Saturday, October 8, 2016

SHIPWRECK COAST IN WINTER

Recent photos taken along the Victorian  coast , the bottom  view   known as the Loch Ard Gorge , named  after the  three masted   sailing ship   which came to grief  near the end of a run from England to Melbourne in 1878 ,   the only two   survivors being Eva Carmichael  and  Tom Pearce  , who   took refuge  in the gorge .

Young Pearce , who rescued  the girl ,  was the step son of  Captain R.G. Pearce , skipper of the  SS Gothenburg  which  hit a  reef during a gale  in Queensland waters , with  the loss of life  of  102  , including  Captain Pearce and  prominent  Northern Territory  and  South Australian  identities ,  on a voyage from Darwin to  Adelaide  in  1875.

 A priceless  porcelain   peacock  intended for  display at the 1880  Melbourne  International Exhibition  carried by Loch  Ard   survived  and  can be viewed at  Warrnambool's  Flagstaff  Hill  Marine Village , a reconstructed  1800s port  with  some  relics  from   the  30  shipwrecks  along  the coast . (Photos by Em Jay ).