- Shipwreck Coast
The Shipwreck Coast of Victoria,
Australia stretches fromMoonlight Head toCape Otway , a distance of approximately 130km. This coastline is accessible via theGreat Ocean Road , and is home to thelimestone formations called The Twelve Apostles.Explorer
Matthew Flinders said of the Shipwreck Coast, "I have seldom seen a more fearful section of coastline."During the 19th century
Bass Strait was a major shipping channel for supply ships and those carrying convicts or immigrants to the colonies of Victoria andNew South Wales . Unfortunately this rugged and inhospitable coast, with its thick fogs, rough seas, and lack of lighthouses, made it difficult and dangerous to traverse, and claimed a great many ships. The most famous of these was the Loch Ard, for which theLoch Ard Gorge is named.Ships wrecked on the Shipwreck Coast include:
*
Mahogany Ship (date unknown, probably early 1520s)
* Unnamed whaleboat (1836)
* Thistle (1837)
* Children (1839)
* Lydia (1843)
* Socrates (1843)
* Enterprise (1850)
* Essington (1852)
* Freedom (1853)
* Schomberg (1855)
* John Scott (1858)
* Golden Spring (1863)
* Marie Gabrielle (1869)
* Young Australian (1877)
* Loch Ard (1878)
* Napier (1878)
* Alexandra (1882)
* Yarra (1882)
* Edinburgh Castle (1888)
* Fiji (1891)
* Newfield (1892)
* Freetrader (1894)
* La Bella (1905)
*Falls of Halladale (1908)
* Antares (1914)
* Casino (1932)Over 50 shipwrecks are commemorated in a Historic Shipwreck Trail beginning at
Port Fairy .External links
* [http://www.heritage.vic.gov.au/Maritime/Shipwrecks/Shipwreck-discovery-trails.aspx Historic Shipwreck Trail guide]
* [http://www.maritimequest.com/database.htm Maritimequest Shipwreck Database (Downloadable Excel file)]
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