The Argument was an Australian sloop wrecked in 1809.
In March 1809, three ships, the Argument, the Experiment and the Hazard left Pittwater, New South Wales, bound for Sydney with a cargo of wheat. A squall arose and the master of the Argument, Bejamin Pate, watched as the Hazard was driven ashore and wrecked. Deciding to avoid a similar fate he attempted to run for Broken Bay but missed the entrance and struck Short Reef. Benjamin Pate, his hand, James Dicey, and a passenger, Mary Kirk, were all drowned.
The Argument was a sloop of some 8 tons, built in Sydney and registered on 8 October 1800.
The entrance to Broken Bay lies between the northern Box Head and Barrenjoey Head to the south. Barrenjoey Lighthouse was constructed in 1881 to guide ships away from the prominent headland. The bay comprises three arms, being the prominent estuary of the Hawkesbury River in the west, Pittwater to the south, and Brisbane Water to the north. These three arms are flooded rivers (rias) formed at a time when the sea level was much lower than it is at the present day. The Hawkesbury River flows from the confluence of the Grose and Nepean Rivers at the base of the Blue Mountains. Pittwater extends south from Broken Bay and is the northernmost extent of the greater Sydney area. Pittwater's calm waters make it a popular sailing area. West Head, west of Barrenjoey Head, marks the divide between Pittwater and the Hawkesbury. Brisbane Water is the northern arm of Broken Bay and has the towns of Gosford and Woy Woy on its shores. Lion Island, named for its profile's resemblance to a Sphinx from some viewpoints, is located at the entrance of Broken Bay. Lion Island Nature Reserve covers the entire island, and is home to a colony of fairy penguins.