'Pride of the Murray' travels through Hay, Riverina as it ventures from Echuca to Thomson River in Longreach

The famous paddlewheeler, which has traversed the Murray River for about 100 years, began its 1750km voyage to a new home on the Thomson River in Queensland this week.

On Wednesday, residents of Hay, including the town's mayor, gathered to watch the vessel as it slowly made its way through on the back of a trailer.

"It was fantastic to see it come through," Councillor Carol Oataway said.

"All the children at the school were lined up at the fence very excited ... it was something that they'll remember for the rest of their lives."

The heavy load was led by a police escort through the small Riverina town and was followed by a convoy of trucks that waited patiently to overtake.

Cr Oataway said logistically it was quite difficult to ensure the vessel would make it through the streets scratch-free, however, everything went according to plan.

"They were moving very slowly, and I know that they were trimming trees as they went," she said.

"Some signs had to be temporarily moved to fit it in some of the streets and to go around corners, so yes, it was quite difficult but, logistically, they had it all under control."

Tourism entrepreneur Richard Kinnon of the Longreach-based Outback Pioneers is spearheading this "massive undertaking", which is unlike any other to have happened in the country before.

"To build a purpose-built boat from scratch would have been a significantly cheaper option, but it didn't meet my own brief which is for our Longreach-based tourism operation to remain true to history," Mr Kinnon said while speaking to ACM publication North Queensland Register last month.

"When I found out the Pride of the Murray was looking for a new home, I knew I'd found a genuine outback pioneering artefact we just had to preserve."

IN OTHER NEWS:

Freightlancer transport coordinator Warrick Corney said the logistics of the move had kept him awake at night for the past four months.

"This is not a move that has ever been attempted before in Australia," he told the North Queensland Register.

"It's an extremely delicate operation. It's a 100-year-old boat we are lifting out of the water and putting it on top of a trailer before we drive it from Victoria to Queensland."

Cr Oataway said the town of Hay was honoured to be a small part of this monumental move, having already had a long history of travellers passing through, sharing stories of their time riding the Murray River upon the vessel.