Please wait. Contacting image service... loading

Article text

VICTOR HARBOUR AND ENCOUNTER
BAY.
By A. GRENFELL PRICE. M.A.
Encounter Ray was first discovered in
April, 1802, by Captain Matthew Flin-
ders, who named it for well-known
[?] and from this time onwards
the region came under the notice or
the wild gangs of sealers and whalers
who operated along the southern coast
from Baas Strait to King George's
Sound. As early as 1803 an American
sealer, the Union, under Captain
Pendleton or Pemberton, wintered at
American River, Kangaroo Island,
where a schooner of 35 tons, the In-
dependence, was built by the crew.
From about 1813 onwards the sealers
appear to have formed a more or less
continuous settlement on the island,
and there Is no doubt that they made
the acquaintance of the shores of En-
counter Bay, and provided themselves
with wives from the native tribes.
About the end of 1828 some of the
sealers discovered Lake Alexandrina,
which they reported was three days'
journey from Cape Jervis, so that the
locality was fairly well known.
The first map which is known to
show the region in some detail is that
printed in the second volume of Cap-
tain Charles Sturt's 'Two Expeditions
Into the Interior of Southern Austra-
lia, 1828-1831," This map, which was
published in 1833, appears to be based
upon information collected in Sturt's
great voyage on the Murray (1829-31)
and upon the explorations of the un-
fortunate Captain Collet Barker which
terminated to his murder at the Mur-
ray mouth in April, 1831. The map
shows Seal Rock, Granite Island and
Reef, the Anchorage under the wes-
tern side of Granite Island, and a
Rocky Point, where now stands Port
ElIiot, which, before Governor Fox
Young saw the place its present name,
was known as Freeman's Nob. The
map also shows the Goolwa channel
of the River Murray, down which Sturt
voyaged to the sea. Sturt himself
journeyed along the beach from about
the vicinity of Goolwa to the Murray
Mouth and back to Goolwa again, so
that he may have inserted some de-
tails from observsations taken then.
Barker and his party followed the hills
around Encounter Bay from the vi-
cinity of the Inman to a point above
Goolwa, whence they decended be-
fore the death of the leader at the
Murray mouth, so that they would
have gained a good knowledge of
the Victor Harbour region. After
Barker's murder, the party employed
two of the Kangatoo IsJands ealers and
some native women to learn the details
of the leader's fate, and doubtless from
these people further particulars of the
region were obtained, but unfortunatey
the log of Barker's vessel, the Isabella
and the journal of Kent, the second in
command of the party have been lost.
Southern Coast Not Approved as Site
of Capital
When preparations ware made for the
official settlement of 1836, the duty of
selecting the site for the first settle-
ment was entrusted to Colonel William
Light, who was instructed to examine
amongst other positions the Murray
mouth. But Light had an immense
task, s the vessels with the settlers were
right at his heels, and he was unfavor-
ably impressed with the Encounter
Bay region, which he hastily examined
from the sea, while beating along the
shore towards Backstairs Passage. The
open, exposed, and sandy coast seemed
to ?? for the dangerous a lee shore for
the small sailing vessels of the day,
even if it were possible to enter the
Murray mouth, and, although he knew
of the presence of a number of small
rock islands, he considered the whole
region too dangerous for a settlement
to me made. In this he followed the
view of Sturt, who had condemned
the Murray Mouth from his own ob-
servations, and from the report of
??? expedition, considering that
the future capital—Adelaide—should be
where the Outer Harbour now stands:
?? research has disclosed the inte-
resting fact that Barker discovered
Port Adelaide from the top of Mount
Lofty, which he ascended in 1831, and
that he returned to the Isabella and
explored this inlet—a fact which was
known to Sturt. Light adopted Sturt's
views, and carefully examined the
eastern shores of St. Vincent Gulf,
with the result that the present site of
Adelaide, and a harbor on the inlet
found by Barker, was his final choice.
There is no doubt, however, that it was
a main object of the founders to place
the settlement as near the Murray as
they could. When Light selected the
Adelaide site, he believed that the hills
terminated to the northward, and an
easy pathway to the Murray would be
discovered. Had he failed to find the
great natural advantages of the Ade-
laide plains and harbor, there is evi-
dence that he would have placed the
capital at Rapid Bay, near Yankalilla,
which he believed, from Barker's ac-
count, commanded a pass to
Encounter Bay and the river.
In England the Commissioners, who
virtually governed the colony, expressed
dispproval that Lighbt had not examined
the Muray mouth, but concurred in
his choice, and, in spite of efforts by
Governor Hindmarsh and others to
move the capitl site to Encounter Bay,
Adelaide remained the scene of the
establishment of South Australia.
As Encounter Bay was rejected for
the locality of the first settlement it
developed on other lines. The official
occupation of Adelaide concurred in De-
cember, 1835, but in the previous July
vessels of the South Australian Com-
pany arrived to conduct whaling and
trading from a base at Kingscote, on
Nepean Bay, Kangaroo Island. Owing
to the mismanagement of the com-
pany's colonial manager, Samuel
Stephens, who knew little about mer-
antile operations, and was totally un-
able to manage the officers and crews,
very little progress was made, but early
ftw nMrnnnfffniT ifTP 1 7**^ ]ci *?
"""Wff^* wpniMim say. Tne
ftorjr whWi MSowc has not been pub
gwwa aslsV as Is known. Ris taken
BPl^f 1^" books of ttw
jfe Oaorge Plfe Angas, who
Jl"?"5j?f*«to time was chairman
m ttw aWsotorate In London.
Tha WkaUag ladastry.
"■■win, jun., of Sydney, designed to
esmmenqe whaling and graetng at En
ewjwnr Bay, and on February 13, 1837,
fflffi*snltbj Captain Blenainaopp in the
"S*. whtoh reached Antechamber Bay
g? ."Pfc i- . On March 5 Btenkinsopu
■amuei Stephens, and, on
nwaw?ast npresentatton of the latter,
■mmf to put his whaung statmn ~* ;
owwms fmn ttw oomp^ry- :,.. oV
ojamttww. although he pointed out that
{JWlBttw grpwiwws of wluOing in New
HgwM ttw parties would do much
gj«£«>f? «?«?*?« together. No
HP ?"an ant parties were working in
pjwdir Bay, where there «ere fower
wjawa In spite of this agreement,
Btaokuwopp aUmd that at the mid
•Ufftl Mlgwbw; fttophwu set saU in a
MMinr tenunur Bay and chow a
*W*mat_Tha Bluff, which was named
Mfftta Jiaatf la compUment to Mrs.
M«u. Menkinsapp saUed to Amencun
nlvwr for spars, but on March 18 he
£SS2L'ft/5% •tattaiTunder thi
•a«MB w> of Granite Island, where
"••*• was •roadstead which he named
of ttk^statton he called Anne Vale, aftei-
Sff ""!*• "*?•?* no offlclal reeog
ta*~iV SOL SS e«S?*5 lS9 y changed.
Smu(a^LSSSL ta^^ u*dVtnc?
■wmt at appued in some way to per
ggato ttw flrat settlement at Vfctor
#^fi^-.JP^5 M9 le w W" account
of ttw foundation of his statirm. goes
JKgad was the first ship to visit th?
'spat, and that subsequently he himseir
acted as pilot tothe M.M.B. Victor.
undar Ouitaln Crazier, who gave the
* pjaos Its name, the Statesman, under
Capteln Coffin, and the Sir Francis
nwlmg, of Sydney. The Statesman
wat an?Am«naan whaler, which had
twan whaling in these waters for U-e
■Mater part of the season. On Apiii
11, ItST, Blenkinsopp departed for
•tuney. and when he returned on Jun?
M of the name year, he aliened that he
had serious grievances against th"
Bsutb. Australian Company. He stated
that fllWjttin ffright, of the v WUllam
(note Wright Island), had enticed away 1
J- J. Driscoll, one of Blenkinsopp's :
steersmen, and when he complained to '
Samuel Stephens that the officers of ]
the company had caused the deser- ,
tion of many of his best men, Stephens ;
dismissed Driscoll and sent him to j
Adelaide with a native guide, who (as
the official records show) murdered him :
on the way. Blenkinsopp stated that '.
the company's actions had robbed him ;
of 54 out of 64 men, and wrote to
Mr. G. F. Angas in November. 1837, to :
say that his firm were r.la.imtng dam- :
ages la the loss of oil and whalebone ,
to the extent of £11,827. Numerous
troubles of this kind between various
whalers in Encounter Bay proved a :
source of dUfioulty to the Adelaide '
Government, and officers such as '
Usher, the Resident Commissioner, and
Light, found it necessary to visit the ,
district to adjust various claims, !
BlenUasepp and Jeffcatt Drownrd. ;
Unfortunately Abm&*r soon over- j
took both the whaling parties. In ■
December. 1837, Blenkinsopp was |
dtqwned with the Judge. Sir John
Jeffcott, while attempting to prove the j
navigability of the Murray Mouth by |
whaleboat. On December 10, the com- '
pany's barque, the South Australian, 1
was driven ashore in Encounter Bay
in a terrific gale from the south-east
and utterly wrecked. On the 21st
of the same month the Solway and
John Pirie. also vessels of the com
pany, were overwhelmed by a SJSJ2.
storm while lying in Rosetta Cove,
with the result that the former vessel
was wrecked and the latter stranded.
Captain Martin saved the John Pirie
by magnificent seamanship, for when
her cables parted he hoisted sail
and brought her across the wave-swep;
reef within a few yards of Wright
Island. In the same season the States
man broke the flukes of her anchor
three times while lying m?H?i- Granite
Island, and the Francis Preeung
broke an anchor in a snore wind, and
driving very near Bea Bock left, "not
conceiving the place safe." This
damage to various vessels was a heavy
blow to the colony, and to the Sooth
Australian Company, white the wrecks
and the drowning of Judge Jeffcott in
the Murray Mouth destroyed an Hopes
that Hindmarsh's efforts to remove the
capital would meet with success
Hindmareh. however, was npfi«*flT?t, to
abandon his belief in the future of
BnommfaT Bay and the Murray
Mouth, and on hi* recall m July, I*3B,
An interesting survey, made about
this time, shows two towns laid out
at Victor Harbour-?the me on the
fresh water at tfce bead of the estuary
of the river Htndmanh, the otter as
a loo*, narrow town alms the shore
line from tt? present t&e of Victor
Harbour to Jtaonmter Bay. Mean
while, the first industry of me region
—*he whaling—met with relatively
poorresults as conducted by the South
Australian Company, and **fn Hack,
who bad purchased BtenMnSapp'siita
tton at Anne Vale. The failure of tbe
company was due to the character of
Its captains and sailors, and to the fact
that the manager, David McLaren, who
succeeded Samuel Stephens, possessed
no experience in mercantile affairs, and
abominated the trade. McLaren, a
rigid Christian complained bitterly that
the Sabbath was violated If whales ap
peared, and that many of the whalers
wens dissolute, quarrelsome drunkards.
There were many technical difficulties
such as the remuneration of the
whalers, and the shipping of oil, which
were bandied in a very ignorant *my,
and further dJfflmlHes appeared m
IMO. when two vessels arrived from
Van Diemen's land, equipped with a
new and fast model of rowing boat,
which outdistanced the company's
the directors decided toabsnoan toe
industry, smi lti? liiaiHtnr aJhjMfajrlf
jS2SL*K2 «* «a? emup?ient to the
ttaaatwith whom they were then Bsh
m& •7 3£ tetterUm fpmOs a profit of
f f%J*2&LJ n>OIM wnoare Interested
to thta chapter of early Victor Harboar
btotory can read Wftm dlfflcultie. of
bk company, the industry, and
of the shipwrecks, in dodger's
-South Australia in 1*37," andtntne
P^(lnitWiMn*i of jhe late M?
3isip«an?ewlaail to tbe tenth Anatca
•he journal' of the society volume.
Those who wish to j?ctouTttewea^
wjw *Ml find a view of the company*
ftettnn m the shoreline to tte east of
Rosetta Head to Stenhens 4* "History «f
South Australia. 1859." Blenktasoptfs
station is not .hown, but teseensto
have placed his shears about half-way
along Oranlte Island on the eastern
sue,
PwservMMt nhe j Nrtnt Beartfc. at a
qisrts— Osast"
During tbe Itnanrlal troubles of. the
early forties Encounter Bay languished
untU Governor Sir Henry FoxYbtnv
took up ua qvesttm tfSe navigate
of the Murray about 1848. altbongb
canalcould be cut from Reonan* Nob
to the Murray at Ooolwa, and, despite
the opposition of vested mt?reststo
£slzS&'s?l?doutanart«rf5 lzS&'5?1?doutanart«rf Ms pro
ject with that portion of the Sand
sales money which was vested in the
Crown. In April. 1850, Young and
SS^f? 1*!? 5' TlsUed Freeman's Nob,
which the Governor named Port Elliot
after his friend, the Governor of tbe
Bermudas, and stated that it would
mate an excellent harbor for the river
*"■*•. -J??" I**1 ** were constructed here
*™*at poolwa; the two ports were con
nected by a tramway; and at the ocean
roadstead a breakwater was made. Un
iortuuately, however, although great
Murray traffic fouowwtPSrt raSot
Provedunsatisfactory, and no less than
im£ ve^£? were wrecfeed by gales in
I*M. Shipmasters then turned back
to the roadstead of Victor Harbour!
and the Goolwa tramway was extended
toJ£ a' w P"**v?<* to the following
years the Victorian railways reached
Echuca andother towns en the Mu
rray, and, owing to shorter ithtmwg.
more rapidl transport. larger^a*eS
weater business houses, and liberal
freight concessions, the Victorians cap-
f ur«g«no6t of the river traded Soy
E,]*? SJ* 'Soul* Australia arouse her
s^to the danger or the position and
attempt to regain her sway by spend
ing some £300.000 on a fan?*water~and
other works at Victor HaAour^BuHt
the same time she ruined her efforts
to develop the port by^SnSrucE
"?e the Morgan railway with the
result that a smaller tonnage of ship!
&E? ;S ter?dJ nctor HirtourthanlS?:
fcS£ t&L w2! to were canto* out, while.
Jrtthjthe further development* of the
Murray railways, even that tonnage
oiea away.
The history of Victor Harbour was
singularly unfortunate in regard to the
ntfustry-^hs! whaling-and the prob
lem of the Murray mouth. Had the
founders of South Australia possessed
large sums of capital it is possible that
they might have constructed a safe
port at Victor Harbour, drawn com
merce eastwards from the central high
lands, and developed a permanent
Murray trade. But even hi this case
there would have been great difficulties
for the fertility of South Australia Ues
very largely on the western slooe of
tbe highlands and in the gulf plains
which Adelaide """""bthlit while
South Australia could never haw held
the Murray commerce against rival
colonies, unless Australia had been
under a central Government, which
could prevent the growth of competing
railways and arrange for the concen
tration of the commerce of the Mur
ray basin on an outlet at the mouth.
', In the circumstances of the time and
of the colony. Colonel Light made a
; correct choice: for the later wrecks in
Encounter Bay showed conclusively
what course events would have taken
. had he selected for the settlement the
Victor Harbour site. And the present
• | nencration can d?rive no small mea
i; pure of comfort from the following
fact: In rejecting Victor Harbour for
• j the capital or its seaport. Light saved
11 the region from the curse of indus
l | trialism, and when the granite reefs
$