Centenary of the Falls of Halladale Sinking

by Warrnambool Guide/Sail-World Cruising on 19 Oct 2008 Next month in Warrnambool,Victoria the centenary of one of the greatest shipwrecks of all will be celebrated. The Falls of Halladale went down in full sight of the coast after hitting a submerged reef of the coast of Peterborough. It was a foggy morning almost 100 years ago when the cargo ship struck a reef about 150 metres out to sea.

Townsfolk watched in awe from the clifftops as the cargo ship gradually made its way to its watery grave.

Next month, the sailing ship will be the talk of the town again when a group of history and shipwreck buffs commemorate the sinking's centenary. Community activities, including a market, plaque unveiling and a special dinner are planned for the occasion.

Although the south-west coast is riddled with notorious shipwrecks - Loch Ard, Schomberg and La Bella to name a few - centenary organiser Rex Mathieson said the Falls of Halladale was unique, describing it as one of the last 'great' sailing shipwrecks.

'But what makes the Falls of Halladale more unique is that it had steel masts and wire rigging,' Mr Mathieson said. 'Most of the sailing ships of the time had wooden masts and hemp for rigging. The steel tubing on the Falls of Halladale would have made it handle heavy seas a lot easier without causing much damage.'

Fitted with new sails, the 2085-tonne ship was bound from New York for Melbourne and Sydney, carrying 500 sewing machines, 6500 gallons of oil, 14,400 gallons of benzene and 56,763 American slate tiles.

A heavy mist hung over the sea as the ship neared the south-west coastline in the early hours of November 13, 1908. Confused, the captain calculated the ship's position as 15 kilometres out to sea -- a costly mistake. As the fog lifted, with full sails set and billowing, the ship was only a few hundred metres from shore and surging towards a rocky outcrop. Within two minutes the ship had struck a submerged reef and its 42 years of sailing came crashing to an end.

Word quickly spread around Peterborough and a crowd of locals congregated on a clifftop about 1.5 kilometres west of the township to watch the sinking. It must have been a spectacular sight. The ship was perched on the reef, with only its stern submerged, leaving its bow and magnificent sails in full view.
The captain and crew escaped unharmed, rowing ashore and seeking refuge at the nearby Bay of Islands homestead.

Little remains of the wreck. Explosives were used during salvage operations and the ship deteriorated in the coast's treacherous swells and winds.
'It was in full view for months,' Mr Mathieson said. 'It took a while for it to become fully submerged. When you dive the wreck it looks like a demolition site to the untrained eye.

'The steel hull is no longer intact and it's pretty much unrecognisable. But I believe every wreck still has many interesting stories to tell.'

Mr Mathieson has dived all the local shipwrecks and has recovered maritime artefacts which will be on display during the Fall of Halladale commemorations.

The event will be launched at the Peterborough Golf Club on November 14. Mr Mathieson and historian Donald Walker will talk about the days of sail. The next day, a market, barbecue, historic displays and the unveiling of a historic plaque will be held in the township. The celebrations will spill into the evening, with a dinner at the golf club, and culminate with a fireworks display about 9.45pm .

'Everyone is invited to attend this historic event, but places are limited at the dinner,' Mr Mathieson said.

The Falls of Halladale was the second last sailing ship to sink off the local coastline. The final shipwreck was the Antares, which came to grief near Nirranda in 1914.

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