Ashipwreck dating back to the 1850s has been located at Long Beach, near Robe.
A remarkable collaborative effort between the Sydney-based Australian National Maritime Museum, the Silent World Foundation, South Australia’s Department for Environment and Water and Flinders University has announced the likely location of the 19th-century Dutch merchant vessel, Koning Willem de Tweede, pictured right.
Researchers have found parts of the ship’s windlass, or winch, protruding from the sandy seabed of Guichen Bay.
Lost in a storm in June 1857, the 800-tonne ship provides a connection to stories of trade and migration, having discharged over 400 Chinese miners just days before its sinking.
The Chinese were bound for the Victorian goldfields and were landed at the South Australian port of Robe to avoid the poll tax.
Of the 25 crew members on board, 16 drowned and were later buried in the nearby dunes of Long Beach.
This significant discovery, supported by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands, marks the culmination of dedicated research since 2022.
Future monitoring visits are planned to further assess the site and uncover more of this important piece of maritime history.
