Ethel Wreck Boardwalk with Ron Kandelaars: In the Yorke Peninsula region of South Australia

Many sailors have rounded the stretch of coastline at the bottom of Yorke Peninsula with their hearts in their mouths.

In the early days of South Australian settlement a number of sailing ships and steamers came to grief at the bottom end of Yorke.

An underwater trail around the Peninsula's coastline offers plenty for the trained diver - like the wreck of the Clan Ranald which went down in 1909 not far from the Troubridge Island lighthouse. Caught in strong winds and heavy seas she went sank with the loss of 63 crew members.

Further south, just off the rocks near spectacular Althorpe Island and its remote lighthouse, the American vessel the Pareora sank in 1919 with the loss of its skipper and ten crew.

Many of these wrecks are accessible to only the committed adventurer with a dive ticket but at Innes National Park a new viewing platform has brought tourists much closer to South Australia's shipwreck trail.

“We've used cypress pine and locally sourced limestone,” explained Innes National Park Ranger, Caroline Paterson. “It's a fantastic platform to take in what is one of the most spectacular places at Innes National Park. We've also got stairs so there's the option for people to walk down to the beach. But for those who are less mobile they can come up here.”

From the viewing platform you can marvel at the power of the sea which brought two vessels to their final resting-places on the beach below. And depending on your fitness and sense of adventure you can descend even closer to a series of staged platforms, which are built into the limestone ledge.

The boardwalk's steps take you all the way onto Ethel Wreck Beach that was named after an iron barque which aground further out to sea.

“In 1904 a Norwegian ship called the Ethel encountered really rough seas out here and got into difficulties,” said Caroline. “Ironically there was a ship in the area called the Ferret which tried to assist but was not able to help and had to keep steaming on to raise the alarm further around at Troughbridge Island.”

With the Ferret gone, the desperate crew on board the Ethel began to take some desperate measures. Nineteen year old seaman, Leonard Stenersen, tied a rope tied around his body and tried to swim ashore but drowned after being dragged out by the notorious undertow. The rest of the crew made it to shore the following day when the weather eased.

But that wasn't the end of this amazing tale. A salvage attempt was made to retrieve the Ethel which was beached many metres offshore. Midway through the rescue operation another storm hit. The Ethel's salvage lines snapped and she slammed into the beach - where she’s been now for a little more than a century.

Now, with the aid of the new boardwalk visitors can wander around what is one of the talking points of Innes National Park. And they're never far from the other part of this strange tale - the remains of the little steamer that came to the Ethel's aid on that fateful night in 1904.

“It was as if fate had decreed that the two vessels should have their final resting place at Ethel Wreck Beach,” said Caroline. “Because sixteen years after attempting to help the Ethel the re-named Ferret also ran aground.

Her boiler protrudes from the sand just metres from the Ethel. The Ferret's crew managed to reach the shore but the Steamer’s cargo of Christmas grog never reached its final destination thanks to the workers at nearby Inneston.

“Apparently it was transporting alcohol and, of course, when it was wrecked alcohol kept washing into the shore which was a bit tempting for the local workers and apparently the absenteeism at the gypsum mines had never been higher than when the Ferret's loot was washing up on the beach.”

The Ethel Wreck Boardwalk is a feature of Innes National Park at the bottom end of Yorke Peninsula. It's a good three-hour drive from Adelaide. If you have any further questions please email info@postcards-sa.com.au

Ethel Wreck Boardwalk
Innes National Park
Bottom of Yorke Peninsula
3 hour drive ex Adelaide