Cirrus@Austlit

'Philadelphia Gordon is an artist, a riverboat skipper and a beautiful, independent woman.

'Orphaned by a shipwreck, Philadelphia grows up on the banks of her beloved Murray River in Australia with her kindly uncle and strict aunt, seemingly destined for a conventional life. But then tragedy changes everything, and leads her to a successful career as a painter, and then to a meeting with the dashing captain of the paddle-steamer which bears her name.' 

Source: Publisher's blurb (Hachette edition)

'Whilst living in Echuca, Philadelphia Gordon has developed a strong attachment to the river, and a fascination for paddle steamers. When she becomes owner of a paddle steamer she wishes that she had been born a male and not bound by the conventions society imposes upon females.When Delie meets a young handsome riverman, Brenton Edwards, she falls hopelessly in love with him. However, the future is not the idyll she had foreseen. She is dogged by tragedy and her mind becomes plagued by many questions. Will she ever escape the treadmill of motherhood? Is she doomed to forever be subordinate to a philandering, reckless husband?'

Source: Amazon abstract.