The following information was obtained from the NSW Heritage Office web site. (
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History
The steamer was ordered by the Illawarra and South Coast Steam Navigation Company, following the loss of the Bega which hit a submerged object and sank off Tathra on 5 April, 1908.
Built by the Ailsa Shipbuilding Company of Troon, Scotland, the Merimbula was launched in 1909. The steamer was the largest vessel ever ordered by the company, having a length of 209' 6", (63.86m) breadth of 32' 2" (9.8m) and depth of 21' 1" (6.43m). A fast speed of 14 knots was achieved through twin triple expansion engines, also built by Ailsa. Accommodation was provided for 96 first class and 10 second class passengers.
On 20 October, 1909, the new vessel sailed from the Clyde to Sydney and was immediately put into service in the New South Wales trade. The normal run took in the ports of Sydney, Bermagui, Tathra, Merimbula and Eden. The Merimbula usually managed two runs a week. The vessel, however, was found to be unstable in some sea conditions. To increase stability, a large number of cast iron blocks were placed in the hold.
The Shipwreck
The Merimbula left on a return trip from Sydney to Eden on 25 March 1928, under the command of Captain O'Connor. The steamer steadily ran into worsening weather to the south.
At 1 a.m. on the morning of 27 March, the 13 passengers were awoken by the grinding impact of the vessel driving onto Beecroft Peninsula. In heavy rain, the engines were stopped and everybody arrived on deck. The crew battled to free the lifeboats which had become stuck. Rescue rockets were fired but failed to attract attention. The Captain believed the vessel was in no immediate danger and sent the passengers back to the lounge, still with their lifejackets on. There they spent the remainder of the night drinking coffee and eating sandwiches.
Rain continued the following morning as the lifeboats were lowered. The passengers were rowed across to the mouth of Currarong Creek where they found shelter in a fisherman's hut.
Captain O'Connor walked across Beecroft Peninsula to the lighthouse at Point Perpendicular. He then telephoned the Illawarra and South Coast Steam Navigation Company in Sydney to advise them of the grounding. Marine assessors arrived at the wreck site on 28 March and concluded that there was a remote chance of refloating the Merimbula. A salvage vessel was chartered for the operation, however, the Merimbula began to sink on the following day and the attempt was cancelled. The remains eventually slid completely into the sea, only the bow section remaining up on the rocks.
The loss of the Merimbula marked the termination of the Illawarra and South Coast Steam Navigation Company's passenger services, and subsequent to 1928, they confined their activities only to cargo services.
Whilst the majority of the wreck lies underwater there are still numerous pieces of its bow lying on the rocks & it is a popular photographic subject.
There is a plaque attached to a boulder explaining the history to walkers.