Click on image

The Inverlochy was a three masted iron barque of 1339 tons register. She was built in Glasgow in 1895 and was owned by Geo Milne & Co of Aberdeen.

Our story begins when she set out from Liverpool on September 10th 1902 bound for Melbourne with 2809 tons of mixed cargo on board. Essential items for a young developing nation.

The Inverlochy was in the charge of Captain Edwin Ruthven Kendrick, who had made 28 voyages to Australia. The Inverlochy had been in these waters only a year ago when she called at Geelong for a shipment of wheat. But she had sailed on that voyage under a different master.

Of the 22 crew, the carpenter was Norwegian and the rest were British. The crew included the First Officer, Second Officer, Steward, Assistant Steward, five apprentices, 12 able seamen, and a sailmaker. The only other person on board was Mrs. Kendrick, wife of the captain.

Mrs. Kendrick was making her second long voyage with her husband. Her first had been a trip to Sydney. This good lady had brought some interesting things with her, namely £100 worth of jewellery, two pianos, and a high-grade bicycle!

We often wondered what she intended to do with the pianos and that bicycle, but alas we shall never know.