Having heard the news that a significant section of the Amazon had been exposed, we made a (very) early start, and headed off to Inverloch to get there for the 7:21am low tide on Thursday 5 September 2024.

The Amazon was a barque of 362 tons, built in Jersey (one of the Channel Islands), by Fredrick Charles Clarke, in 1855.

The barque left Melbourne on 12 December 1863, bound for Mauritius, with a cargo of salted meats. After leaving Port Phillip, a southerly gale forced her towards the Gippsland coast in very limited visibility. With several sails lost, and rocks and breakers off the bow, the decision was made to run her ashore. Nobody died but the ship was lost.

The wreck is the only example in the Victorian registry of wrecks that was built in Jersey, and is a rare example of a wooden cargo vessel from the middle of the 19th century. The Amazon is classified by Heritage Victoria as one of the top twenty most significant and at-risk wrecks in Victorian waters. The remains of this protected historic shipwreck are buried near the lnverloch Surf Life Saving Club. This piece is apparently a starboard section of the hull, and was unearthed by the recent storms, and moved along the beach, to settle near the mouth of the appropriately named Wreck Creek. This part of the wreck is best accessed at low tide. You can easily see an amazing amount of detail regarding ship building techniques at the time. For example, the timbers are largely held together by trunnels, or tree nails, a technique that dates back to at least the Viking era. It's amazing to be able to get close to a wreck in such good condition. If you can get down to Inverloch in time to see it before the sands claim it again, go! Take lots of photos, but leave the wreck alone. Remember that it is a protected site.

Find out more:
Inverloch Historical Society: https://inverlochhistory.com/the-amazon-shipwreck/
Yahoo! News: https://au.news.yahoo.com/wild-weather-uncovers-amazing-160-year-old-find-on-aussie-beach-031158239.html
7 January 1864 article in the Portland Guardian and Normanby General Advertiser: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/64630434
ABC News: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-07-29/amazon-shipwreck-inverloch-beach-1863-wooden-cargo/102612358