company

Coastal steamer sank at Apollo Bay in 1932 Iron Steamship SS Casino Black & white photograph of ship in rivership, sea, river, ss casino, moyne

SS Casino - Moyne River - Portside viewBlack & white photograph of S.s. Casino sailing up rivership, steamer, coastal transport, ss casino, moyne river

Passengers on board the SS CasinoGreeting card depicting passengers on Board the SS CasinoA Merry Christmasship, boat, sea, river, ss casino, passengers

S.s.Casino moored at the Belfast and Koroit Steam Navigation Company wharf in Port FairyBlack & white photograph of ship at wharfship, boat, sea, river, ss casino

Iron Steamship Casino in the Moyne River 1906B&W photograph of the SS Casino moored in the Moyne River opposite the lifeboat shedship, boat, sea, river, casino

Captain John H Dowling aboard the S.S.Coramba. He was the Captain of the ship when it was lost in a storm off Phillip Island on the 29th November 1934. All hands were lost Black & white photograph of captain John Dowling standing alongside the engine order telegraphship, boat, sea, river, coramba, seaman

Coastal Steamer which occasionally visited Port Fairy DINGADEE 640 gross tons. Lbd: 180'4" x 28'1" x 13'6". Built by Queenstown & Passage West Dock Co., Queenstown Ireland. Acquired 1883 ASN Co. Of AUSN Co 1887 and sold 1890 to Union Steamship Co., New Zealand. October 1900 owned by Black Ball Coal Co. 1903 owned by Dingadee Steamship Co. 1906 owned by T Tanaka of Tokyo and renamed Chokyu Maru No 3. 1924 owned by Taiwan Setofuku. Hayashi Kozo owned from January 1924 until scrapped 1926Black and white photograph of Ship with derrick and masts ship, boat, sea, river, ss dingadee

Government steamer serving lighthouses along the coast and in Bass Straight Steamer, 146 nhp. Built 1886. Built In Melbourne. Tonnage 487g 337n. Built By Campbell, Sloss & M'Cnn Dimensions182.7 x 24.6 x 14.4 Demise Campbell, Sloss & McCann, Sth Melbourne. Lighthouse tender. Later: Victorian Government (Department of Public Works), reg. Melbourne. Later Moreton Tug & Lighter Co. 1962: Scuttled at Dunwich, Moreton Bay, Qld.Black and white photographship, boat, river, sea

The mining company in Seddonville New Zealand purchased a small steamer, SS Lawrence, to transport coal, but in 1891 the vessel was wrecked at the mouth of the Mōkihinui river. The remains of the ship can sometimes be seen today at low tide on the beach on the south side of the Mōkihinui River mouth.Black & white photographship, boat, sea, river, ss lawrence, steamer, coal, new zealand, mokihinui river, shipwreck

SS BarwonBlack and white photographship, boat, sea, river, ss barwon

Black and white photographship, boat, sea, river

Photograph of T.S.S.Coramba owned by Belfast and Koroit Steam Navigation CompanyPhotographship, port fairy, boat, sea, river, belfast and koroit steam navigation company

Black & white photographship, boat, sea, river

SS HellenicBlack & white photographship, boat, sea, river

Built in 1895 in Dunbarton 411 tons Coastal steamer between NSW & Victoria 1902-1935 Used in Port Fairy 1925 SPHENE built by Scotts Bowling, Yard No 115 Engines by Muir & Houston, Glasgow Last Name: DELLIE (1935) Propulsion: steam compound C2cy 1-screw 65nhp Launched: Saturday, 02/11/1895 Built: 1895 Ship Type: Coaster Tonnage: 411grt, 159nrt Length: 142.5 feet Breadth: 25.1 feet Draught: 10.7 feet depth Owner History: William Robertson, Glasgow 1902 B Byrnes Ltd, Sydney NSW 1918 Roy G Cowlishaw, Sydney 1919 Australian Steamships Pty Ltd (mng Howard Smith Ltd), Sydney 1935 A Auland, Sydney 1937 Aulco Pty Ltd, Sydney Status: Wrecked - 24/08/1941 Remarks: ON 105964 Completed: November 1895 Struck reef near Danger Point NSW and beached south of Tweed Heads (Hobart for BrisbaneBlack and white photographship, steamer, ss sphene

Came to Australia from Glasgow in 1865 and ran from Portland to Melbourne, then to New Zealand when gold was discovered there. In 1880 ran on the Melbourne-Geelong passenger and freight service. A Crimean War ship she had many collisions and ‘incidents’ during her long life, and became known as a ‘collision specialist’.B&W photographship, boat, sea, river

Used primarily for shipping freight between Port Fairy and Melbourne, the Coramba was lost off Phillip Island during a storm on 30th November 1934. Her location was not discovered until 29th May 2011B&W photographship, boat, sea, river, tss coramba

Owned by the Belfast & Koroit Steamship Co. Used primarily for shipping freight between Port Fairy and Melbourne, the Coramba was lost off Phillip Island during a storm on 30th November 1934. Her location was not discovered until 29th May 2011B&W photographship, boat, sea, river

H.M.A.S. Yarra on goodwill visit to Port Fairy 1921A rare image of a war ship anchored at the Moyne river wharfBlack& White photographship, boat, sea, river, hmas yarra, moyne river

SS Casino was a regular commuter between the ports of Apollo Bay and Port Fairy Black and white photograph of Coastal trader s.s.Casino at seaship, boat, sea, river, casino

This shows the S.S.Wannon turning in the specially widened part of the river called the "turning basin" before slipping into her berth at the Belfast and Koroit Steam Navigation Company wharfBlack and white photograph of SS Wannon turning in the Moyne Rivership, boat, sea, moyne river, belfast and koroit steam navigation company, turning basin

B&W Photograph Iron Steamship SS Casino in the Moyne Rivership, boat, sea, river, iron steamship ss casino

Coastal steamer sank at Apollo Bay in 1932B&W photographship, sea, river, ss casino

S.S. Casino flagship of the Belfast & Koroit Steam Navigation Company, Purchased 1882. Built in Dundee, ScotlandFirst ship purchased by the Belfast & Koroit Steam Navigation Company in 1882Photographship, boat, sea, river, port fairy, s s casino, belfast & koroit steam navigation company

S.S.Wannon in Duke and Orr Dry Dock Melbourne 1940. Ship was purchased in 1935 by the Belfast and Koroit Steam Navigation Company as a replacement for the T.S.S.Coramba she purchased in New Zealand and renamed Wannon when her name was Gale. Photograph was taken after it was sold to W.Holyman and Sons in March 1939.Photographship, boat, sea, river, gale, wannon, port fairy, belfast and koroit steam navigation company, bksn co

T.S,S.Coramba owned by the Belfast and Koroit Steam Navigation Company in the 1930'sPhotographship, boat, sea, river, port fairy, belfast and koroit steam navigation company

This postcard features the S.S.Casino steaming into the Moyne river at Port Fairy after turning around in a "turning basin" situated further up the river it would then berth and disembark passengers and cargo onto the wharfPostcard featuring a photograph of S.S.Casino 1904 written on and stampedship, boat, sea, moyne river, s.s.casino, belfast and koroit steam navigation company

This lithograph shows William Webb's Cordial and Aerated Waters factory on William Street. An 1887 plan shows three buildings forming part of the factory. Black & white etching of Large building of Webb Bros Cordial factory with delivery cart out front and lower wooden buildings to the leftPort Fairy Steam Aerated Water and Cordial Factory Webb Bros. William Street Port Fairyfactory, business, shop

Tailor's shop next door to the Port Fairy Gazette Office (local newspaper office) in Sackville Street owned by John Sickler and later W. georgeBlack and white photograph of shop front with arched windows on right hand side and a female and a young girl standing in the doorwaytailor shop, commercial enterprise, shop, store, sackville street