There she blows.

The Garden Island Ships' Graveyard, in the North Arm of the Port Adelaide River, offers paddlers a chance to experience part of South Australia's early maritime history.

The 26 wrecks at Garden Island are part of one of the world's largest and most diverse ships' graveyards. Boasting the remains of sailing ships, steamers, motor vessels, ferries, barges, dredgers and pontoons, the site provides a unique glimpse into our past.

The mudflats the wrecks lay on are bounded by mangroves – one of the few remaining systems in metropolitan Adelaide. This eco-system provides a habitat for dolphins, other marine creatures and bird species, enhancing a recreational paddler's experience.

The Garden Island Ships' Graveyard Maritime Heritage Trail is marked by three on-water signs near the main group of wrecks, as well as two on-land signs at the Garden Island boat ramp.

For more information visit "shipsgraveyards"

Broad Creek Ships Graveyard

In 1850 the South Australian Government decided to store all the Colony's explosives under Government supervision in powder magazines and three associated floating hulks in the North Arm of the Port River. By the early 1900s however, these had become inadequate for the amount of powder being imported into the State (largely for mining purposes) and in 1903 a new magazine was built at Dry Creek. At first the powder was unloaded at the North Arm and transported by horse and dray to the new stores, but in 1906 a closer landing site was established by the construction of a jetty at the end of Broad Creek, south east of Barker Inlet. A one-and-a-half mile tramway connected the new landing with the Dry Creek magazines.

(Images of the Powder Magazine - "Image 1" "Image 2")

Originally vessels unloaded onto hulks at the old 'powder ground' in the North Arm, with the powder lightered to the Broad Creek Wharf. In 1913 a new explosives berth was completed at Snapper Point (east of Outer Harbor) and explosives were then lightered to Broad Creek via Barker Inlet. Powder was sometimes stored in floating hulks to supplement the magazine storage. Until 1939 all explosives were imported from the United Kingdom, but from the beginning of the Second World War they arrived from Victoria, firstly by sea and then from 1946 by rail.

The Broad Creek Jetty continued as the supply point for explosives until the late 1970s. In the 1950s for example, ketches and other small vessels, such as the Leillateah, Stormbird and John Robb, loaded cargoes at the jetty for distribution to outports including Klein's Point, Stenhouse Bay, Whyalla and Kingscote. After 1972, when the channel was becoming too shallow for such craft, all explosives were lightered to the Outer Harbor anchorage and transferred to waiting coastal vessels for distribution around the State.

The means of lightering from Broad Creek to the anchorage is limited to two launches owned by Mr M E Lawrie each approved to carry not more than 2,000 lbs in weight. These launches can only work the creek at or near high water which would restrict the trips to 2 each per day.
Harbor Master Minute Book 6 April 1972

The remains of the old jetty and tramway are still visible in Broad Creek today.
A rusting iron hulk lies nearby, adjacent to the embankment.

The Government-owned hulk, known as No. 1 Hulk, was originally an iron bucket dredge, probably built in 1852, with frame and plates imported from Great Britain.
At some stage in the mid to late 1800s the dredge was converted for use as a floating explosives storage hulk in the North Arm.
Records indicate that No. 1 Hulk was the largest and primary storage vessel, with a holding capacity of 90 tons. In February 1899, for example, it held 46.5 tons of dynamite and 15.25 tons of powder.
In July 1915 the vessel was condemned and grounded as reinforcement in the Broad Creek embankment, west of the jetty and tramway. It continued to store explosives for some time but from 1938 was progressively gutted for shed timbers and other useful materials.

Today Broad Creek is adjacent to the Penrice salt fields.
The relatively shallow waterway is a natural estuary bounded by stands of mangrove and home to a variety of birds and marine creatures.

      **Please note The cache is not on any part of the wreckage.**