Southern Ocean Shipwreck Trail

Admella (1857-59) Location: Carpenters Rocks (-37.876463°S 140.351373°E) Vessel type: iron-hulled screw steamer Admella was built by Laurence Hill & Co. in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1857. She was a fast ship with sail as well as steam and serviced Adelaide, Melbourne and Launceston, hence her name Ad me la. She was thought a safe ship with three air tight compartments riveted into the hold. Admella left Port Adelaide before dawn on 5th August 1859 for Melbourne. During the night there was a gentle roll and then the heavy swell lifted the ship onto the rocky reef at Carpenters Rocks. Then she fell over with masts horizontal and broke into three at the rivets of the “safety” devices. Sailors and passengers scrambled onto the stable part of the ship. Some were washed away. Lifeboats were lost and the rockets were too wet to fire. Next day they could see they were only a mile off shore, instead of out at sea. Several volunteers lost their lives swimming to shore to raise the alarm. A raft was built and two friends reached the shore and trekked 20 kms to MacDonnell lighthouse. Survivors lashed themselves to rigging, their strength sapped by the cold, lack of food, water and shelter. Some slipped quietly into the boiling sea to watery graves. Others went mad by drinking sea water. Fires were lit on the shore to give survivors hope. Rescue attempts were made but mountainous seas drove rescuers back. It was not until the eighth day that rescue eventuated. The sea had abated a little and the lifeboat from the shore rescued 3 people. Ships Lady Bird and Ant had arrived with lifeboat and whaleboat. The remaining 19 survivors were taken off by the Portland lifeboat and taken to Portland to be looked after by the hotels. Eighty nine men, women and children had died. The sea claimed the rest of Admella, the pride of the Coast.

Geltwood (1876-76) Location: Geltwood Reef, about 12km southeast of Rivoli Bay (-37.643917°S 140.196017°E) Vessel type: iron-hulled barque Geltwood was built in 1876 in Harrington, Scotland. The barque was on the final leg of its maiden voyage from Liverpool. The voyage was expected to take 90 days and was due to arrive in Melbourne on 22 June 1876. The wreck event did not become known until 5 July and it is supposed that the vessel wrecked on 14 June when there was a severe storm and distress signals were seen and heard in the region.

Geltwood had struck a reef about 1.8km offshore. None of the 31 persons on board survived. The only four bodies recovered are buried in the old Millicent cemetery. The wreck was controversial for the looting of cargo that occurred in the aftermath.

Konig Willem II (1840-57) Location: Guichen Bay, Robe, exact location unknown (-37.140344°S 139.7947°E) Vessel type: wooden ship Konig Willem II was built in Kinderdijk, Netherlands, in 1840. After arriving in Guichen Bay, and disembarking its 397 Chinese immigrants, a heavy south-easterly gale caused the vessel to drag its anchor throughout the night and into the next morning. At noon on 30 June 1857, the vessel’s captain made sail, intentionally beaching the vessel on Long Beach to the northeast of Robe. Heavy seas broke over the vessel and it was totally wrecked. Sixteen crew members perished while getting ashore in the stormy conditions.

Margaret Brock (1848-52) Location: Margaret Brock Reef, 6.5km west of Cape Jaffa (-36.948679°S 139.59581°E) Vessel type: wooden barque Margaret Brock was built in Hobart in 1848. On 20 November 1852, the barque left Port Adelaide with cargo and passengers, bound for Melbourne. At 2am on 23 November, the vessel struck an unknown reef about 6.5km west of Cape Jaffa. Attempts to get the ship off were unsuccessful, and the passengers and crew went ashore in the ship’s long boat, and the vessel subsequently broke up on the reef, later named Margaret Brock Reef.

Meningie

Southern Ocean Shipwreck Trail The 57

Coorong Princes Salt Creek Policemans Point (Coorong)Nyora (1909-1917) Location: (vicinity of) 50kms from Kingston SE

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

The Nyora was an ocean The Southern Ocean Shipwreck Trail features wrecks going steam tug built by JP in the region between the Victorian border and South Reynoldson & Sons Ltd in South Shields, Tyne and Wear, UK. Nyora had towed American four masted motor schooner Astoria to Port Pirie with a Margit 85 Highway Australia’s Murray Mouth. In the early days of the Colonies, before significant roads or rail, all transport was done by ships. The Southern Ocean is open sea with treacherous rocky reefs. Winter storms can have waves that huge load of timber, and was on return resemble mountainous and valleys with strong journey to Sydney. During a heavy storm currents that sweep the unwary out to sea. near Kingston SE, the tug began to list In this region where more than 100 vessels have (it’s thought the 40 tons of coal sacks on her deck shifted). The tow line to Lacapede Bay been wrecked with more than 200 lives lost, this trail tells some of the story of SA’s tragic maritime history. the Astoria was cut to try to save The worst for suffering was the Admella. There is Nyora but huge waves swamped an ADMELLA DISCOVERY TRAIL with interpretive her, crashing open the engine Kingston S.E. signage – ask locally for brochure. A fine DVD The room door and flooding the Wreck of the Admella, was made with local people – compartment. The Cape Jaffa ask locally for copy. Margaret Brocktug sank within 15 minutes, stern first, taking twelve of 41 Southern The Geltwood was wrecked on her maiden voyage and did not even complete one passage. THE GELTWOOD FESTIVAL with live music, crafts, the sixteen crew down. street market and kids craft is held in Millicent at the Two crew clung to an Guichen Bay end of March each year. Ph: (08) 8733 0900 upturned lifeboat, righted it Robe www.geltwoodfestival.com and rescued a third and Captain Other notable shipwrecks in the region include: McBain joined them. Crew from Astoria watched helplessly as Lake Eliza 15 • Euro • Varoon rescue was impossible in the raging seas. The sailors paddled as best they Lake St Clair Nora Creina 27 Ports • Phaeton • Maria could toward the light of the Margaret • Nene Valley Brock Lighthouse, two of the sailers died Lake George Euro • Piscies Star of exposure. By 8:30 am next day, two lightkeepers — John Jameson and Robert Thomas Clark — signalled to the survivors to Rivoli Bay Cape Martin Beachport 19Highway Rendelsham keep their boat away from the breakers on Southend Millicent the reef below. The lightkeepers then risked their lives to row through heavy seas to rescue them. McBain and Lansley, the only survivors, were transported by cutter to Kingston. Geltwood Erie Snuggery Tantanoola 49 GlencoeHighway A remarkable discovery was made in 2019 of the Lake Bonney large ocean going steam S.E. Corio Mt Gambier 7

tug Nyora by Scuba diver Admella

Steve Saville that sank over 100 years ago. Click on the image (right) Carpenter Rocks Nene Valley Blackfellows Caves Nene Valley Glenrosa Flying Cloud Aeolus Carpenter Rocks 28 36 to watch amazing story. Hawthorn Pisces Star Iron Age 31 Cape Northumberland Tenterden Port Macdonnell