‘Lawrence Frost’, 1854

The ‘Lawrence Frost’ was a timber ship built in Canada in 1854.

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, under ballast, 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!

The ‘Lawrence Frost’ was run ashore near the Davidson Whaling Station. Although it only carried necessary ballast, it did not have sufficient pumps to remove the incoming water.

The following day (27th October) a gale blew up and drove the vessel over an adjacent sand spit into deep water, where its hull split in two. The crew and some other items were removed from the wreck by the brigantine ‘Workington’ and the ketch ‘Numba’.