Falls of Halladale (1886-1908)

Falls of Halladale (1886-1908)

Falls of Halladale was one of the last of the "windjammers". It belonged top the celebrated Glasgow Falls Line: a fleet which was built for carrying cargo and for speed under sail.

Falls of Halladale had a reputation for running overdue and was frequently reported as "missing" at sea. The longest and most arduous of the ship's journeys was from Liverpool to San Francisco in 1903. The captain intended to take the vessel around Cape Horn but fierce winds and mountainous seas forced a change of course around the much longer "great circle Route". By the time the ship reached New Zealand, the exhausted crew mutinied and forced the ship to anchor in Foveaux Strait for several days. Finally with the mutineers in irons, Falls of Halladale limped into San Francisco just 273 days after it had left Liverpool.

When Falls of Halladale wrecked at Curdies Inlet near Peterborough, a cargo of thousands of slate tiles sank with it. Twenty-two thousand were recovered during legal salvage operations between 1974 and 1986. The tiles can be seen today at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum where they have been used as roofing tiles on eight of the restored village buildings.

The final voyage of Falls of Halladale

On August 4, 1908, Falls of Halladale left New York bound for Melbourne. Captain Thompson, who was in command of the ship, was pleased with the general cargo he had secured for the journey. Valued at £35,000, it included 500 sewing machines, plumbing iron, 6,500 gallons of oil, 14,400 gallons of benzine, glassware and 56,763 beautiful American slate tiles.

Falls of Halladale was making good time as it neared the southern Victorian coastline in the early hours of Saturday November 13. The sea was calm and the weather fine. A mist hung over the sea creating an illusionary horizon. This confused the captain who calculated the ship's position as 15 kilometres from the coast.

As the fog lifted, the crew and captain of Falls of Halladale found themselves with full sails set and billowing and only a few hundred metres from the shore heading straight for the rocks. The call "land close to the lee bow" was screamed but it was too late. Within two minutes the ship had struck a submerged reef. An eye witness said, "the ship seemed to leap from the water. In falling it seemed to jam hard and fast on the rocks". As the waves broke over the deck, the ship began to fill with water. The order "save your lives" was given and two lifeboats were hoisted clear of the ship. The lifeboats could not land directly on shore at the wreck site but instead were rowed four and a half miles to a sandy beach in the Bay of Islands.

The stranding of Falls of Halladale was witnessed by the postmistress at Peterborough. She had been issued with a telescope by the government for sighting vessels in distress and was able to raise the alarm among the townsfolk. A small group set out for the Bay of Islands to help the stranded sailors. The rocket crew arrived from Port Campbell but were not needed as the crew and Captain had all made it safely to shore.

Falls of Halladale sat wedged firmly between two reefs for weeks and drew a large crowd of onlookers. One newspaper reported, "she is resting on an almost even keel with all her masts and rigging standing and with her canvas swelling out in a light breeze. She presents a most impressive sight".

After two months the ship was wrecked. Rough seas had pounded the vessel and the salvage company had blasted the ship. Much of the valuable cargo was washed ashore including a large quantity of oil, causing one of Victoria's earliest oil spills.

Captain Thompson was found guilty by the Court of Marine Inquiry of gross misconduct and had his certificate suspended for six months.

Ship construction

Falls of Halladale was a magnificent four masted iron barque. It was built in Scotland in 1886 and incorporated the most up-to-date technical innovations for its time. In the fury of a hurricane, the ship could carry full sail safely without straining its masts. In its 23 years of operation, Falls of Halladale sailed the world trade routes through the "roaring forties" and "howling fifties" and was capable of making 300 nautical miles in 24 hours.

The vessel measured 275.2ft (83.8m) in length, 41.6ft (12.6m) in breadth, 23.9ft (7.2m) in depth and had a gross tonnage of 2085 tons.

Victoria's historic shipwrecks

Despite Victoria being such a busy shipping region and although Bass Strait and the entrance to Port Phillip Bay presented many hazards to the unwary sailor, only 800 shipwrecks have occurred along the Victorian coast since 1797. Fewer than 200 of these wrecks have actually been found. All Australian shipwrecks over 75 years old are protected by state and Commonwealth historic shipwreck laws. Some younger wrecks may also be especially declared to be historic eg; World War II wrecks.

Diving on the wreck of Falls of Halladale

Falls of Halladale is one of the many historic shipwrecks included in Victoria's Underwater Shipwreck Discovery Trail. Qualified divers can explore the wrecks of old wooden clippers, iron steamships and cargo and passenger vessels located along the coast and in Port Phillip Bay. Some of these wreck dives are suitable for beginners while other wrecks require the skills and experience of advanced divers.

Dive information sheet