About 100 ships have been wrecked along the East Gippsland coastline.
One of the earliest was the ‘Schah’ in 1837.
This was a two-masted wooden schooner, blown ashore near modern-day Mallacoota with tragic results.
The ‘Schah’ forms one of 14 shipwrecks selected for a new display at the Orbost Museum which is located in the Council Business Centre/Library in Ruskin Street, Orbost.
Long before roads and trains, catching a ship, usually a sailing ship, was the main way of getting around Australia’s east coast.
With no access to modern navigation aids, the result was that the East Gippsland coast had its fair share of shipwrecks.
Several of these ill-fated ships were wrecked around the mouth of Snowy River which could be quite treacherous because of shifting sand-bars.
Among the earliest of these was the paddle steamer ‘PS Lady of the Lake’ in 1880, and the schooner ‘Glengarry’ in 1898 both of which feature in this exhibition.
Another famous shipwreck of this region was that of the iron hulled steam ship ‘SS Riverina’ which ran aground near Gabo Island in 1927.
It was on a trip from Hobart to Sydney, carrying 142 passengers and general cargo including apples, chocolate and crayfish.
Strong winds, heavy seas and poor visibility led to the ‘SS Riverina’ steaming straight onto a sandy beach west from Gabo Island.
The Shipwrecks of East Gippsland display forms a small part of a larger exhibition compiled by the Lakes Entrance and District Historical Society with assistance from the Heritage Network of East Gippsland, East Gippsland Shire Council and the Gippsland Community Foundation.
This Shipwrecks exhibition will be on display in Orbost during February and March. Entry is free.
