National Library of Australia
Paddle Steamer Pearl
'ALL ABOARD!' yelled Dad, blasting the whistle. 'FULL STEAM AHEAD.'
Pearl wound in the mooring lines, coiling them on deck. She raced to the stern and saw the wake bend away. She peered inside the paddle boxes, watching the great shaft turn the wheels, churning and splashing.
Pearl Collins was born in 1911 in Renmark, South Australia. She spent her childhood on the PS Alpha, sailing up and down the Darling River trading goods. The Collins family bought and traded in everything from flour and tea to jewellery and wood. They even sold pianos!
This narrative non-fiction picture books follows Pearl, who went on to become the first woman river boat captain in Australia and, for many years, the only female skipper on the Darling and Murray rivers. In particular, a true incident where their boat became stuck for six months mid-river until the rains came.
About the author
Neridah McMullin writes poetry, picture books, junior fiction and middle grade fiction for children. She studied science at university and worked as a scientist in research and development in the dairy and confectionary industry for 16 years. She is passionate about writing true stories.
Jess Corkran studied and worked as a landscape architect and finds inspiration in the natural and built landscape and its inhabitants. Her passion for nature and how people live within it is reflected in her illustrations and artworks.
Neridah McMullin, illustrated by Jess Corkran
Published November 2026
Hardback
32 Pages
260mm x 260mm
ISBN 9781922507921
