The Schah
A Hobart to Sydney schooner lost in a gale on the coast near Mallacoota in 1837, and the second oldest identified wreck in Victorian coastal waters.
The story
The Schah left Hobart for Sydney on 15 December 1837 under Captain Milligan, carrying general cargo, 13 passengers (among them John Raine) and a crew of eight. Five days later, a gale forced her to alter course away from the shore. In the dark she drifted toward the land. One of her bower anchors broke and the other dragged, and the schooner struck the bottom violently several times.
Nine people died. Four women and a child drowned when a lifeboat capsized while it was being lowered. The wreck is recorded at Shipwreck Creek, on the coast near Mallacoota that is now part of Croajingolong National Park.
The Schah had an older and darker story. Records describe her as a former slave ship, known earlier as the Frasquita or Centella, that was later renamed. Heritage Victoria lists her as the second oldest identified wreck in Victorian coastal waters, and archaeological remains are still present at the site.
Where the records differ:
The national shipwreck record gives 13 passengers and 8 crew (21 people) but also lists 9 deaths and 13 survivors (22 people). The totals do not quite match, so treat the exact numbers with care.
Archive photographs for this wreck are being gathered and will be added here.
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More wrecks on this coast
SS Monumental City
An American steamer that had been on the Australian coast for about a month when she struck Tullaberga Island. Her loss led to the building of the Gabo Island lighthouse.
12 September 1885Harry Leonard
A locally built bark stranded in Mallacoota Inlet in the year she was built. Her final fate is uncertain.
16 May 1893Star of Mallacoota
A ketch built at Mallacoota in 1891 that left for Melbourne in 1893 and was never heard of again.
31 July 1898Emily (1898)
A Mallacoota-owned cutter that left Eden in ballast and foundered in heavy weather. Her dinghy and a cap washed up at Tullaberga Island.