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Bulletin - Vol 9 No. 2
March/April 2006

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The Wreck of the Sailing Ship Netherby - A Miracle of Survival
by Don Charlwood

Review by Denise Shultz, Lighthouses of Australia Inc President

The Wreck of the Sailing Ship Netherby A Miracle of Survival
by Don Charlwood

This is a story of an 1866 shipwreck of Netherby, vividly related by three different participants. Here was a ship with 413 emigrant passengers and a crew of 38, impaled at night on serrated reefs off the western coast of King Island in Bass Strait, not far from the 1845 remains of Cataraqui. The Cataraqui had lost 399 lives. It tells of a near miracle, when the senior officers of the Netherby plus the lighthouse keeper from Cape Wickham were instrumental in saving the lives of all those aboard their vessel, plus a baby born on the island to one of the rescued passengers. The 48-page book is accompanied by 3 maps and 19 historical and contemporary photographs. It should not be missed by a serious pharophile.

Don Charlwood’s interest in the sailing ship era and shipwrecks was aroused by stories he heard from his grandmother who, along with her parents and siblings, was wrecked on the Schomberg on Victoria’s south-west coast in 1855.

After serving in Bomber Command during WW2, Don worked for 30 years in air traffic control in Melbourne. During this time, he published his first books.

Don began researching and writing about sailing ships, immigration by sail and shipwrecks early in his retirement. This led to the publication of a number of books, among them The Long Farewell, Settlers Under Sail and Wrecks and Reputations.

Don Charlwood was made a member of the Order of Australia in 1992 for services to Australian Literature. He lives near Melbourne with his wife Nell.

The Wreck of the Sailing Ship Netherby (RRP$15.50), as well as Don’s other books can be purchased from:

Burgewood Books
Contact: Doreen Burge
PO Box 326, Warrandyte, Victoria 3113
Phone: 03 9844 2512
Fax 03 9844 0664
Email: Burgewood Books

Excerpt from Netherby:

Captain Owens well knew that he was wrecked on King Island, but he did not share this knowledge widely. Discipline was essential to their survival; it was not helped by their remoteness. This was particularly to be so later when, in favourable weather, some of the young men reached the wreck and brought off alcohol. Although the Island had earlier been the camping place of itinerant sealers, they had, by this time, exterminated the large colonies both of seals and sea lions; now few of this lawless band remained. Apart from the lightkeepers at Cape Wickham, the Island was virtually uninhabited.

It was now essential to survival to make contact with the lighthouse. This could have been done with least difficulty by sea, but all the Netherby's boats had been smashed in the landing, apart from the captain's gig, which had been rendered unseaworthy, but was not beyond repair. It was needed as soon as possible to bring off more supplies from the wreck. With so little food to sustain so many people, Captain Owens had to act quickly.

After having held a consultation with the surgeon-superintendent, and several of the leading gentlemen of the saloon and second cabin, it was considered advisable to dispatch a party overland to the lighthouse on the north part of the island, to ascertain if communication could be effected with the mainland by telegraph, which was known to exist a few years previously. Consequently, Mr. Parry, the second officer, with a party of volunteers, gentlemen of the second cabin, were sent off, about seven a.m., with a fistful of small bread each, as the only scanty supply of provisions which could be spared, bearing three letters - one from the surgeon superintendent to the Colonial Office in Melbourne, and two from myself; one to Bright Brothers of Melbourne (the Black Ball Line's agents), requesting immediate assistance and another to the superintendent of the lighthouse, asking what supply of provisions he could spare in case of urgent need. When this party went away, we directed our attention to the landing of provisions, landing as much as possible for the famishing passengers.

Parry who had initially been in charge of a life boat when getting passengers ashore and had then led the walk to the lighthouse, must by now have been famished and in need of sleep. Nevertheless, once he learned that the cable link with Cape Otway had long since been broken, he did not hesitate to accept the offer of a lightstation whaleboat as the only means of crossing Bass Strait to Port Phillip Heads nearly 165 km away. He was away within two hours.


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