K’gari Shipwrecks

The SS Maheno is the most famous shipwreck on K’gari and has become a landmark attraction. Built in 1905, the SS Maheno was one of the first turbine-driven steamers. She plied a regular route between Sydney and Auckland until she was commissioned as a hospital ship in Europe during World War One. She also served in the Mediterranean and the Red Sea.

In 1935, she and her sister ship the Oonah were sold to Japan for scrap.

The rudders of the boats were removed and they were being towed to Japan. When they reached Queensland Waters, a cyclonic storm snapped the tow chain and the Maheno drifted helplessly onto K’gari's 75 Mile Beach.

The Seabelle was one of the first ships to be recorded as lost off K’gari. The 158-ton schooner left Rockhampton on 7 March 1857 and was wrecked the following day on Breaksea Spit, the north-eastern tip of the island.

Rumours abounded about survivors of the Seabelle. A white woman and two white girls were reported to be living with K’gari aboriginals. New South Wales authorities commissioned the captain of the Coquette to investigate, and he brought to Sydney two young girls who were albino. They were never returned to their parents as he had promised and they died in an institution in Sydney at an early age.

Whilst enroute from Sydney to London, the Sterling Castle struck a coral reef north of K’gari on 22 May 1836. A longboat containing crew, Captain James Fraser and his wife Eliza Fraser landed near Waddy Point.

Half the party walked south and were rescued by hunters from the Moreton Bay settlement. The others subsisted with the Aborigines for seven weeks, during which time Captain Fraser died. A rescue party set out from Brisbane with two former convicts who had lived with the Aborigines. Eliza and three survivors were rescued. Mrs Fraser became a celebrity and her exaggerated accounts of her ordeal lead to widespread hostility towards the Aborigines.

An American sailing ship, the Panama hit Breaksea Spit and was beached at Rooney's Point in 1864. The passengers and some crew camped on the beach, but returned to the ship when Aborigines entered the camp and took their goods. Later the Aborigines tried to get on board but were rebuffed by the sailors' cutlasses. The captain and several of the crew escaped in a lifeboat and were picked up near Woody Island.

The Ottawa was grounded just south of Indian Head on 28 March 1879, providing a boon for the Aborigines who raided the ship's cargo of spirits while the crew were away looking for help.

A luxury Italian liner, the Marloo hit the Sandy Cape shoal in calm water on September 27, 1914. The ship was beached and help was sought from Sandy Cape lighthouse.

The Aramac was another victim of the Breaksea Spit. In 1904 it bumped hard several times on the sand spit but continued on. However, after 24km it was leaking badly. The crew and passengers took to the boats and safely reached Burnett Heads and Baffle Point. The captain and six men remained on board and finally succeeded in anchoring Aramac in the protection of Platypus Bay.