Authenticated acts of cannibalism among shipwreck survivors are remarkably rare. But when they have taken place, those involved have often been met with revulsion and sympathy in equal measure. Such was the case with the survivors of the small yacht Mignonette which foundered on its way to Australia in 1884. The Mignonette was a smallContinue reading “The Macabre case of the Mignonette”
Tag Archives: #Maritime History
The Bogus Count and Hamlet’s Ghost
Some things you just can’t make up. This is the story of the bogus Count von Attems and Hamlet’s Ghost. In May 1868 a dashing young man stepped ashore in Sydney claiming to be Count Ignaz Von Attems, a blood relative of Archduke Albert of Austria. The Von Attems family could trace their aristocratic lineageContinue reading “The Bogus Count and Hamlet’s Ghost”
The Post Office in the middle of nowhere
It might seem strange that one of Australia’s earliest post offices was also one of its most remote. It was established on Booby Island in Torres Strait in 1835 but passing ships had already been leaving correspondence there for many years by then. Booby Island, known as Ngiangu to Torres Strait Islanders, lies about 3200Continue reading “The Post Office in the middle of nowhere”
Thomas Pamphlett and the Remarkable Castaways of Moreton Bay
Most Queensland school children are taught that the first non-Aboriginal people to settle in their state were convicts and their gaolers who arrived in September 1824. But actually the first white-skinned people to live in what would become Queensland were three castaway ex-convicts who came ashore 18 months earlier. In 1823 Governor Brisbane sent theContinue reading “Thomas Pamphlett and the Remarkable Castaways of Moreton Bay”
The Brig Amity’s Amazing Career
All Australian school children learn of the Endeavour’s role in the history of Australia. Some people may have heard of the First Fleet’s flag-ship Sirius or the Investigator which Matthew Flinders used to chart much of Australia’s coastline. But, I wager few, outside Albany WA, have heard of the Amity or know of her contributionContinue reading “The Brig Amity’s Amazing Career”
Tales from the Quarterdeck 