King Island’s coastline doesn’t give up its stories easily. Some of the best stories about King Island shipwrecks aren’t about the wrecks themselves. They’re about what happened on the shore afterwards.
We’ve already told the story of King Island’s two lighthouses in Out of the Dark. This one goes further back. It looks at the wrecks that came before any light existed, and the harbours that grew out of the wreckage.
How many ships have wrecked off King Island?
King Island has more recorded shipwrecks than anywhere else in Australia, over sixty of them. Most happened before either lighthouse existed, when a lookout’s shout was the only warning anyone got.
What was the Netherby’s miracle?
The Netherby ran aground on King Island’s west coast in 1866, and every single person on board survived.
The ship had already survived a pirate attack off the coast of China in 1864. Two years later, she set sail for Australia again. On 14 July 1866, thick fog rolled in as the Netherby approached Bass Strait. The lookout called breakers far too late, and the ship ran straight onto the rocks.
There were 413 passengers and 38 crew on board, 451 people in total. Every one of them reached the shore safely. Many went on to build families and careers that shaped Australia for generations.
What was the Cataraqui disaster?
The Cataraqui wrecked off King Island in 1845, killing around 400 of the 409 people on board. It remains Australia’s worst civil maritime disaster.
Survivors spent five weeks stranded on the island before a passing ship finally found them. David Howie, a former convict, discovered them, sheltered them and later buried the dead.
We’ve covered the Cataraqui’s full story, and how it led directly to King Island’s lighthouses, in Out of the Dark. You can also read the original details on the Cataraqui Maritime Trail page.
How did Currie Harbour become a safe haven?
Currie Harbour grew out of necessity, built by salvagers who had nowhere else to shelter their boats.
David Howie used the spot as a landing point during his patrols of the Strait. Nobody called it a harbour back then. In 1866, salvager Archibald Currie set up camp there, with huts, gardens and even a smithy. He needed it to guard everything his crew recovered from the wrecked Netherby.
The harbour earned its keep less than a decade later. The British Admiral wrecked nearby in 1874, and the Blencathra followed in 1875. Salvage crews needed somewhere sheltered to land the recovered cargo before shipping it on to Melbourne. Howie’s old landing spot was the only real option on the west coast. People have called it Currie Harbour ever since.
Today, Currie Harbour is one of the most relaxed spots on the island. It’s home to the Boathouse, the famous “restaurant with no food.”
What about Grassy Harbour?
Grassy Harbour’s history has nothing to do with shipwrecks. It came from mining, not maritime disaster.
The township of Grassy grew up entirely around the mining of scheelite, a mineral used to make tungsten. Mining started in the early 1900s, slowed after World War Two, then boomed again through the 1950s and 70s. Workers built the harbour itself during that boom, using leftover rock from the mine for its breakwater.
It’s a different kind of safe haven. Not for shipwreck survivors, but for a working port that kept the island’s economy afloat. You can visit Grassy Harbour today, and watch for little penguins returning ashore at dusk.
Where do the lighthouses fit in?
Both lighthouses exist because of the wrecks above, Cape Wickham in 1861 and Currie in 1880.
We’ve told that story properly in Out of the Dark – The Story of King Island’s Lighthouses. It covers why these waters needed two lighthouses, not one.
Where can you experience this history today?
Start at the King Island Historical Museum in Currie, housed in the old lighthouse keeper’s cottage. It holds relics, photographs and the original Cape Wickham lens.
From there, a short coastal walk runs from Currie Harbour to the Netherby wreck site. It’s about three kilometres along the shoreline. If you’d rather see a lighthouse from the inside, King Island Walks can take you up. They run the only tours that climb Currie Lighthouse’s 93-step staircase, and the views from the top are hugely rewarding.
Most places trade on their history with a plaque and a gift shop. King Island just leaves the wrecks where they are and lets you walk to them.
