History is Littered with Ships Wrecked Coming Through the Treacherous Port Phillip Heads
narrated by Peter Mitchell, Frankston Standard Leader
@Peter_Mitchell7
I freely admit to having no experience in scuba diving. I just remember that the letters stand for ‘self-contained underwater breathing apparatus’. However, that doesn’t mean I’m not fascinated by what lurks beneath our coastline.
Of course there’s the incredibly diverse and extraordinary marine life, but I’m referring more to an underwater cultural heritage unequalled anywhere else in Australia.
Since 1797, it’s estimated that more than 800 shipwrecks have occurred along Victoria’s coast.
The state’s official ‘Shipwreck Coast’ stretches for around 130 km from Cape Otway to Port Fairy, but many vessels have come to grief around the notorious Port Phillip Heads, between Point Lonsdale and Point Nepean.
The mind boggles just thinking of a bygone era when men and women of all ages, mothers and fathers, their teenagers and toddlers, all placed their faith in the hands of a skipper and his crew, in charge of a cramped wooden boat, sailing with nothing but hope through fair weather and foul, from the other side of the world.
At the height of Victoria’s gold rush, 50 ships were reported sailing past Cape Otway’s lighthouse in one day. On one day in 1852, no less than 150 ships were anchored off Williamstown in Hobson’s Bay.
To get there safely, they all had to navigate the particularly dangerous and narrow entrance to Port Phillip Bay. Only 2.5 km across, fringed with rocky reefs and surrounded by turbulent waters as the bay tides met the dark ocean swells from Bass Strait.
You could never imagine attempting this in anything other than broad daylight, but some had to do it in darkness.
If you were the captain, you needed an accurate chart showing you the sea depths, the coastline and its hazards, and also the location of navigational aids such as lighthouses and beacons which would help guide you into port.
Most of the ships made it through, but tragically over the years many did not. Those who came to grief were often the victims of the most appalling weather conditions. They were not all passenger ships, many were carrying cargo destined for Melbourne.
The weather was fine and clear in September 1856, when Mountain Maid was bound for Melbourne from Manila, carrying rice, sugar and rope. The vessel had successfully navigated the Heads, only to collide with the Victorian steamer SS Queen heading in the opposite direction.
Mountain Maid filled with water and sank immediately. The crew had to swim for their lives and were rescued by the SS Queen. As the vessel broke up, the expensive cargo was washed away.
This is just one example of the many historic Mornington Peninsula wrecks included in Victoria’s Underwater Shipwreck Discovery Trail.
Qualified divers can explore the wrecks of old wooden clippers, iron steamships and cargo and passenger vessels located along the coast and in Port Phillip Bay.
Some of these are suitable for beginners, while others require the skills and experience of advanced divers.
And if you’re neither, the stories behind these shipwrecks make for fascinating reading.
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Source: Herald Sun
