PS Canberra refloated

By Bree Lambert and Louie Cina

Sep 10, 2026

After a week bogged on the bank of the Murray the PS Canberra has been refloated and moved to the Moama slipway.

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The 114-year-old vessel started listing on Thursday, September 3 after hitting a submerged log.

The delicate salvage operation was complicated by dramatically falling river levels on Saturday, forcing the crew to change tack.

After days of digging, pumping, and quick fixes, the Canberra was freed, towed from the old Echuca-Moama Bridge as onlookers gathered.

It was floated with the help of the current to a second slipway, gouged out of the riverbank to ensure the vessel could be lifted high and dry.

It will be assessed for damage and repaired on the slipway.

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