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Read more about the article The Catterthun sinking at Seal Rocks, NSW

The Catterthun sinking at Seal Rocks, NSW

The loss of the SS Catterthun off Seal Rocks, NSW, in August 1895 is a story that has captured many imaginations. Thousands of gold sovereigns, en route to China, went to the bottom, ensuring the wreck has remained a magnet for treasure-hunters. When I read contemporaneous press accounts of the disaster I'm struck by the terrible fate of so many of the passengers - especially the women and children - and can't help wondering whether some of the ship's officers and crew might have done more to help save more lives. "Don't panic": fatal advice The…

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Read more about the article Boambee, an unlucky steamer
Boambee, sunk in Newcastle Harbour, NSW, May 1947.

Boambee, an unlucky steamer

Boambee was an unlucky vessel. The 236-tonne wooden steamer was built in 1908 on the Bellinger River by E.D. Pike and Co for the Manning River Limestone and Steam Ship Company to replace its wrecked ship Kincumber. By the time it ran aground and was dismantled 40 years later (under the name Illalong) it had sunk three times, including once at the wharf in Newcastle. Boambee at Harrington, near the wreck of the Burrawong. Photo from the book The Good Old Days, Volume 2, by Jim Revitt. Contributed to that book by H. Emerton, of Jones…

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Read more about the article Sailor Bill saw the ghost of his old ship

Sailor Bill saw the ghost of his old ship

Two boys on the Newcastle waterfront circa 1937 - with the ship Danmark in the background. SOMETHING about the photograph kept drawing Bill Lieb's eyes back. The picture was in our book, Recovered Memories, published in 2011 as a companion volume to our earlier book, Newcastle, the Missing Years. At first glance it was just a pleasant picture of two young boys sitting on the wharf at Newcastle Harbour, sometime in the 1930s. But after looking for some time at the photo Bill, then 87 and now deceased, felt his skin prickle with sudden recognition. Across…

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