Beach walk leads to rare shipwreck discovery

AFTER years of surrendering small treasures to beachcombers, the Point Lonsdale tides have laid bare the remnants of a shipwreck, sparking new excitement about the region’s maritime history.

The small vessel was discovered by Mark Longden and his wife, Lucy, who have for more than 30 years walked the beach, gathering the small pieces of pottery, porcelain and sea glass that wash up on shore.

“You can pick that up and wonder about it, put it in your pocket. Before you know it, you’ve got a collection,” Mr Longden said.

“We wouldn’t be by ourselves. There’d be lots of homes around here that would have this sort of thing lying around. But for people that don’t live near here, or near the coast, they’re probably a bit surprised by what’s around.”

 

 

But one Friday morning in October, the familiar stretch of beach revealed something different.

“On this day, there were bits of wood sticking out of the sand, which we don’t normally see,” he said. “On closer inspection, we saw the curve of the wood and thought, ‘We could be onto something here; this is not our normal walk on the beach’.”

Mr Longden contacted long-time friend and Queenscliffe Maritime Museum volunteer Jamie McKechnie. A repository for shipwreck artifacts, the museum has a strong relationship with Heritage Victoria. By Monday, two archaeologists were on the beach investigating the find.

“It was more exciting watching them, how enthused they were, because it’s their thing and they’re really into it and trying to fill in the pieces,” Longden said.

 

 

Heritage Victoria’s maritime archaeology team carried out a small test excavation to reveal the vessel’s timber hull.

While the shipwreck’s identity is yet to be confirmed, samples and measurements collected at the site will assist the team in tracing its history.

Its small length, about 20m, suggests it was a local sailing vessel — possibly a fishing boat — while its condition and structure indicate it could date back to the late 19th century or early 20th century.

It is estimated 660 historic shipwrecks are resting around the Victorian coast, but only half have been found. In the Port Phillip Heads area alone, there are an estimated 100 wrecks.

 

 

Heritage Victoria senior maritime archaeologist Danielle Wilkinson, who is part of the team working to identify the Point Lonsdale shipwreck, said each new find adds another piece to the state’s maritime story.

“Identifying a new shipwreck is like solving a cold case — we record information visible from the site and combine that with historic research to figure out the story behind this shipwreck.”

Shipwrecks more than 75 years old are automatically protected by state and federal heritage laws and cannot be disturbed without a permit.

 

 

“We rely on the eyes and ears of the public to report any shipwreck discoveries to us so we can learn more about our past and protect our maritime heritage,” Wilkinson said.

The Point Lonsdale wreck will stay on the beach, shieled by the natural movement of the sand.

Mere days after Heritage Victoria’s investigation, the vessel had already been reclaimed by the sand. There it will remain until the tides reveal it once more.

“It’ll make someone else’s day some other time,” Mr Longden said.