In September 1894 the 1600-ton iron barque Cambus Wallace ran aground on Stradbroke Island spilling its cargo of salt, Scottish whiskey and dynamite to be strewn along the beach. Six seamen lost their lives in the tragedy and the wreck may also have contributed to the island splitting in two. The Cambus Wallace had sailedContinue reading “The Cambus Wallace: did a shipwreck split an island in two?”
Tag Archives: Shipwreck
Loss of La Astrolabe and La Boussole: a 40 Year Mystery
One of the great maritime mysteries of the late 18th and early 19th centuries was the disappearance of the French ships La Astrolabe and La Boussole under the command of La Perouse. They were last sighted leaving Botany Bay in 1788 but it would be another 40 years before the world discovered what became ofContinue reading “Loss of La Astrolabe and La Boussole: a 40 Year Mystery”
The Long Search for the Yongala
In March 1911 the SS Yongala sank during a powerful cyclone with the loss of 122 lives making it one of Queensland’s worst maritime disasters. Despite efforts to locate the wreck, the ship’s final resting place would remain a mystery for almost half a century. The Yongala departed Brisbane on 21 March bound for Townsville. Continue reading “The Long Search for the Yongala”
Matthew Flinders and the loss of HMS Porpoise – 1803
Shortly after Matthew Flinders completed his historic circumnavigation of Australia he was farewelled from Sydney to return to England as a passenger onboard HMS Porpoise. To everyone’s astonishment, he returned a month later to report the loss of that ship and another on a reef far out in the Coral Sea. HMS Porpoise, under theContinue reading “Matthew Flinders and the loss of HMS Porpoise – 1803”
The Tragic Loss of George III – 1835
The 400-ton ship George the Third sailed from England on 12 December 1834 carrying 220 convicts bound for Van Diemen’s Land (Tasmania). When less than 80kms from their destination at Hobart, tragedy struck with terrible loss of life. On Sunday 12 April 1835 the George III made land at South Cape, the southernmost point ofContinue reading “The Tragic Loss of George III – 1835“
Tales from the Quarterdeck 