100 year old shipwreck relic returned to north Queensland

A weathered solid brass porthole has been rescued from online auction site eBay and is back where it belongs, in the hands of the people of Far North Queensland.

Premier Campbell Newman returned the porthole from the shipwreck of the historic Lady Bowen to Cassowary Coast Mayor, Bill Shannon.

“Shipwrecks are valuable reminders of what happened in the past and the Lady Bowen was an important part of history in this area,” Mr Newman said.

“It is very rewarding to be able to return this valuable artefact to the local community. I don’t know how much it would have sold for on eBay, but the historic value of the porthole is priceless.

“This government is committed to heritage programs across the state, introducing a heritage element to our successful Everyone’s Environment program and a new heritage category in this year’s Premier’s Sustainability Awards line up.”

Minister for Environment and Heritage Protection Andrew Powell said Commonwealth officers discovered the historic artefact had been intended for sale on eBay.

“More than 1400 ships are believed to have been wrecked or abandoned along the Queensland coastline, and only some of these wrecks have been located and researched,” Mr Powell said.

“For the Cardwell community, the return of the Lady Bowen’s missing porthole and continued conservation of local buildings such as the former Cardwell Divisional Board Hall are signs of community pride and resilience.

“I look forward seeing this porthole on display in the Cardwell and District Historical Society’s Museum.”

Originally built as a paddle steamer, the Lady Bowen was converted to a 69 metre sailing ship in about 1890. The four-masted iron schooner, Lady Bowen, foundered on Kennedy Shoal, between Mission Beach and Cardwell, during heavy seas in 1894. She sank and disappeared from view.

All 12 crew survived and made landfall on Cardwell’s beach before reporting the incident to southern authorities via the Cardwell Telegraph Station.

A salvage surveyor unsuccessfully tried to locate the wreck a week after it sank and the ‘Lady’ was not seen again until it was rediscovered by north Queensland divers in 1996.

The artefact will be registered on the Australian National Shipwreck Database.

[ENDS] 24 February 2013

Contact: Brooke Hargraves 0458 689 043