‘Corangamite’, 1886

The Corangamite was a 90-metre, 2,420-ton steel screw steamer that had been built in 1885 in England specifically to meet a growing passenger and cargo trade along the Australian south-east coast. ‘She has made 30 trips between Melbourne, Sydney, and Newcastle, and has established herself as a favourite boat in the passenger service, having accommodation for about 230’.

On December 6th 1886 she 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.

Her bow ended up nine foot out of the water, but the bow-end of her hull had been seriously holed. There were hopes the vessel could be refloated but initial efforts to pump water out of the fore compartment proved to be futile.

Those on board were taken off the ship – some simply by climbing down a ladder that had been strung from the bow, others (with more difficulty) were transferred by lifeboats to the shore.

Over the following days, efforts were made to refloat the steamer. Cargo and moveable ship’s fittings (‘a piano, marble baths, cabin fittings, compasses, lamps and other ships fittings’) were jettisoned to lighten the vessel; pumps and two tugs - the ‘Eagle’ and ‘Stormcock’ – were brought in to try to dislodge her.

On 22nd December, despite the repeated attempts to refloat the vessel, the vessel broke up in heavy seas and became a total wreck.