‘Bodalla’, 1924

The ‘Bodalla’ was a 39-metre long, 345-ton (or 166-ton, depending on the source) wooden twin screw steamer that had been built at Balmain in Sydney in 1914 for the Illawarra & South Coast Steam Navigation Company. She became a regular visitor to South Coast ports.

On 19th January 1924, whilst attempting to enter the Wagonga inlet, she was caught in a violent north-east swell and ran aground on the bar at the entrance to the inlet. She then gradually swung round until the bow of the ship struck the rocks. All the crew and passengers were landed safely, but the relentless pounding from the sea broke the vessel’s back, effectively turning the vessel into a total wreck. Only the engine and boilers were later salvaged.

The Illawarra and South Coast Steam Navigation Company’s Manager then indicated ‘the recently wrecked Bodalla will not be replaced, owing to the high cost of ship-building and the low returns obtainable on present trading operations.’

Newspaper reports also noted that ‘owing to the wreck of the Bodalla a large quantity of cheese (most probably produced at the Mort Estate in Bodalla) has been at least temporarily diverted from the Sydney market’, underlying the reliance that locals, and local industries, had on the service provided by the I&SCSNC’s vessels.