Australia’s deadliest civilian shipwreck occurred on 4 August 1845 when the 803-ton barque Cataraqui slammed into rocks near Fitzmaurice Bay off King Island during foul weather. On board were some 366 migrants and a crew of 43. Of those 409 people, only nine made it ashore alive. The Cataraqui sailed from Liverpool on 20 AprilContinue reading “The Cataraqui: Australia’s deadliest shipwreck – 1845.”
Tag Archives: passenger ship
S.S. Maheno (1905 – 1935)
As anyone knows who has ventured across to K’Gari (formerly Fraser Island) the wreck of the old luxury passenger liner SS Maheno makes an imposing presence on the long sandy beach which serves as the island’s main highway. Swept ashore during a cyclone in 1935 on her way to a Japanese scrapyard, the Maheno wasContinue reading “S.S. Maheno (1905 – 1935)”
Tales from the Quarterdeck 