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The Dictionary of Sydney
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Wreck of Dunbar, South Head c1862-1863

Wreck of Dunbar, South Head c1862-1863

By

Samuel Thomas Gill

From the collections of the

State Library of New South Wales

[a939035 / PXA 1983, f.34]

(Mitchell Library)

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Dunbar shipwreck Lighthouses

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Dunbar

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Dunbar shipwreck 1857

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South Head

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Gill, Samuel Thomas

State Library of New South Wales

Dunbar shipwreck

In stormy weather, in the dark, after 81 days at sea, the Dunbar hit the rocks below The Gap, breaking up immediately. All but one on board were drowned, in one of the worst disasters in Sydney's history.

Lighthouses

Sydney's 14 lighthouses guide shipping through the Heads of the harbour, into Botany Bay, and into Broken Bay, as well as around the harbour.

Ships

Accidents and disasters

Dunbar

Ship wrecked in 1857 off the Sydney Heads with a loss of 121 lives and only one survivor. It was described by the Sydney Morning Herald as 'a splendid vessel'.

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Dunbar shipwreck 1857

full record »

Shipwreck in which 121 people died, leading to the building of the Hornby lighthouse.

South Head

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Southern headland marking the entrance to Port Jackson which, since colonial times, has been an important location for civil and military maritime activities, and is now part of Sydney Harbour National Park.