The 'Rangoon'

The Rangoon, one of the largest sailing ships to grace Shellharbour waters was wrecked in heavy seas off Rangoon/ Stack Island 22 March 1870.  She was built in 1853, 114 feet long.

 

Stormy seas and poor visibility confused the ships Captain who thought the entrance to Minnamurra River was the entrance to Kiama Harbour. Tragically the Rangoon sailed straight into Stack (Rangoon) Island and became stuck fast between two large rocks.

Captain Samuel Charles, the owner of a nearby Minnamurra property raised the alarm and all crew were rescued safety along with all their personal belongings. 

 

‘On Tuesday morning last, about ten o’clock….authentic intelligence confirming the report of a wreck at the mount of the Minnamurra was speedily brought to town by Captain Charles.  Early in the morning, that gentleman was preparing to ascertain the casualties of the storm on his estate, bounded by the coast for several miles when a message was brought to him to the effect that a vessel was wrecked on the rock island which divides the entrance to the Minnamurra River. He at once proceeded to the north-easter extremity of his estate, and   beheld at some four or five hundred yards distance the said spectacle of a fine barque, apparently of 300 or 400 tons burden, stranded on the rocks off the centre of the island, to seaward, and seven men ashore, some engaged repairing a boat, the remaining on other occupations.  A signal of distress was hoisted on the summit of the island, about one hundred feet above the level of the sea, but in such a manner that he, an old sailor, feared some life had been lost.  This fear happily proved groundless, for all hands, ten in number, were safe’.  (Kiama Independent  24 March 1870).

 

Captain Charles secured the service of the Illawarra Steam Navigation Company’s boat for the purpose of rescuing the men.  The boat arrived on Captain Charles' bullock-dray, and was launched into the river about three o’clock in the afternoon.  Captain William Wilson of Shellharbour was involved in the rescue of the crew. The Rangoon anchor now lies near the Ocean Beach Hotel at Shellharbour Village on land once owned by Captain Wilson.

 

The McCabe family home in Shellharbour Village was partly built of the wreckage recovered from the Rangoon shipwreck.





Stack Island, Minnamurra.
Shellharbour Images Shellharbour City Libraries.




Anchor of the Rangoon outside the Ocean Beach Hotel at Shellharbour Village.
Shellharbour Images, Shellharbour City Libraries.




The McCabe House at Shellharbour Village.
Shellharbour Images, Shellharbour City Libraries.
 




The McCabe House at Shellharbour Village.
Shellharbour Images, Shellharbour City Libraries.



 

 

 

Ollie Wilson's House

This home was first owned by John Russell; a very wealthy man who gave a lot to the township of Albion Park. He was born in Scotland in 1834 and came to Australia with his parents and then five sisters in 1840.

When he was 26 he bought farms at Terry’s Meadows and Johnston’s Meadows (Albion Park) and when his father died he inherited the family estate at Croom. John donated land and money for the showground at Albion Park, churches, the Presbyterian Manse, Albion Park Courthouse and Presbyterian Cemetery. When his sister married George McDonald, he bought her Marshall Mount House, formerly the home of Henry and Sarah Osborne.

Before an official courthouse was established at Albion Park, John allowed a room in this house to be used as a Court of Petty Sessions.

This home as well as a blacksmiths shop that once stood next door to the Harris’ Garage on Tongarra Road at Albion Park was leased in the early 1900’s by Oliver Wilson, a local smithy.

Ollie Wilson operated the blacksmiths business for many years at Albion Park and members of the Wilson family who continued to live in the home told of digging up bits of metal in the backyard every time they dig a whole to put a plant in the garden.



Ollie Wilson's home at Albion Park c.1910
Tongarra Museum collection.




The house in 1985.
Shellharbour Images, Shellharbour City Libraries.




The house at it looks today.
Tongarra Museum collection.





Killalea - Now and Then

Had to share some great photos posted to the Killalea State Park Facebook Page by Killalea decendant Terry Killalea-Hore.

Terry used historic photographs provided to the Park by John Fraser whose family farmed the area for many years.

If you have a spare afternoon head down to Killalea State Park, it's a beautiful spot with some great history.

The site of the Fraser family farmhouse 'Seaview'. John Fraser planted a Moreton Bay fig tree to mark the spot in 2013.
Photographs - John Fraser & Terry Killalea-Hore.

The feeding shed at 'Seaview' Killalea an the foundations that remain today.
Photographs - John Fraser & Terry Killalea-Hore.

 

Dairy buildings at 'Seaview' Killalea and the view today.
Photographs - John Fraser & Terry Killalea-Hore.

  

 

 

Shellharbour Ccouncil Chambers with c.1870 Alderman standing out the front.
Edward Killalea is 3rd from right.
Photographs - Terry Killalea-Hore and Tongarra Museum, Albion Park.

 

The Farm, now and then.
Photographs -  John Fraser & Terry Killalea-Hore.



Tongarra Mine Memories

In 1893 William Brownlee of Tongarra started mining a coal seam on hisproperty.The Albion Park Butter Factory had opened inCalderwood Road and in 1894 William sold his coal to the factory for their machinery operations. William built a cottage of local sandstone for his family which still stands today.
 

The coal at Tongarra was regarded as being of the best quality and was put on par with Newcastle. William Brownlee was able to sell the coal to operate the machinery at the creamery.
 

After years of traveling to the mine atop the coal trucks, the miners demanded a bus. WJ Harris who ran a car hire service in town, put ona bus for them in 1945. Claude Harris (WJ Harris’ son) drove the 52 miners every morning from 1945-1960. It was a wild road up to the mine and there wasn’t any room to pass coal trucks coming down. Claude would often have to back the bus all the way down to the bottom of the bank to let the trucks pass. Claude would leave the bus up at the mine and ride a Norton motorbike back down again. He would ride back up to the mine on the bike to pick up the miners again. He would leave his motorbike in one of the mine tunnels overnight. He has fond recollections of the mine -
 

The Miners

Contract miners were paid by the amount of coal they produced. Miners worked in pairs with a small lamp on their cap to see what they were doing. Coal was dug out with picks and shovelled into wooden skips. A small pony would pull the skip along the rails to ‘The Flat’ where it was attached to a steel cable and pulled to the surface by a winch.
 

Billy Break

The miners would open the boiler and stick in the Billy to boil the water. When it was boiled they would add tea leaves and then put in back in the boiler to brew.
 

Blasting the Coal

The coal seam was only 4’6’’ high and the miners could not stand upright. The men would come out of the mine at the end of the day holding their backs. At times, coal was blasted out. Shots were fired into hard sections of the wall by drilling holes, ramming in the powder, hiding around the corner and then firing the shots with the detonator.

 

Smoko

Smoking was a little bit common in the mines in those days but it was very illegal. Then there’d be a scare! The management would be waiting for the miners to walk out of the pit and there would be a smoke and matches search.

 

Snakes

Snakes were up there everywhere. Bill Thomas used to travel on the bus to the mine and used to feed a pet diamond python in the bathroom every morning. Jack Brownlee used to catch snakes up there - black ones, brown ones and diamond snakes. The men would bring these home on the bus.

 

‘Tongarra Mine since 1945’ Claude Harris in ‘A Short History of Tongarra Mine’ The Tongarra Heritage Society, 1996

 

Tongarra Mine Site 1958.
Shellharbour Images, Shellharbour City Libraries.

Tongarra Mine Storeroom after a landslide c.1955.
Shellharbour Images, Shellharbour City Libraries.

Tongarra Mine Workers in the 1950s.
J Noon, O Timbs, C Dawes.
Shellharbour Images, Shellharbour City Libraries.