The Most Famous Shipwreck Site in Victoria

Port Campbell is most well known for its shipwreck history, located as it is on the Shipwreck Coast. From the 1850s, ships sailing to Australia were a common sight along Great Ocean Road, but conditions were wild and there were no lighthouses, so it was a very hazardous route.

In 1878, the infamous Loch Ard ran aground on a reef near the gorge that now bears its name, and the ship sank, killing nearly everyone on board. There were only two survivors, Tom Pearce and Eva Carmichael, who managed to shelter on what is now the Loch Ard Gorge beach while waiting for rescue.

Scavengers

After word of the wreck spread, hundreds of scavengers arrived to pick through the cargo. Many of these looters died while attempting to winch down cliffs to reach isolated caves and beaches. Local farms suffered when their horses were stolen and their fences were cut to make ropes.

The Birth of Tourism

Long after the tragedy, people were still captivated by Tom Pearce and Eva Carmichael. Newspapers featured sketches of their daring escape, and writers composed romantic poems about their rescue. People eventually started to travel to the area just to see the site of the tragedy, and nearby Port Campbell flourished as a tourist destination. Bathing boxes were constructed down on the beach and the Port Campbell foreshore was developed as a destination for holidaymakers. It wasn’t until the 1960s that the gorge was declared part of Port Campbell National Park, protecting it from any further scavenging.

Today, you can see relics from the ship’s cargo at the Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum in Warrnambool.