The Hero, built in 1874 underwent a meticulous restoration and was re floated in 2000, she can cater for up to 75 passengers and is a genuine steam driven paddle steamer.

In the early years she had a long and chequered life working on the Murray River as a tow boat and hawking steamer towing laden barges of wheat, flour, wool, copper ore and building materials servicing outback stations and towns along the Murray river as far up as Tocumwal, down to Goolwa, to Naranderra on the Murrimbidgee and Bourke on the Darling carrying firewood for Melbourne during the war years.