CHAPTER 7/ 9

ON THE MOVE

Surrounded by mountains, poor road networks, and a sometimes-unfordable river and lake system, the ISN Co was the essential link connecting the South Coast and hinterland population to the outside world.

Nonetheless, convenient though it might have been,conveniences weren’t laid on in the early years. Before the introduction of cabins, passengers and livestock were close travelling companions - “sleeping berths” lined the outer section of the dining saloon with only privacy curtains separating people from animals. It was customary for passengers to lie with their head to the next person’s feet, an arrangement that was not without its problems. On one occasion a steward asked a passenger to take his boots off before climbing into bed. When he did, however, the person in the next bunk immediately protested, demanding that he put them back on again.

The arrival of the Merimbula in 1909 saw conditions improve significantly. With 96 first-class and ten second-class cabins, she was renowned for fine accommodation and luxurious appointments. Not surprisingly, she was immediately popular and in her prime, often had a hundred or more passengers on board, making two trips a week down the coast, one ending at Eden, the other via Bermagui and Tathra.

Although railways were making inroads into the cargo trade by the 1900s, their unheated carriages, lack of sleeping space and the need to change trains was no match for the steamers with their dining saloons and private cabins. Nonetheless, as rail became faster and the comfort of sleeper and dining cars improved, the popularity of coastal passenger services began to wane.

In 1924, fares from Sydney to Bermagui were 36/6 each way, but with competition from Balmain Brothers’ buses running from Bega, the ISCSN Co reduced the fare to 29/6 – a price that included dinner and breakfast. Passengers travelling further south paid 31/- to Tathra and Merimbula, and a shilling extra to Eden, but those destinations included extra meals.

After WWI, only one commuter vessel was required, so Merimbula handled the peak season, with Eden taking over for the winter period. Then, following Merimbula’s loss in 1928, Eden managed the south coast passenger run alone. During a particularly trying voyage, she was about eight hours late reaching Bermagui, and then took another hour and a half instead of the usual thirty minutes to get alongside. The delay proved too much for a couple of lady passengers who were booked through to Bega via Tathra. Hysterically, the pair demanded to be landed immediately and completed their journey overland – nothing was going to entice them to stay on board the “...horrible little ship!”

After Merimbula’s loss, the company’s passenger trade took a serious hit and in the 1930s, it retired, officially at least, from that part of the business – although as most Pig and Whistle ships had a few spare cabins, “hitchhikers” were frequently taken on board, right up to the final days of service.