Exposed remains of the Ethel shipwreck at Ethel Wreck Beach, western Yorke Peninsula — Ethel Wreck Beach · western Yorke Peninsula

Stansbury · Yorke Peninsula · South Australia

Shipwrecks Near Stansbury

Maritime history · local losses · wrecks you can visit

Small trading vessels were lost near Stansbury and Wool Bay. Elsewhere on Yorke Peninsula, 40 crew members died when SS Clan Ranald sank, about 350 emigrants survived the wreck of Marion, and Ethel ran aground on the western coast.

Near Stansbury Three stories Other wrecks What to see Questions

Maritime history at a glance

Main historiesClan Ranald · Marion · Ethel

Closest to townRambler · Ruby · Pastime

Visible wreckEthel, on the far western coast

Other records8 additional recorded vessels

Most wrecks linked to Stansbury cannot be seen from shore. The losses of smaller coastal craft survive mainly in historical records, while identified wreck sites lie farther south near Troubridge Point or on Yorke Peninsula’s western coast.

01 · Stansbury & Wool Bay

Shipwrecks closest to Stansbury

Rambler, Ruby and Pastime are three recorded losses linked to Stansbury. None has a confirmed wreck site visible from shore.

Rambler

1877

Recorded area: Between Stansbury and Wool Bay
Wreck located?: No confirmed public site
Visible from shore?: No documented visible remains

Ruby

1890

Last known position: Seen off Stansbury; final loss area unknown
Wreck located?: No
Visible from shore?: No known remains

Pastime

1909

Recorded area: Between Stansbury and Wool Bay
Wreck located?: No confirmed position
Visible from shore?: No documented visible remains

Historical areas are approximate. They are not GPS positions or marked places to dive.

02 · Three major stories

Three Notable Shipwrecks on Yorke Peninsula

31 January 1909 · Troubridge Point

SS Clan Ranald — the loss of 40 sailors

Clan Ranald was an unusual steel turret-deck cargo steamer built in Sunderland in 1900. On its final voyage, the ship loaded grain at Port Adelaide for South Africa. Stability problems developed during loading, and it departed with a visible list to starboard.

South of Troubridge Island the ship heeled sharply. By about 10 pm it had capsized near the rocky coast of Troubridge Point. Forty of the 64 crew died. The official inquiry did not find a satisfactory single cause of the sinking.

After the rescue, 20 Filipino and Indian survivors were detained and deported under Australia’s immigration laws. Edithburgh Cemetery has graves and a memorial to those who died. The wreck lies underwater about one kilometre south of Troubridge Point.

Wreck 1909Lives lost 40Visit Edithburgh memorial; offshore dive site

Surviving members of SS Clan Ranald crew photographed on rocky ground following the 1909 disaster — **Survivors of SS Clan Ranald, 1909.** State Library of South Australia, PRG 280/1/43/84.

29 July 1851 · Troubridge Shoal

Marion — some 350 emigrants rescued

Marion sailed from Plymouth on 24 March 1851 under Captain Kissock, carrying about 350 emigrants to South Australia. More than four months later, nearly in sight of its destination, the wooden sailing ship struck Troubridge Shoal.

Some landed on Yorke Peninsula; others endured rough surf near Cape Jervis. The schooner Maid of the Mill rescued about 150 emigrants who had remained aboard. Everyone survived the wreck and evacuation, but the journey inland brought further tragedy: Ann Johnson died after falling from a dray, and her infant died later.

The wreck strengthened calls for a warning light at Troubridge Shoal. Troubridge Island Lighthouse entered service in 1856.

Wreck 1851People about 350 emigrantsLocation Troubridge Shoal, offshore

Historic photograph of Troubridge Island Lighthouse, built after a series of wrecks including Marion — **Troubridge Island Lighthouse**, commissioned in 1856 after repeated wrecks on the shoal.

2 January 1904 · Ethel Wreck Beach

Ethel — the wreck still seen in the sand

The three-masted iron barque Ethel ran aground on the west coast of Yorke Peninsula in a gale in January 1904. A crewman drowned while trying to take a line ashore. The others survived.

Months later, a tug briefly pulled the ship free, but the towline parted and Ethel washed ashore again. The keel broke and the ship was abandoned. Its huge iron hull stood for decades before collapsing in the 1980s.

At Ethel Wreck Beach in Dhilba Guuranda–Innes National Park, shifting sand sometimes reveals large sections of the iron hull. View the remains from the beach rather than climbing on them.

Wreck 1904Site Ethel Wreck BeachView From shore, when exposed

Exposed rusted ribs of Ethel wreck in the sand — Ethel before the 1904 wreck

Archival photograph of Ethel before its wreck — Ethel before the 1904 wreck

03 · Other shipwrecks

Eight other ships in the historical record

Troubridge Shoal claimed several vessels before the lighthouse was built. Other losses occurred near Sultana Creek, Cable Hut Bay and Ethel Wreck Beach.

Find another ship or place

8 other vessels

Troubridge Shoal and nearby reefs

Dart 1838

Brig wrecked on Troubridge Shoal; crew survived.

Parsee 1838

After Parsee struck Troubridge Shoal in 1838, survivors waited on the island for rescue.

Sultana 1849

Lost before the lighthouse was built; its carved figurehead survives in a museum collection.

Agneta 1867

Cutter reportedly lost in a squall near Sultana Creek; no confirmed wreck position.

Iron King 1873

Iron sailing ship wrecked on Troubridge Shoal; underwater remains have been recorded.

Portonian 1924

Ketch wrecked at Troubridge Island, within the conservation-park area.

Elsewhere on southern Yorke Peninsula

SS Marion 1862

Iron steamship lost at Cable Hut Bay; a different vessel from the Marion of 1851.

SS Ferret 1920

Steamship stranded at Ethel Wreck Beach; some remains lie close to Ethel.

Show the regional area guide

Not-to-scale regional guide: Stansbury, Wool Bay, Edithburgh and Troubridge Point, with separate notes for unlocated Ruby, offshore Troubridge Shoal and Ethel Wreck Beach farther west — Place markers identify towns and coastal areas, not exact shipwreck positions. Ruby's final location is unknown. Not for navigation.

04 · Seeing the history

What can you actually visit?

Stansbury foreshore

The Stansbury foreshore overlooks the gulf once crossed by the town’s coastal trading vessels. No wreck remains are visible here.

Edithburgh

At Edithburgh Cemetery, a memorial honours the crew of Clan Ranald. An anchor memorial to Marion has also been displayed near the waterfront; check locally before visiting.

Ethel Wreck Beach

Ethel Wreck Beach lies on the peninsula’s western coast, within Dhilba Guuranda–Innes National Park. Sand and surf determine how much of the wreck can be seen.

05 · Questions

Stansbury shipwreck questions

Are there shipwrecks near Stansbury?

Yes. Rambler and Pastime are recorded between Stansbury and Wool Bay. Ruby was last seen off Stansbury before disappearing; its wreck has not been located.

Can you see a wreck from Stansbury Beach?

Not from the main foreshore. Ethel is visible much farther away at Ethel Wreck Beach when shifting sand exposes the remains.

Where is SS Clan Ranald?

The wreck lies underwater off Troubridge Point, south of Edithburgh. It sank on 31 January 1909.

Did anyone die when Marion was wrecked?

All passengers and crew survived the 1851 wreck and evacuation. Ann Johnson later died after an accident on the journey inland, and her infant also died, according to historical rescue accounts.

06 · Records

Historical records used

South Australian Department for Environment and Water — Investigator Strait Shipwreck Trail and Register of Historic Shipwrecks; State Library of South Australia — Marion passenger and rescue records; Monument Australia — Clan Ranald memorial; National Parks and Wildlife Service South Australia — Ethel shipwreck history.