River Murray Mary is a delightful book for younger readers from Australia s master storyteller. Mary lives on a farm on the banks of the mighty Murray. Her many adventures include some hair-raising encounters with tiger snakes, saving her beloved dog when he is bitten, and exciting trips on the river with her friend Abel Stenross, skipper of the paddle steamer Blackwater Bessie. When the river floods, Mary needs to bring a doctor to her injured mother, and it s Blackwater Bessie to the rescue!