Category - South Coast Shipwrecks

NSW coastal shipping was once described as ‘a scheme for manufacturing widows and orphans’.

Something like 300 vessels have been lost – were wrecked or sank – in the area between Sydney and the Victorian border since 1788. Why so many?

There are multiple reasons

First, the weather conditions in the area can be very rough, even very dangerous. And weather conditions can change very quickly, often placing unsuspecting crews of vessels in precarious positions. For example, many of the vessels that came to grief in the aptly named Wreck Bay were victims of the weather: the ‘Nancy’ which ran aground in 1805 when ‘in the evening a dreadful hurricane set in accompanied with very vivid lightning, and awful peals of thunder that rolled without intermission, together with an incessant torrent of rain’; ‘in the night it blew pretty fierce and a dense fog came in’ just before the ‘Hive’ was wrecked in 1835; ‘There were heavy squalls from the south east and east’ when the ‘Juniper’ ran aground in 1850; the ‘Mynora’ ‘became enveloped in a thick fog, unable to make out her position,’ before hitting a reef in 1865…(at least 26 ships were lost in and around Wreck Bay between 1805 and 1928.)

Second, there is a strong Eastern Australian Current that extends from North Queensland down to near Tasmania and which runs just offshore along the NSW South Coast. This current is not as strong close to the shore, so ships’ masters were often tempted to hug the shore when heading north to minimise the power of the current…all too often with tragic results.

Then, the vessels that operated up and down the coast were small – very small (the largest were about the size of the Manly Ferries (such as the ‘South Steyne’) that operated up until the 1970s) – and they were either sailing vessels or (by today’s standards) very underpowered steam vessels. These had limited capabilities of rapidly responding to impending dangers.

The skills and dedication of crews varied considerably and were sometimes questionable. Many reports of shipping tragedies along the NSW South Coast contain suggestions that the ships’ captains were drunk or neglecting their duties when their ship came to grief. And ships’ masters of the steamers that regularly serviced the Coast were often attempting to keep to tight timetables so were, at times, less cautious than they perhaps should have been.

And there are few ‘safe havens’ along the South Coast. Jervis Bay is one, Twofold Bay is perhaps a second. Reaching many ‘ports’ (remembering, for example, that at various times the Illawarra and South Coast Steam Navigation Company’s vessels regularly visited Wollongong, Port Kembla, Shellharbour, Kiama, Gerringong, Berry, Nowra, Jerrara, Huskisson, Ulladulla, Bawley Point, Pebbly Beach, Batemans Bay, Nelligen, Broulee, Moruya, Tuross Head, Potato Point, Narooma, Bermagui, Tathra, Merimbula and Eden) also involved (as at Moruya) crossing a dangerous bar at a river mouth, or (as at Ulladulla) avoiding other natural hazards.

Maps – at least in the early days – were either non-existent or rudimentary and there were no aids to navigation. Light stations (intended to provide ‘a highway of light’ to shipping along the coast – see Recollections 42) were constructed in an attempt to reduce the number of shipping losses. They were not always effective (as the story of the ‘Ly-ee-Moon’ illustrates).

Surely, everyone has a favourite South Coast shipwreck story. A small selection appear below. But what others also deserve to be included here? Please share them with us by emailing southcoasthistory@yahoo.com

On 2nd March 1797 a longboat carrying 17 crew from a merchant vessel, the ‘Sydney Cove’, was wrecked on the northern end of Ninety Mile Beach.

Historically, this wreck was one of the first (if not the first) shipwrecks on the eastern seaboard of the Australian mainland and was the first after the founding of the colony in Sydney...

Whilst on a voyage on 18th April 1805, the 'Nancy' encountered foul weather just south of the entrance to Jervis Bay. At about two in the morning, the man at the helm noticed land to leeward - discernible by the lightning. The vessel ran aground on Steamers Beach and soon broke up...

In late January or early February 1806, ‘George’ was swept onto rocks by a strong current in Twofold Bay. She was refloated but was found to be so badly damaged that she was immediately beached.

Aboriginals, throwing spears and burning grass, attacked the crew. The ship’s captain and the crew responded...

The 21-ton 'Hawkesbury Packet' was wrecked on reef somewhere near Kiama in August 1817. It was on a voyage from Sydney to the Shoalhaven to pick up a load of cedar...

Thomas Kendall (the grandfather of Australian author and bush poet Henry Kendall) was a missionary who obtained a land grant and settled near Ulladulla in 1827. He became a cedar cutter. He owned a small 16-ton cutter that transported timber and other goods from Ulladulla to Sydney. It disappeared in August 1832...

The ‘Hive’ which ran aground on 10th December 1835 in what is now known as Wreck Bay – becoming the only ship that was carrying convicts to be wrecked on the Australian mainland...

The 'Rover' was headed to Gabo Island with eleven convicts on board to build a lighthouse. A gale forced it back from Twofold Bay to Broulee, where it sought shelter. However, the vessel was driven onto the beach. 11 of those on board were saved thanks to the efforts of local settlers and local Aboriginals. 12 others perished...

The ‘Perseverance’ was apparently a wooden vessel that was wrecked somewhere in the Illawarra region in January 1842 (or maybe on 31st December 1841). All hands aboard were lost...

The "Swallow' was wrecked either entering or leaving Gerringong Harbour on 15th March 1842. The cause was the breaking of a warp (a light hawser used to manoeuvre a ship, usually when docking). The two people on board – an unnamed a man and an unnamed boy were drowned...

The 340-ton wooden barque ‘Juniper’ left Liverpool in England in February 1850 and travelled to Oporto in Portugal where it was loaded with ‘a full cargo of wines in casks and cases’. It was headed for Sydney. Rounding the south-eastern tip of Tasmania it started to encounter ‘very thick weather and variable winds’.

On September 1st, the ship was just south of Jervis Bay where there were ‘heavy squalls from the south-east and east…the ship labouring very much’. Unfortunately, the ‘Juniper’ had sailed into Wreck Bay...

The breeze dropped soon after 'Twin Sisters' left Kiama harbour bound for Sydney and 'the fated vessel was irresistibly drifted by the force of the current and heavy swell on to the rocks, where she became a total wreck'...

Whilst on a voyage from Liverpool, the ‘Lawrence Frost’ arrived off Port Phillip Heads in
Victoria with a general cargo on the 17th August, 1856. It was planned that it be anchored just inside the heads until unfavourable winds abated. However, in attempting to anchor, one anchor was lost and a second anchor dragged. The ship ran ashore near the Port Phillip Quarantine Station and the hull was severely damaged.

After much of the 2,000 tons of cargo was offloaded, the ship was floated off and taken to Hobson’s Bay (the northernmost part of Port Phillip Bay) for repairs. She then sailed to Sydney to await additional repairs.

Two or three days later, the ‘Lawrence Frost’ was sighted north of Twofold Bay by the steamer ‘City of Sydney’. She was heading south to Twofold Bay – and was sinking!...

In April 1855 the 'Martha & Elizabeth' left Melbourne to sail to Newcastle. At 5.30pm on April 26th, Cape St George (the southern peninsula to Jervis Bay) was sighted. At that time it was windy with heavy showers of rain and it seems a heavy swell was running that pushed the vessel towards Point Perpendicular (the northern peninsula to Jervis Bay).

Around 8.50pm the wind dropped but the ship was driven by the heavy swell towards land. About 9.30pm the vessel hit rocks and was driven by the swell into a small gully. There ‘the vessel struck instantly, the sea breaking furiously over her’...

The 'Oliver Frost' left Sydney on 3rd October 1856 and, during the next evening whilst travelling south, her skipper ‘fancied the schooner was going out of her proper course, but owing to the darkness of the night he could discover nothing wrong’.

Four hours later ‘he discovered she had lost her rudder. Breakers were then just ahead, and she shortly afterwards struck on a rocky reef, about half a mile from the shore’...

The 'Neptune', a small 15-ton ketch, 'parted from her anchors, and was driven against the rocks close to the jetty. Despite every effort to save her, she has become a total wreck.’...

The brigantine 'Retriever' was lost at sea in April 1857 whils sailing from Newcastle to Bluff in New Zealand. Some reports suggested ‘she was caught in a sudden squall off Cape Howe…all hands lost.’ However...

The 'Caroline' was on a voyage from Melbourne to Newcastle when, on 26th January 1859, she encountered a strong north-easterly wind off the coast from Jervis Bay. The captain put into Jervis Bay for shelter.

The following day, the ‘Caroline’ again put to sea, on this occasion with a ‘fresh southerly breeze’ blowing. However, just off Point Perpendicular the breeze ‘suddenly
fell calm’ and the vessel lost steerage only to drift onto the shore. ‘In in a very short time she became a total wreck’.

With almost 100 passengers aboard, the 'City of Sydney' ran into fog. Its crew thought they were further out to sea than they actually were - an error they only realised when the vessel hit Green Cape!

The vessel sank so quickly that the last boat carrying passengers and crew away was struck by the auxillary steamer's falling masts, rigging and sails. Two of those on board were washed overboard...

Can you give us a hand researching them and writing up their stories for inclusion on this website? There are potentially 300 stories requiring work (far too many for our current resources!). If you are interested, contact us on 0448 160 852.

The loss of the ‘Mimosa’ on 18th September 1863 is something of a mystery. It occurred during the day, in calm seas, in fine weather when a light north-easterly wind was prevailing, and on a coasting track that has been constantly traversed by vessels trading to and from Sydney for more than half a century. Two passengers died...

The ‘Mynora’ was the second vessel the Illawarra Steam Navigation Company lost in just over 6 months. Travelling from Moruya to Sydney, she struck a reef off St Georges Head and was then beached three miles north...

The 'Julie Heyne' was transporting coal from Newcastle to Adelaide when she started taking water in Bass Strait. The captain turned back towards Sydney. She reached Cape St George, off Jervis Bay, before the crew was forced to abandon ship. Had they had eight hours more fair wind they would have reached Sydney...

On 13th July 1865, laden with wood and carrying a crew of five, the 'Colina' was wrecked at the entrance to Wagonga Inlet. She was crossing the bar with a strong breeze from the south. It suddenly dropped and a powerful sea swell swept her onto the breakwater...

The 'Spec' was struck by a sudden squall and foundered a mile and a half off the coast of Gerringong. Two seamen lost their lives, one survived...

'Lord of the Isles' was a small ketch that was in Kiama harbour, waiting to be unloaded, when a gale hit the area. The vessel was swept from the wharf, hit the bottom of the harbour and was holed, then was swept out of the harbour where it drifted to the north - but was last seen drifting south...

24th October 1867. The 'Aeolus', carrying a load of timber and bound for Sydney, was blown ashore in Jervis Bay and was wrecked...

Losing a sternpost from a sailing ship whilst at sea is catastrophic - and, that's what happened to the 'Picard'...

The 'Chippewa' was struck by a gale near Crookhaven Heads, struck a rock, drifted northwards and sank. Its crew rowed to shore. Later efforts to raise the vessel were unsuccessful...

The stories included on this website are of interest to many.

Please let your friends know about <www.southcoasthistory.org.au>

Whilst sailing up the east coast of Australia the 'Walter Hood' encountered a gale that stripped the vessel of its sails and swept one seaman overboard.

When land was finally sighted several days later (on Tuesday 26th April), the vessel was close inshore. It then did not have enough sail to beat out to sea, and was driven by the fierce wind onto a reef north of Bendalong where it began to break up...

Another Wreck Bay wreck! - Summercloud Bay is named after this vessel.

Sent to salvage the 'Summer Cloud', the 'Maid of Riverton' was caught in a gale, was washed ashore, and was wrecked on Christmas Eve 1870.

Guess where the 'Rose of Australia' came to grief: Wreck Bay! On 22nd January 1874.

Yet another Wreck Bay wreck! The 'Sydney Morning Herald' of 13th February 1874 simply reported ‘The schooner ‘Mary’, of and from Melbourne, bound to Newcastle, was totally lost in Wreck Bay on the 8th February, during a heavy southerly gale. All hands saved.’

The 'Bernard and Isabel' was caught in Kiama harbour on 2nd May 1875 by a violent easterly gale. Her master - against the advice of Kiama's pilot - attempted to take the vessel out to sea from the harbour. Unable to make a turn, she drifted onto rocks...

Only 40 of 105 aboard the steamer 'Dandenong' were saved when, in rough seas and off the coast of Jervis Bay, her propellor shaft broke, tearing a large hole in her hull...

The 'Millewa' was a small ketch that, whilst attempting to enter Kiama Harbour, failed to successfully complete a tack and was swept into the breakwater by a heavy swell...

The steamer 'Monaro' was travelling from Sydney to Merimbula when, at 3.30am on an evening when it was raining heavily and extremely dark, she hit rocks off Bingie, about 6 miles south of Moruya Heads. She may have been steered closer to the coast than was usual so that she would pass inshore of Montague Island...

The schooner 'Lady of the Lake' was wrecked about 7 nautical miles off Shoalhaven Bight. Its crew of three survived...

'Plutus' was about 10 miles from her intended course when she ran aground near Currarong in December 1882. The rough sea broke the vessel's back...

The wreck of the Ly-ee-Moon is among the least explainable in Australian maritime history.

At 9.30pm, on what was a clear, calm night, she simply ran into (or was steered into) the rocks at a comparatively high speed of 11.5 knots at the very base of the Green Cape Lighthouse. 71 of those on board lost their lives..

On December 6th 1886 the 'Corangamite' was travelling up the NSW South Coast with 100 passengers and 40 crew on board when, in calm seas, she encountered thick fog.

Her voyage came to an abrupt end around 8am when she ran aground on a headland in Wreck Bay. She had been travelling at full speed...

The 'Wandra' was a small timber-carrying vessel that worked the NSW coast. It was hit by two large waves after leaving Moruya Heads in December 1915. The timbers in the ship's hull parted...

There are a lot more stories to come...we're adding them regularly, so please visit this website again soon... and do let your friends know it's worth visiting.