Daniel Berger and the wandering Jew.
Newsletter article
In Newsletter Edition
No. 125, September 2022
Author(s)Rob Willis
Pages12-17
SubjectDaniel Berger first appears in the 1880s in Hay where he operated a business selling just about everything. Court reports of the day have him in a couple of legal altercations over various fiscal matters. He leaves the Riverina in 1890 and is next spotted as a businessman and owner of a paddle steamer ‘The Wandering Jew” described as “a hawkers boat” which according to a newspaper advertisement “sold everything from a needle to an anchor” During a turbulent life, the vessel was burnt on three recorded occasions. The ‘Jew’ held the record from Brewarrina to Walgett and back, loaded both ways – 51/2 days. An average load of wool on the ‘Jew’ was 27 tons with barges sometimes carrying an additional 80 tons. The final resting place of the steamer is just above the Aboriginal fish traps at Brewarrina, and it is listed on several heritage sites.