Ships leaving Liverpool, bound for Melbourne, would
follow a path that took them far south endeavouring to sail the shortest
route in a giant curve towards Cape Otway. The 'roaring 40s' and 'howling
50s' provided strong winds to send the ships along, but there were also
mighty swells, sleet and ice to be endured.
After such a long voyage, the officers had to locate
the narrow entrance to Bass Strait. In those days Cape Otway was
often difficult to locate.
I am told by men of the sea that this occurred
because the determination of longitude relied on chronometers,
which may have become inaccurate after such a long voyage. Sextant
shots of the sun were also needed, and this could be nigh impossible
with low cloud in heavy weather. Nearing the straits the water
became shallower and currents came into play.
I've heard residents of Anglesea at the time of
the wreck observing that in misty weather bearings could be lost,
and they surmised that the Split Point lighthouse at Aireys Inlet
could have been mistaken for Pt Lonsdale further down the coast.
Ingoldsby
Reef, out from Anglesea, consists of two ridges of rock running
east and west. One of these has a flat surface, the other is several
feet higher and jagged. It is about three quarters of a mile from
shore and approximately two miles southeast of the Anglesea River
mouth. There is deep water either side of the reef with a yellow
sandy beach lying at the base of tall chocolate - coloured cliffs.
