South Coast NSW History Story
‘Plutus’, 1882
The 76-metre, 812-ton schooner-rigged, iron steamship ‘Plutus’ was launched in England just seven months before she beached and was wrecked on Currarong Beach.
She had been built specifically for the ever-increasing Australian coal trade and could carry up to 1,700 tons of coal. ‘She was furnished with the newest and most efficient mechanical appliances for cargo haulage. Coal can be shot into or whipped out of four very large hatches, designed to ensure rapid dispatch’ and she was designed to be able to travel up the Yarra River to Melbourne, thereby avoiding having to transfer her cargo into lighters in Port Phillip Bay.
Leaving Newcastle, she proceeded south in good conditions on a course that should have kept her 10 miles from shore.
At 7 p.m, on the night she ran aground (9th December 1882), the weather was described as thick and hazy with a west wind and a sea in her favour. At 8 p.m. the captain thought they were around 15 miles off the land, moving at approximately 9 knots.
At 8.20 p.m. the second officer discovered land was right ahead. The captain later explained ‘I thought it was a fog bank’, but ‘stopped the engines and reversed them full speed.’
The vessel ran ashore on Long Beach, Currarong. She became firmly wedged in the sand and the sea started to break over her, driving the ship right up onto the beach.
The night was very dark and, with the rough sea, it was decided to wait until daylight before leaving the ship.
By morning the sea was much calmer, so the crew of 20 all left the vessel and rowed to shore. They then proceeded to land all movable materials from the wreck whilst some walked to the small settlement of Greenwell Point to raise the alarm.
That evening it was discovered the vessel had broken its back just forward of the bridge, and so was a total loss.
At a subsequent marine enquiry, the captain could provide no explanation for the position of the vessel when it struck the beach. He was found guilty of carelessly navigating his ship and had his captain’s certificate suspended for six months.
