The Pocket Park that Hides Jervois Basin Ships' Graveyard
A recent housing development in a corner of Port Adelaide is the home to one of Adelaide's
true hidden secrets - a shipwreck graveyard.
The attractive landscaping of a compact but pretty pocket park is only enjoyed by local residents - it does not appear on any map, nor is it located on any main road. But the park hides several shipwrecks which played a memorable part in South Australia's history.
A Hidden Interpretive Sign Overlooking the Ships' Graveyard
There are no signs or obvious indicators of the role this area took in Port Adelaide's past, but if you take a walk through unassuming undergrowth along barely marked paths, you will find a couple of interpretive signs to spill some of the secrets of Jervois Basin. Not only will you uncover the
Jervois Basin Ships' Graveyard, but also part of the
Port Adelaide Kaurna Cultural Heritage Trail which is at risk of being hidden by vegetation.
Port Adelaide Kaurna Cultural Heritage Trail
The Jervois Basin Ships' Graveyard is home to five named shipwrecks, but when a shipwreck was disposed of here there was seldom an intention to remember it. This corner of Port Adelaide was effectively a rubbish tip for South Australia's shipping industry, and attempts were made to eradicate any shipwreck left here.
The Shipwreck of the Paddle Steamer Trafalgar
The most visible shipwreck is that of the
Paddle Steamer Trafalgar - built in 1877 at Echuca, which spent most of it's life plying the River Murray carrying both passengers and goods. On one journey it carried 208 prize Merino rams and a racehorse worth 800 guineas - a huge sum at the time. The PS Trafalgar measured 32.2m long, 5.8m wide and 2.4m deep. It was originally 228 gross tons, but when converted to a dumb barge in 1933 it dropped to 116 gross tons.
The Fitzjames - A Floating Boys' ReformatoryFrom a darker period of South Australia's history, the shipwreck Fitzjames is also believed to have been disposed of at this place. Built in 1852 in Canada, it travelled to England before bringing migrants to Melbourne in 1854. In 1866 it was condemned as a hulk and in 1876 the South Australian Government bought it for use as a
quarantine ship to be moored
off Semaphore.
Houses Overlook Jervois Basin
By 1880 the Fitzjames was being used by the Destitute Board as a floating reformatory for "uncontrollable" boys, although due to constant leaks the ship was not seaworthy - the bedding below decks was frequently wet due to the leaks, and constant pumping was necessary to keep the ship afloat.
Old Port Reach, Harts Mill and Hart Street Bridge are Nearby
Boys were given
nautical training and schooling on the Fitzjames. They were under the control of a Superintendent, and made their own clothing and boots supervised by a tailor and a shoemaker. Only a small number of boys 'trained' on this floating reformatory actually went to sea. The majority were placed on farms after their release.
By 1891 the
Magill Reformatory was built and the inmates of the Fitzjames moved. The
Fitzjames was no longer required. It was towed up the Port River - beached and left to rot as a forgotten shipwreck.
The Trafalgar, Fish Market Pontoon, and the Alert Are Sometimes Visible
Depending upon the tides and time of day you may also be able to see the shipwreck of the 1872 wooden ketch
Alert and a
Fish Market Pontoon. I was not able to see them when I visited, and walking in the shallows is inadvisable due to deep mud. It is likely that the growth of vegetation is also obscuring the remains of these two ships.
The Boardwalk & Interpretive Sign Are Barely Visible
It was only after roaming through the shrubbery on the banks of the Port River that I discovered a boardwalk, bench and viewing platform hidden in the bushes - presumably they were intended for viewing the shipwrecks.
Inside the Mangroves
All that can now be seen are mangrove bushes. It seems that neither
Port Adelaide Enfield Council nor
Renewal SA have bothered to check the condition of this place for a long time since development.
Lip service was paid to the Kaurna people in naming of the roads nearby, but the cultural insights given by the Kaurna Cultural Heritage Trail weren't considered important enough to maintain. Perhaps they were funded by a Federal government program and the money is no longer available?
Passengers and Crew on the PS Trafalgar - River Murray 1908 (Image Courtesy of State Library of SA PRG280/1/4/438)
Anyway, it's well worth the time to take a look at the Jervois Basin Ships' Graveyard. Don't wear your best shoes though if you plan to stray off the path as it can be quite muddy!
If you found this article about the Ships' Graveyard interesting, you may with to read about a
train graveyard, or a human graveyard at
West Terrace.
