["The Company and the North West Coast", Newsletter, 30 June 1971, found in Records, 1875-1994, Adelaide Steamship Company. Noel Butlin Archives Centre, Australian National University, 0186/N46/634]
The Company and the North West Coast
(With acknowledgments to the late Mr. N. W. Wright’s history of the Company)
Following the wrecking of their "Macedon" during the previous month, the West Australian firm of Anderson and Marshall opened negotiations with our Board of Directors in April 1883. As a result our Company acquired their assets and took over their contracts with the W.A. Government. The principal assets were the steamers "Rob Roy" (393 gross tons) and "Otway" (563 tons), whilst the Government contracts included a three-weekly service from Fremantle to Cossack via ports. and four trips per year from Fremantle to Beagle Bay (between Derby and Broome). Thus our connection with the North West coast of Western Australia began.
During the same year we purchased the 499 ton "Penola" which was subsequently re-named "Perth" and traded on the W. A. coast until the early morning of 13th September, 1887, when during a heavy fog she grounded on a reef off Point Cloates near Shark Bay and became a total wreck - the Adelaide Steamship Company’s first marine casualty.
1884 saw a general business slump throughout Australia, but trade started to improve in December and the following year extensive alterations were carried out to the 668 ton "Claud Hamilton" to fit her for service in the North West. New engines and boilers arrived from Glasgow and alterations were placed in the hands of Mr. H. C. Fletcher, the then owner of what is now our Port Adelaide Slipway. "Claud Hamilton" was cut in two on the slip, an extra 31 feet 8 inch section added amidships and new engines and boilers installed. She was also given a new straight stem to replace her cutwater bow and the original three masts were reduced to two. After being re-named "Albany" the now 878 gross ton steamer spent many useful years on the mail run between Fremantle and Wyndham. During one voyage she weathered a severe cyclone off Onslow in which she lost her rudder and reached port after an anxious week’s trip under jury rig.
During 1885 "Otway", which catered for the N.W. ports, was also thoroughly overhauled, and fitted with a condenser which could supply 10 tons of fresh drinking water a day.
As the trade grew, the first ship built for Adelaide Steam, the 716 ton "South Australian", was also put on the run for a time and in 1890 the lighter "Croydon" was bought for lighterage work at Cossack Roads.
The 1723 ton "Bullara" arrived on her maiden voyage from England on New Year’s Eve 1890, and joined "Albany". "Bullara", which was noted for her steadiness in a seaway, spent many years on the West Australian coast and in March 1912 weathered a severe cyclone off Port Hedland. With her funnel blown overboard and deck fittings badly damaged she limped into Cossack after a four-day struggle to cover ninety mites.
The self-same cyclone, which for many years afterwards on the N.W. coast was known as "The Big Blow", was also responsible for the tragic loss of our fine three year-old 3,600 ton passenger ship "Koombana", which had left Port Hedland on 20th March northbound for Broome. She disappeared with all 150 aboard: a deck-cabin door, settee and cushion picked up some 70 miles west of Bedout Island were the only traces of her ever discovered.
The following year "Bullara" rode out another cyclone in Port Hedland Roads, steaming at three-quarter speed for thirty hours up to two anchors with 90 and 120 fathoms of chain out!
The loss of "Koombana" on the N.W, coast and of "Yongala" off Townsville in 11 March 1911 (see December 1970 issue of "Newsletter") led to the establishment by the Federal Government of wireless stations on both the N.E. and N.W. coasts to give warning of approaching tropical storms.
To revert to the late 1800s, Alfred Holt & Co., who operated a service from Fremantle to Singapore (they still do as the Ocean Steam Ship Co. Ltd.), and the British India Line competed with us on the northern ports run. As freight rates rose, it became uneconomical to bring wool down from these ports to tranship at Fremantle for Albany for oncarriage to Europe by mail steamer, and the two overseas companies thereupon enjoyed a monopoly of the shipment of wool from the north.
However, 1885 onward also saw the rapid development of the W.A. goldfields, with a heavy influx of population into the State. The transport of livestock from the cattle stations in the north to the Perth markets became an increasingly important part of our trade and more than nullified our loss of the wool business. Our "Colac", of 1479 tons, handled the first shipment of livestock - and we chartered two further vessels to cope with the ever-increasing amount of cattle, etc. to be carried. These two ships were purchased, one in 1887 and the other in 1889, and re-named "Kolya" and "Moonta". Strangely enough in 1905 "Moonta" struck an uncharted shoal about 17 miles to the north of Point Cloates (where "Perth" was lost 18 years earlier): fortunately she was not harmed. This shoal is now known as Moonta Rock.
The mail contract for the N.W. ports was again secured in 1901 and renewed in 1907 and 1910. To cater more fully for this service the Company sent Capt. Charles Dingle (the father of Fremantle Tug Operators Manager, Mr. J. C. Dingle) to the United Kingdom to stand by during the building of the 3669 ton "Koombana". Especially designed for the mail run, she was a powerful ship, fitted with every convenience then known for tropical travel. She arrived in the West in 1909, and as mentioned earlier, was lost with all hands only three years later.
The shipment of cattle from Wyndham and Derby to Fremantle continued to expand and from 1902 three of our steamers operated on this run during the cool season - "Moonta", "Kolya"; and "Colac". To these in 1907 was added the 2250 ton "Junee". described in her day as ‘a well ventilated and roomy vessel’. "Colac" suffered an untimely end on 17th September 1910 when she was caught in a fierce tidal rip off King’s Sound, Derby, and swept up on a reef to became a total loss. Two years later the by now obsolete "Kolya" was sold and her place on the run was taken by the 2600 ton "Ceduna".
The doom of our W.A. intra-state business was foretold in 1912 when the newly instituted W.A. State Shipping Service took over the Albany-Esperance-Eucla mail run with their steamer "Eucla", and sealed when in 1913 they also took over the mail contract for the North West ports.
"Bullara" continued in the N.W, trade until February 1915 when she was sold, thus terminating the Company’s 33 years passenger service along the W.A. coast.
There is no doubt but for the foresight of our Company in those vital years, and their courage in continuing to run passenger and cargo ships on a virtually uncharted and dangerous coast subject to frequent cyclones, the. North West would not have developed as quickly as it did. Of the men who manned the ships little is now known, but they must have been not only good seamen to have sailed those waters, but must also have possessed their fair share, and more, of the adventurous pioneer spirit.
