SS Dicky Black and White
SS Dicky is a photographic delight! The skeleton rests on a 800m long pristine beach.
Thirty-one metres long, 6.5 wide and weighing 225 tonnes, the Dicky was built in Kiel, Germany in 1883 by a G. Howaldt before being registered to Brisbane shipping agents Brydon, Jones and Co. Carrying 11 crew and 40 tonnes of sand, the Dicky left Rockhampton for Brisbane in early 1893, before running aground at Caloundra during heavy seas.
The ship was refloated, but heavy seas again ran her aground. The stranding of the Dicky was found to be caused by negligent navigation – Master John Summer Beattie was found to be at fault and suspended for three months.
Initially, while the vessel was intact, bathers used the wreck as a dressing shed. During a dance, hosted on the beached ship, a kerosene lamp set the boat alight, destroying the superstructure.
The beach was hence christened Dicky Beach, with a memorial featuring the ships’ propeller constructed in nearby parkland.
The hulk has deteriorated over time to little more than a steel skeleton, prompting Caloundra council to spend $10,000 on preserving the wreck, in July last year. The process is expected to extend the wreck’s lifespan by 10 to 15 years.
Regardless of what the future holds, the Dicky has her place in history, as the last shipwreck on a patrolled beach in the country.
Read MoreThirty-one metres long, 6.5 wide and weighing 225 tonnes, the Dicky was built in Kiel, Germany in 1883 by a G. Howaldt before being registered to Brisbane shipping agents Brydon, Jones and Co. Carrying 11 crew and 40 tonnes of sand, the Dicky left Rockhampton for Brisbane in early 1893, before running aground at Caloundra during heavy seas.
The ship was refloated, but heavy seas again ran her aground. The stranding of the Dicky was found to be caused by negligent navigation – Master John Summer Beattie was found to be at fault and suspended for three months.
Initially, while the vessel was intact, bathers used the wreck as a dressing shed. During a dance, hosted on the beached ship, a kerosene lamp set the boat alight, destroying the superstructure.
The beach was hence christened Dicky Beach, with a memorial featuring the ships’ propeller constructed in nearby parkland.
The hulk has deteriorated over time to little more than a steel skeleton, prompting Caloundra council to spend $10,000 on preserving the wreck, in July last year. The process is expected to extend the wreck’s lifespan by 10 to 15 years.
Regardless of what the future holds, the Dicky has her place in history, as the last shipwreck on a patrolled beach in the country.
