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"I
have
seldom
seen
a
more
fearful
section
of
coastline",
wrote
explorer
Matthew
Flinders
when
first
rounding
Cape
Otway.
Some
80
shipwrecks
and
many
hundreds
of
lives
later,
the
beautiful
but
treacherous
130
kilometre
stretch
between
Moonlight
Head
and
Port
Fairy
had
earned
the
title
'The
Shipwreck
Coast'.
Last
Century
the
southern
waters
of
Bass
Strait
were
one
of
the
main
approaches
to
eastern
Australia.
King
Island
divides
the
entrance
into
this
strait
into
two
channels.
The
southern
channel
could
not
be
used
as
it
was
obstructed
by
reefs.
So
ships
chose
the
northern
passage
which
was
only
75
kilometres
wide.
Since
there
was
no
guiding
light
on
King
Island
until
1861,
ships
would
hug
the
Australian
coastline,
anxious
to
find
the
Cape
Otway
light.
But
thick
fogs
and
wild
seas
led
to
miscalculation
and
the
coast
claimed
many
convict
transports,
supply
and
immigrant
ships
as
they
innocently
sailed
through
turbulent
waters
to
the
new
colonies.
Today,
the
evidence
of
these
shipwrecks
still
exists
and
the
drama
and
tragedy
has
been
brought
to
life
in
many
ways.
The
Historic
Shipwreck
Trail
from
Lavers
Hill
in
the
east
to
Port
Fairy
in
the
west,
has
markers
indicating
the
sites
of
25
known
shipwrecks.
Occasionally
you
will
stumble
across
isolated
relics,
like
the
old
anchor
from
the
"Loch
Ard"
which
leans
against
the
Visitors
Centre
at
Port
Campbell,
and
the
anchors
of
two
ships
wrecked
off
Moonlight
Head,
which
lie
at
the
base
of
these
cliffs.
One
of
the
most
famous
sites
is
Loch
Ard
Gorge
where
the
iron
clipper
'Loch
Ard'
floundered
in
1878.
A
thick
fog
caused
the
ship
to
crash
against
the
rocks
and
she
sank
quickly,
leaving
only
two
survivors.
They
were
Tom
Pearce,
who
clung
to
an
upturned
life-boat
and
Eva
Carmichael,
who
had
clung
to
a
chicken
coop
and
then
a
spar.
The
strong
seas
swept
both
of
them
into
the
gorge
and
Tom
was
able
to
drag
the
barely-
conscious
Eva
to
a
cave
and
then
go
for
help.
Only
four
bodies
were
recovered.
You
can
see
their
graves
at
the
nearby
cemetery
as
well
as
a
memorial
to
all
those
who
lost
their
lives
in
the
tragedy.
There
are
other
cemeteries
along
The
Shipwreck
Coast
which
have
historical
graves.
Near
the
Cape
Otway
lighthouse,
you
can
see
those
of
lighthouse
staff,
pioneers
and
shipwrecked
sailors.
Other
ships
that
went
down
along
The
Shipwreck
Coast
include
the
'Schomberg',
'Tails
of
Halladale',
'Young
Australia'
and
in
recent
years,
the
'Casino'.
Having
completed
2500
trips
between
Melbourne
and
Portland,
she
was
wrecked
offshore
from
Apollo
Bay
in
1932.
At
the
Flagstaff
Hill
Maritime
Museum
many
items
recovered
from
some
of
these
shipwrecks
are
on
display.
A
prize
piece
is
the
spectacular
Minton
Loch
Ard
Peacock,
which
was
to
be
exhibited
at
the
1880
International
Exhibition
in
Melbourne,
had
the
ship
not
gone
down
and
taken
the
peacock
with
it.
Other
exhibits
you
will
see
include
the
awesome
Schomberg
diamond.
The
roof
of
the
Museum
is
made
of
slate
salvaged
from
the
'Falls
of
Halladale'
and
the
canons
of
the
'Schomberg'
and
'Children'
are
also
on
display.
The
Old
Cable
Station
Museum
at
Apollo
Bay,
and
the
Blackwood
Gully
Tourist
and
Heritage
Centre
at
Lavers
Hill
provide
a
fascinating
insight
into
the
natural
heritage
and
intrigue
of
shipwreck
history.
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