pearling disaster

Lizard Island to Cape Sidmouth, 1969. Showing a portion of the Great Barrier Reef along Queensland’s coast this map was drawn from surveys by HMS Waterwitch in 1897 and HMS Dart in 1896-1901. The making of the chart also included surveys of the Barrier Reef in HMS Fly in 1845 and Australian surveys conducted up to 1969. The marks in purple were added in 1971 after it was published. With numerous reefs and shoals and changing depths, this map shows the navigational challenge of making it through the Great Barrier Reef. Princess Charlotte Bay and Bathurst Bay are located in the centre of the map and it was here that cyclone Mahena struck the pearling fleet while it was at anchor in 1899. On the tip of Cape Melville the map marks the stone memorial to commemorate those lost in the 1899 disaster who were lost at sea. Collection of the Queensland Maritime Museum