Maritime Trail

With relentless surf like this it's not hard to see why the tip of Yorke Peninsula is littered with shipwrecks. And as if the waves weren't enough, there's always the array of islands and reefs, major hazards to any unsuspecting skipper. Now an interpretative Maritime Trail along the Yorke Peninsula coastline brings to life these tales of bravery and tragedy. Like the story of the Ethel which ran aground on this beach ninety five years ago. She sailed from South Africa to pick up cargo of wheat at Port Adelaide when she struck a reef leaving the vessel at the mercy of the wind and waves. Caught in a freak storm , the Norwegian Captain asked for a volunteer to swim ashore and raise the alarm. "Eighteen year old Leonard Sterneson said he'd give it a go and he dived into the pounding surf with a security rope attached. He actually made it to shore only to loose his footing and to be sucked back into the monstrous waves. He then raised his arm and his mates on board hauled him back to the stricken vessel only to lose him at the last minute." By daybreak the storm had passed and all except Sterneson walked ashore. For many years the Ethel was a favourite picnic site and a photographer's dream. This film was taken in 1935 and reveals how the superstructure remained in tact years after the initial tragedy. It soon become a gannet for intrepid adventurers from the nearby salt and gypsum works at Inneston. "You cold get on this bloomin thing and right down in the hull and cabins." Ironically the vessel that first raised the alarm back in 1904 would also run aground here sixteen years later. Bound for Port Victoria, the steamer the Ferret was caught in a thick fog. The Captain changed course to avoid nearby Althorpe Island and instead crashed into the beach a harrowing experience for the crew, all of which survived. And it certainly caused a stir at Inneston with the gypsum and salt workers making a bee-line for the beach, "She had a general cargo and amongst that general cargo there was a lot of grog, bottles of grog and eventually it all washed ashore, the whole lot washed ashore. Word got around and to finish up the whole bloomin thing shut down over there."

Now all that remains of the Ferrett is this boiler and over the years the surf has slowly taken its toll on both vessels. "You'll often see walking along the beach here in summertime a lot of iron from both ships simply being tossed halfway up the cliff here and that will give you an indication of the power of the swell and the size of the waves that hit this beach. Today is actually fairly mild, sometimes in winter time you can come here and the waves are about four to five metres high." With seas like that its not hard to see why other vessels like the Clan Ranald came to grief along the Yorke Peninsula coastline. A popular spot with divers, the remains of the Clan Ranald now evoke memories of that night ninety years ago when she capsized in heavy seas taking forty crew members with her. Most were sailors of Asian and Indian origin, referred to at the time as Lascars. From the serenity of historic Inneston, it's hard to imagine the ships graveyard that exists out to sea. But from here many's the time that rescue parties would gather to assist a stricken vessel and its crew. Now a number of the town's old cottages have been restored including some owned by the National Park's and Wildlife like the managers Lodge. It offers the ideal base from which to explore the nearby coastline and the town below. "That's where they mined the gypsum from. The lake was more or less pumped dry before the gypsum could be extracted. Two men were employed solely to bore holes into the ground and stick gelignite into the holes there, run like hell and the heavy loads of solid rock was blasted from the salt bed."

Inneston is much more peaceful now and offers some stunning views of Haystack and Seal Islands part of the Althorpe group. The Manager's Lodge offers basic accommodation for up to ten people at extremely reasonable rates. You'll need to bring your own linen and food. Bookings for heritage Accommodation at Innes National Park can be made on (08) 8554 4040. The Park Headquarters also has information on the Maritime Heritage Trail. Entry into the park is $5 per vehicle.

For more information you can email info@postcards.sa.com.au