‘Aeolus’, 1867

The ‘Aeolus’ was a 19-metre, 47-ton wooden ketch engaged in the coastal trade in New South Wales, mostly transporting timber and coal.

On 23rd October 1867 she departed Jervis Bay with a load of 13,000 board feet (about 31 cubic meters) of hardwood.

A south-westerly wind forced her to turn back and the ship was anchored in Darling Roads, the area of water in Jervis Bay to the north-west of St Georges Peninsula. However, increasing heavy squalls from the north-west and west-south-west the next evening caused her to drag her anchor, and she was blown ashore at Hole in the Wall.

Her crew spent the following day unrigging the vessel and at midnight set sail for Sydney in a ketch named the ‘Dauntless’. They arrived in Sydney late the next day.

By the time the crew left, the ‘Aeolus’ was lying on its side, full of water, and a total wreck.