Wild weather uncovers 'amazing' 160-year-old find on Aussie beach
Unprecedented storms have uncovered the wreck of the Amazon, a ship that has been mostly buried for over 160 years.
Ferocious storms that battered the southeast of Australia in recent days have unearthed the buried wreck of a ship that sank over 160 years ago. Dozens of sightseers have flocked to the beach at low tide to catch a glimpse of the astonishingly well-preserved remains of the Amazon.
“Nobody in our lifetime has seen this much of it,” local expert Karyn Bugeja told Yahoo News. “I’ve never seen waves like that before. It’s been very exciting.”
The edges of the Amazon's hardwood hull have routinely surfaced during low tide since it sank in 1863 at Inverloch on Victoria’s rugged Bass Coast. But on Monday the ocean completely uncovered the starboard side of the ship.
By the afternoon excitement had turned to alarm after Bugeja and her colleagues at Amazon 1863 Project, a group that works to protect the wreck, received a report that the ancient piece of Australian history was floating away. “To see something of that weight just being moved around in the water like a cork was incredible but also sad and scary,” she said.
She was back at the site at 5am on Tuesday looking for the Amazon, and to her relief it appears to have settled on the sand.
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'Intrigued' at remarkable preservation of ancient wreck
When Yahoo News arrived to visit the wreck later in the morning, dozens of locals were braving icy winds to marvel at the sight. The discovery was exciting enough for kids to take a detour on their way to school, parents to turn a blind eye, and a few tradies to race down to take an impromptu smoko on the beach.
Inverloch resident Paula said it was “quite exciting” and that so much of the wreck had been exposed. “I’ve seen bits and pieces of it, but this is the first time I’ve seen this much of it,” she said.
Another local Steven found it “intriguing” that the remains of the ship had survived over 160 years on the beach. “It’s fascinating looking at it. And I’m just fascinated by how phenomenally heavy the timbers are. And yet, this wasn't a huge ship. The way they milled and joined and curved timbers of that dimension is mind boggling,” he said.
Friends Phil and Steve spent a long time examining the wreck up close, and were enthusiastically discussing the workmanship. “I reckon it’s cool,” Steve said. “I think it’s amazing that it’s still together,” Phil added.
Unfortunately, several spooky looking attachments known as "deadeyes" that were used to secure rope to the ship have not surfaced this time. Locals are hopeful they haven't been lost and may surface again in the future.
Wild event that led to the sinking of Amazon in 1863
Large areas of nearby beach have been fenced off due to heavy erosion, and sandbags are safeguarding the Inverloch Surf Life Saving Club which sits at the water’s edge. Trees have crashed down, blocking traffic and cutting power to some homes.
In a case of history repeating itself, it was actually a fierce storm and possibly even a hurricane that led to the sinking of the Jersey-built Amazon in December, 1863.
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There were 15 people on board the cargo ship when it left Port Phillip in Melbourne for the island of Mauritius. The crew weren’t intending to sail past Inverloch but the storm sent them east and it was damaged on rocks.
Exhausted after battling the storm for 48 hours, the captain made the decision to run the ship aground and evacuate.
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Amazon 1863 Project’s Adrian Brewer told Yahoo News locals have always anecdotally shared stories of the wreck’s existence, but it wasn’t until 2018 when Heritage Victoria did an archeological survey that it became better known.
“There’s a lot of evidence she was going to Mauritius to get sugar,” he said.
“When she was beached, the keel which ran the full length of the ship was ripped off and she came apart. All the crew survived, there were no deaths. It was a good story.”
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