SYDNEY'S GREATEST SHIPPING TRAGEDY
Above: Lithograph of the Dunbar. Courtesy of the Australian National Maritime Museum.

Left: Mr James Johnson. The only person to survive the wreck of the Dunbar. Courtesy of Mitchell Library, State Library of NSW.

The wreck of the Dunbar was one of the most tragic maritime disasters ever to occur in Australian waters and one of the most historically significant. Today, the site of the Dunbar is what divers call a "high-imagination" shipwreck: a few ballast blocks, some chain and two anchors firmly wedged into the rocks. Becca Saunders looks at the story behind this important site located south of The Gap in Sydney.

The Dunbar was built in 1854, specifically for the booming trade of gold-hungry passengers travelling between London and Sydney. The Dunbar was unanimously declared not only one of the largest merchant ships of the time, but also one of the finest and fastest. It was understandably popular with exporters, importers and passengers alike.

The Dunbar dashed against the cliffs south of The Gap. Artist unknown. Courtesy of Mitchell Library. State Library of NSW

On 31 May 1857 the Dunbar set out on its second voyage to Sydney and for 81 days the voyage was remarkably uneventful. The weather was good and steady and the ship carried virtually the same sail throughout the voyage. But by the time the Dunbar had reached Botany Bay on the last evening, the weather had deteriorated to a very dark night with gale force winds and frequent squalls which obliterated the land.

Storms were a normal occurrence for sailing ships and while passengers and crew were undoubtedly uncomfortable, there were no fears for the ship's safety. If the Dunbar had been further from its final destination, Captain Green would probably have chosen to move further to sea and ride out the storm until daybreak, but being familiar with the coastline and considering that the ship was less than 20 kilometres from its final destination, he decided to make for Sydney Harbour.

Following a frequently-practiced navigational philosophy, he proceeded up the coast with the intention of turning to port (left) when either the cliffs north of the harbour entrance were sighted or Macquarie Lighthouse, which was 1.6 kilometres south of Inner South Head, was observed to port. There was no chance of seeing North Head in such foul weather but suddenly the lighthouse appeared through the rain off the port bow. Captain Green thought he was in a position to make a run through The Heads and steered a course towards the coast.

With frequent squalls blinding the ship and without a constant reference to the lighthouse, which was at the time, the only navigational light available to ships arriving from the south, Captain Green could not have known that the strong seas had been steadily pushing the ship both south and towards the cliffs.

Looking dead ahead, the crew desperately tried to see some indication that they were in the mouth of the harbour. Suddenly, breakers were spotted frighteningly close. At the same time, they finally saw to their horror the lighthouse right above the masts. The winds and heavy seas had driven the Dunbar south of the harbour entrance and the ship was heading straight towards the cliffs.

Captain Green shouted, "Port your helm!" ... an order aimed at turning the ship to starboard into the north-east wind and out to sea. The Dunbar wallowed in the troughs parallel to the cliffs as the crew struggled to gain control, but it was too late. Tremendous seas lifted the doomed ship and dropped it onto a rock platform. The hull split open with a thundering crack and the three topmasts crashed down. It was just before midnight on 20 August 1857, and the Dunbar had met its tragic end no more than a few kilometres from its final destination.

Only one person survived, James Johnson, a member of the crew. During subsequent inquiries, he was able to describe practically every moment of the Dunbars fateful voyage up until he was washed overboard. But from that point onward, he remembered nothing until finding himself wedged into a crevice on the cliffs, ten metres above the waves.

The Gap, Sydney. The Dunbar ran onto the cliffs south of here but wreckage and bodies drifed into this area, leading people to believe for many years that the ship had sunk in The Gap. The Macquarie Lighthouse is upper right in the distance. Photograph by Becca Saunders.

The loss of the Dunbar was not immediately known and it wasnt until large quantities of flotsam began washing into Sydney Harbour the next day that an alarm was raised. Huge crowds lined the cliff-tops all day, gazing at the macabre spectacle of bodies and wreckage being washed on and off the rocks. Salvage and body recovery went on for almost 36 hours before James Johnson, practically dead from exposure, was discovered.

The passengers on the Dunbar included returning colonists, prominent people of Sydney and migrants related to well-known locals. Practically everyone in Sydney was personally associated with the tragedy and the whole town went into mourning. A subsequent hearing was held and Captain Green was absolved of all responsibility. Instead, blame was placed on inadequate pilot arrangements and too few lights on the cliffs.

The Dunbar remained undisturbed for 50 years, mainly because of confusion regarding the location of the wreck. In 1907, a keen shipwreck hunter spotted an anchor from the surface. It was salvaged in 1910 and is now on permanent display at The Gap.

The Dunbar then rested in peace for 40 more years until the mid-1950s and the advent of modern self-contained scuba diving equipment. The Dunbar was one of the richest ships wrecked on Australias coastline and it contained the worldly possessions of many wealthy people. For the next thirty years, this important piece of Australian history was repeatedly attacked by treasure hunters who souvenired gold coins, watches, whole boxes of fabulous rings and bracelets, riding spurs, crockery, cutlery, ships compasses, telescopes and cannons.

But by the late 1980s the science of maritime archaeology was a well established discipline and the historical information which could be gleaned from a wreck like the Dunbar, even after all those years of plunder, was well recognised. The most significant objects on any archaeological site are often the most mundane, but such information is meaningless unless taken in context. The relationship of materials on site, such as where they were stored, who they belonged to, and the purpose for being on board, tells more than the individual artefacts. Therefore, it was important to protect the Dunbar from any further disturbances.

From 1989 when the Dunbar received protective status under Commonwealth legislation, recreational scuba divers were free to visit the wreck, and indeed were encouraged to become familiar with their own heritage, but nothing could be disturbed or removed without permission from the NSW Heritage Office.

The NSW Heritage Office now works closely with divers in possession of Dunbar relics and over the years, many artefacts have been registered with the government. Most of them remain with their current caretakers, but photographs, descriptions and the location of the various pieces are logged in an official State Register. This information belongs to all Australians and is often referred to by museums developing displays, serious historical researchers and those who are simply curious, or even descendants of people lost on the Dunbar.