Ship Wreckage Uncovered

After the flash flood down the Erskine River, sand was washed out of the estuary and revealed some old wreckage. The wreckage was clearly from an old ship showing wooden timbers joined with wooden treenails and copper pins or bolts. Some of the outer timbers have copper sheathing, covered in part with pitch, to protect the wood from the teredo worm.

The location of the wreckage seemed to be too far North from the known location of the Osprey that was wrecked on 18th June 1854. Maybe a piece of the Osprey had broken-off from the original Osprey wreck and floated north, then buried in the mouth of the Erskine River. Apple Maps tells us the wreckage has the coordinates of 38.53277° S, 143.97964º E.

It was suggested it may be part of the alleged wreckage of the Rebel. The Rebel was meant to have been wrecked in the Erskine River Estuary, but there were later reports of the Rebel trading out of Geelong. It’s now thought the Rebel was refloated and was never a wreck.

Sources:

• Facebook post on The One and Only Lorne Community Notice Board by James Pisco 17th January 2026.
• Murray Walding, phone conversation 19th January 2026
• Murray Del Mar, Facebook posts, January 2026