Shipwrecks in Victor Harbor

1834 – The suitability of Victory Harbor as an anchorage is established.

1837 – A whaling station was established at Rosetta Harbour below Rosetta Head. It was under the   control of the South Australia Company. A second whaling station, established by Robert, Campbell, Junior and Company was set up at Police Point opposite Granite Island (and later also on Granite Island). Local ship building is started in Encounter Bay opposite Wright Island.

1838 – First overland transport between Encounter Bay and Adelaide. The first known cargo to be shipped out of Victor Harbor.

1839 – The first 30 settlers arrived on the Lord Hobart and established a settlement at Yilki.

1844 – There are 136 people living in the Encounter Bay area.

1854 – Rail transport comes to the Encounter Bay area. A jetty and connecting road are built in the lee of The Bluff.

1855 – The Rosetta Harbour whaling station closes down.

1864 – Larger port facilities (a jetty and pier) were established at Victor Harbor.

1875 – The causeway is built to Granite Island.

1876 – Victor Harbor is still the 9^th busiest (out of 16 major ports) in South Australia.

1882 – The breakwater and screwpile jetty are completed on Granite Island.

1915 – Sea traffic between the ports of Adelaide and Victor Harbor ceases.

Shipwreck Name: South Australian, 1837

Propulsion: Sail

Purpose: Transport, Packet

Rig: Barque

No of Masts: 3

Hull Type: Wood (with copper sheathing)

Tonnage: 155 (NM), 236 (OM)

Dimensions: L 25.3 m B 6.9 m D 4.0 m

When built: 1820

Where built: Falmouth, England

Builder: Little

Registered: London

Owner: The South Australian Company

Wrecked: 8 Dec 1837 (directly in front of the Fountain Inn at Yilki, approximately 300-400m off shore amongst sand and weed). The masts were visible for many years and  wreckage could still be seen on the sea bottom in the 1930s.

Latitude: 035 34 48

Longitude: 138 36 12

Depth: 2 to 3 m

Best viewing time: August to October when sand moves away from the area.

Recovered artefacts: A large grinding stone, Willow patterned plates (whereabouts unknown)

Significance of the South Australian

• The South Australian is the 1^st shipwreck in South Australia
• It is associated with the early settlement of South Australia
• It is associated with the whaling industry of Encounter Bay
• Prior to being purchased by the South Australian Company, it was a Royal Naval Vessel.
• It was modified from a packet to a 10-gun brig, then refitted for whaling and then modified for cutting-in.
• It is relatively well preserved and may be a source of historic artefacts.

Timeline of events (series of disasters)

1836 – Dec 22 – Departure from Plymouth, England - Alexander Allan captains the South Australian, laden with colonists and cargo.

1837 – Feb (Shore based whaling station established at Rosetta Harbour in Encounter Bay)

1838 – April 22 – South Australian arrives in Kingscote, Kangaroo Island.

1839 – May 23 – Kingscote to Encounter Bay (whaling equipment, provisions and 3 passengers)

1840 – May/June – South Australian refitted as a “cutting –in” vessel at the Encounter Bay whaling station.

1841 – June - Solway leaves Hamburg with 52 German Immigrants and supplies.

1842 – June 23 – Shooting incident aboard the South Australian, and involving the following people - Blenkinsop and Stephens.

1843 – Sept – Captain Allan dies

1844 – Oct - Solway arrives at Kingscote, Kangaroo Island, where settlers disembark.

1845 – Oct 19 – South Australian travels Encounter Bay to Nepean Bay (provisions only)

1846 – Nov 25 – South Australian travels Nepean Bay to Encounter Bay under Captain MacFarlane – a whaling master (provisions only).

1847 – Nov 28 -The South Australian crew prepares the whaling oil etc for shipping aboard the Solway.

1848 – Dec 8 – South Australian wrecked in Encounter Bay whilst awaiting arrival of Solway. Those aboard included - David McLaren, John Hindmarsh, Jr. (son of the colony’s first Governor Sir John Hindmarsh), and South Australia’s first Chief Justice Sir John Jeffcott.

1849 – Dec 12 – Blenkinsop and Sir John Jeffcott drowned at the Murray Mouth.

1850 – Dec 15 - The Pirie anchored in Encounter Bay.

1851 – Dec 20 - The Solway anchored in Encounter Bay.

1852 – Dec 21 - Solway wrecked at Rosetta Harbour.

Shipwreck Name: Solway

Propulsion: Sail

Purpose: Transport, Cargo

Rig: Ship

No of Masts: 3

Hull Type: Wood, carvel, copper sheathing

Tonnage: 337 (OM)

Dimensions: (L) 31.5m (B) 8.3m (D) 6.0m

When built: 1829

Where built: Monkswearmouthshire, England

Builder: J. Storey

Registered: London

Owner: I.K. Graham and Company (under charter to The South Australian Company)

Wrecked: 21 Dec 1837 (midway between the boat ramp at Rosetta Harbour and Wright Island about 150m inshore from Blacks Reef, amongst sand and rock).

Latitude: 035 35 8.1

Longitude: 138 36 2.1

Depth: 3m

Best viewing time: February to April with a northerly wind. For protection 250 sandbags were placed over the exposed timbers in 1994, and a further 950 added in 1995

Recovered artefacts: Artefacts of German origin have been found.

Significance of the Solway

• The Solway is associated with the early settlement of South Australia
• It brought out some of the first German immigrants to South Australia
• It is associated with the whaling industry of Encounter Bay
• It is relatively well preserved and may be a source of historic artefacts, particularly with relation to early German immigration.

Shipwreck Name: Alpha

Propulsion: Sail

Purpose: Transport, Cargo

Rig: Schooner

No of Masts: 2

Hull Type: Wood, carvel, copper sheathing

Tonnage: 36 (NM?)

Dimensions: (L) 14.0m (B) 3.9m (D) 2.3 m

When built: 1844

Where built: Augusta, WA

Builder: J.W. Turner

Registered: Port Adelaide

Owner: B. Nathan and J.F. Bennett

Wrecked: 25 July 1847 (Driven onto rocks at the Bluff, then sank onto sand at a depth of 18m, approximately midway between the Bluff and Wright Island)

Latitude: 035 35 21

Longitude: 138 36 32

Depth: 18m

Best viewing time: Unknown

Recovered artefacts: A scatter of bricks (the Alpha’s cargo), and a chain can still be seen, approximately 100m along the shore, south of the Bluff jetty.

Significance of the Alpha

• The Alpha may have been the first vessel built in the SW of Western Australia. (Regardless, it is an early Australia built vessel)
• It is associated with the whaling industry of Encounter Bay.

Shipwreck Name: Jane and Emma

Propulsion: Sail

Purpose: Transport, Cargo

Rig: Cutter

No of Masts: 1

Hull Type: Wood, carvel, copper sheathed

Tonnage: 33 (NM)

Dimensions: (L) 11.5m (B) 4.5m (D) 2.2m

When built: 1835

Where built: Sydney

Builder: Unknown

Registered: Port Adelaide

Owner: J. Barrett

Wrecked: Mid May 1852 (Wrecked on the Bluff – site unknown, at or near the Bluff)

Latitude: 035 35 27

Longitude: 138 36 12

Depth: Unknown

Significance of Jane and Emma

• The Jane and Emma is associated with the whaling industry of Encounter Bay
• It is associated with the settlement of Robe and the SE of the State, as well as areas of Victoria
• It served as a Government cutter from 1845 to 1848
• It is an early Australian built Vessel.

Shipwreck Name: Lady of the Lake

Propulsion: Unpropelled

Purpose: Cargo

Rig: None

No of Masts: None

Hull Type: Wood, carvel

Tonnage: 18 (NM)

Dimensions: (L) 13.7m (B) 4.2m (D) 1.3m

When built: 1855

Where built: Goolwa

Builder: Jenkins

Registered: Port Adelaide

Owner: G.S. Read

Wrecked: 3 Oct 1877 (Unknown. Most likely around Granite Island or on the shore to the east of the causeway)

Latitude: 035 33 30

Longitude: 138 37 36

Depth: Unknown

Best viewing time: Unknown

Significance of the Lady of the Lake

• The Lady of the Lake is associated with port industry at Victor Harbor
• It was specially designed to operate in shallow water.

Shipwreck Name: Ferret

Propulsion: Sail

Purpose: Fishing cutter

When built: Unknown

Where built: Unknown

Builder: Unknown

Owner: The Rumbelow family of Yilki

Wrecked: 17 May 1900 (At its moorings, on the rocks near Wright Island)

Latitude: 035 35 00

Longitude: 138 36 30

Depth: 1 to 3 m

Significance of the Ferret

• The Ferret is associated with a well-known fishing family of the area.

Shipwreck Name: Triton

Propulsion: Engine: motor

Purpose: Harbour launch

Rig: Cutter

No of Masts: 1

Hull Type: Wood, carvel

Tonnage: 15 gross, 10 net

Dimensions: (L) 13.9m (B) 3.3m (D) 1.8m

When built: 1880

Where built: Birkenhead, Port Adelaide

Builder: Unknown

Registered: Port Adelaide

Owner: William Thompson

Wrecked: 12 Jan 1908 (Burnt to the water level, approximately midway between the causeway and the screwpile jetty. Located amongst sand, weed and rock).

Latitude: 035 33 42

Longitude: 138 37 54

Depth: 1 to 3 m

Best viewing time: Unknown

Recovered artefacts: Too much damaged

Significance of the Triton

• The Triton is associated with Richard Jagoe (the original owner)
• It is associated with the ‘steam launch period’ of Port Adelaide. It is one of the earliest vessels to convert from a steam to a petrol motor.

Shipwreck Name: Mary

Propulsion: Unpropelled

Purpose: Harbour barge

Rig: None

Hull Type: Iron, carvel

Tonnage: 25 gross

Dimensions: (L) 17.9m (B) 4.2m (D) 1.6m

When built: 1878

Where built: Victor Harbor

Builder: Unknown

Registered: Port Adelaide

Owner: G.S. Read

Wrecked: 31 Oct 1938 (Deliberately broken up, somewhere around Granite Island).

Latitude: 035 33 48

Longitude: 138 38 00

Depth: Unknown

Best viewing time: Unknown.

Significance of the Mary

• The Mary is the only vessel known to have been built at Victor Harbor.

Shipwreck Name: Galini

Propulsion: Engine

Purpose: Fishing Vessel

Hull Type: Fibreglass

Tonnage: 9 (IT)

Dimensions: L 8.7 m B 2.9 m D 0.8 m

When built: 1878

Where built: Plympton, SA

Builder: M. Lowe

Registered: Port Adelaide

Owner: K. J. Rumbelow

Wrecked: 2 Nov 1981 (Close to the shore at Victor Harbor east of the causeway

Latitude: 035 55.7 009

Longitude: 138 62.6 34.5

Depth: 1 to 3m

Significance of the Galini

• The Galini was owned by a noted local fishing family
• Resulted in the drowning death of Kevin Rumbelow.