S.S.WOLLONGBAR AND JETTIES

S.S.WOLLONGBAR / JETTIES / WHALING

S.S.Wollongbar, grounded...On Saturday afternoon, May 14th 1921, about 200 metres off shore and getting ready to depart at 5 pm, the S.S.Wollongbar was tied to the jetty at Byron Bay after loading a cargo of butter, bacon and bananas, it was low tide and there were strong wind and waves. Waiting to board the passengers and crew, the captain could feel the keel bumping on the seabed. He tried to head into deeper water but when the moorings were freed the Wollongbar was caught on a sandbar and it turned broadside to the waves. The wind and waves kept pushing the ship closer to land. The cargo was unloaded and furniture was saved off the ship. I used to sit on one of the beautiful swivel timber dining chairs when I was working in the office at Norco Co-operative Ltd.

THE FIRST JETTY AT MAIN BEACH WAS BUILT IN 1888. DAMAGED BADLY IN A CYCLONE. THE SECOND JETTY WAS BUILT IN 1929 (670 METRES LONG). IT ALSO WAS BADLY DAMAGED IN A CYCLONE. THE BIG CRANES AT THE END ARE APPARENTLY STILL UNDER THE OCEAN IF YOU SNORKEL OVER THE AREA YOU CAN SEE THEM. THE GREEN FROG LOCOMOTIVE THAT PULLED THE WHALES IN IS STILL STORED IN A SHED AND KEPT IN GOOD ORDER.

BYRON BAY LIFE RAFT. K & Co.Photo:supplied by Bruce Robinson...No.70618

S.S.ORARA . THIS SHIP SAILED FROM BYRON BAY TO SYDNEY WITH PASSENGERS AND SOMETIMES STOPPED AT NEWCASTLE.Photo:Bruce Robinson...No.70619

1923 JANUARY, MAIDEN VOYAGE FOR THE WOLLONGBAR 11. LOOK AT THE BIG SANDHILLS AT MAIN BEACH AND EVERYONE HAS A HAT AND LONG SLEEVES AND PANTS OR DRESS. MY GRANDMOTHER SAID EVERYONE WOULD COME FROM LISMORE ON THE TRAIN TO WATCH THE SHIP ARRIVE.Photo:supplied by Bruce Robinson...No.70620

ORARA AT BYRON BAY. THIS SHIP TOOK PASSENGERS BETWEEN BYRON BAY AND SYDNEY AND SOMETIMES CALLED INTO NEWCASTLE.Photo:supplied by Bruce Robinson...No.70621

"WOLLONGBAR" BERTHED AT BYRON BAY. THIS IS AT THE VERY END OF THE FIRST JETTY. IF YOU SNORKEL OVER THE END OF THE SECOND JETTY YOU CAN STILL SEE THE CRANES UNDER THE OCEAN.Photo supplied by Bruce Robinson...No.70622

1888 FIRST JETTY. NOTE THE SAND HILLS ON THE BEACH.Photo:supplied by Bruce Robinson...No.70623

1923- FIRST JETTY-S.S.WOLLONGBAR. MY GRANDMOTHER SAID EVERYONE WOULD COME DOWN FROM LISMORE ON THE TRAIN FOR AN OUTING TO WATCH THE SHIP ARRIVE.Photo:supplied by Bruce Robinson...No.70624

WOLLONGBAR UNLOADING. NOTE THE CARRIAGES AND THE BUILDING AT THE VERY END OF THE JETTY.Photo:supplied by Bruce Robinson...No.70625

S.S.WOLLONGBAR. SEE THE HORSES PULLING A CARRAGE.Photo:supplied by Bruce Robinson...No.6 70626

1921 S.S.WOLLONGBAR BEACHED. SEE STORY AT THE TOP OF THIS PAGE.Photo:supplied by Bruce Robinson...No.70627

1923 S.S.WOLLONGBAR. SEE THE SAND HILLS BEHIND THE SHIP.Photo:supplied by Bruce Robinson...No.70628

JETTY...No.70305

WHALES BEING SLICED...No.70301

GREEN FROG THAT PULLED THE WHALES ALONG THE JETTY

THE GREEN FROG ENGINE THAT PULLED THE HARPOONED WHALES ALONG THE JETTY TO BE SLICED AND BOILED. THE SMELL WAS DREADFUL WHEN THE WIND WAS BLOWING TOWARD TOWN. THE ENGINE IS KEPT IN A SHED AT BYRON BAY...No.70270

Photo: Courtesy Byron Bay Services Club.Photo: .No.70074

A HARPOONED WHALE BEING PULLED ALONG BY THE GREEN FROG LOCOMOTIVE, WHICH IS STILL SITTING IN A SHED IN BYRON BAY. ..No.70067

INFORMATION FROM ARTHUR MALIN...THE FIRST JETTY AND BOATS WERE ALL WIPED OUT IN THE 1954 CYCLONE. THE BOAT ON THE LEFT WAS HAROLD (CHARPOT) MALINS FIRST BOAT. THE SMALL BOAT ON THE RIGHT BELONGED TO LESTER PHILLIPS AND WAS HIS FIRST BOAT. THE BOAT AT THE BACK WAS HARRY FIELDS AND ROY DOHERTY WAS HIS DECKIE.Photo:Arthur Malin...No.70184

1922 S.S.WOLLONGBAR, SHIP IS BEING UNLOADED. I SAT ON A CHAIR OUT OF THE DINING ROOM OF THE WOLLONGBAR WHEN I WAS WORKING IN THE OFFICE AT NORCO CO-OPERATIVE LIMITED WHEN I WAS A TEENAGER...No.70123

BYRON BAY HAD TWO JETTIES, THE FIRST AT MAIN BEACH AND THE SECOND AT BELONGIL BEACH. THIS PHOTO SHOWING BOTH JETTIES. BOTH WERE DAMAGED BY CYCLONES.LOOKING INTO THIS PHOTO BOTH JETTIES ARE VISIBLE WITH A SHIP LEAVING THE NEW BELONGIL JETTY.Photo:Jan Hackett...No.70006

SS WOLLONGBAR AT THE FIRST JETTY AT MAIN BEACH. NOTICE THE HORSES PULLING THE CARRAGE...No.70157

S.S.WOLLONGBAR, MAIN BEACH AFTER IT WAS SHIPWRECKED.Photo Know What I Miss about Byron Bay..www.facebook.com/groups/kwimabb/ No.70059

INFORMATION FROM ARTHUR MALIN...EARLY 1930's. THE FIRST JETTY AT THE END OF JONSON STREET. FOSTERS KIOSK IS ON THE RIGHT. THEY CATERED FOR PASSENGERS ARRIVING OFF SHIPS. ARTHUR MALIN REMEMBERS OFTEN ENJOYING A SMALL ICE CREAM BUCKET WITH A TIMBER PADDLE BOUGHT FROM THE KIOSK..Photo:Arthur Malin...No.70179

1929. A UNIQUE SIGHT AT BYRON BAY ON MONDAY WAS THE SHIFTING OF THE N.C.S.N Co.'s OFFICE FROM WHERE IT STOOD TO THE NEW JETTY. IT WAS HAULED BY 40 BULLOCKS ON A BIG SLIDE, AND WAS A GREAT FEAT, WITNESSED BY A LARGE CROWD. Photo:know what I miss about byron bay...No.70248

WALKING ALONG THESE RAILWAY LINES WAS LOADS OF FUN...No.70304

CUTTING WHALES INTO PIECES...No.70302

HARPOONED WHALE...No.70300

PART OF A JETTY...No.70014

THE FIRST JETTY IN THE BACKGROUND WITH THE WOLLONGBAR BREACHED.Photo:Iain Cummings...No.70057

PART OF THE JETTY AT MAIN BEACH.Photo:Jan Hackett...No.70007

1888 IS WHEN BYRON BAY'S FIRST JETTY WAS BUILT AT MAIN BEACH WHERE THE SMALL GROIN IS NOW AT THE END OF JONSON STREET. THE SECOND JETTY WAS BUILT IN 1929 (670 METRES LONG). Photo: Know What I Miss about Byron Bay..www.facebook.com/groups/kwimabb/ No.70176

S.S.WOLLONGBAR BEACHED.Photo:Courtesy Byron Bay Services Club...No.70075

No.70175

S.S.WOLLONGBAR SANK AT MAIN BEACH IN 1922 DURING A CYCLONE. A SMALL SECTION OF THE WRECK IS STILL VISIBLE TODAY. NOTICE THE HILL BEHIND HAS HARDLY ANY TREES...No.70005

DAMAGED IN A CYCLONE, THE CRANES ARE STILL UNDER THE WATER TODAY...No.70211

SECOND JETTY WHALING SHED...No.70245

No.70192

THE BLUBBER WAS COOKED AND THE DREADFUL SMELL WOULD BE RIGHT ACROSS THE TOWN, INSIDE THE HOUSE, BUT MUCH WORSE OUTSIDE...No.70093

No.70303

A WHALE AFTER BEING SLICED INTO PIECES...No.70299

JONSON STREET HEADING TO THE JETTY IN THE BACKGROUND...No.70249