Broad Creek is situated in the south-eastern corner of Barker Inlet in the Port Adelaide River, between North Arm Creek and Swan Alley Creek. Its name is descriptive in that the entrance to the creek is quite broad, unlike numerous other creeks in the vicinity.
Barker Inlet is surrounded by mangroves and the mangrove trees are slowly encroaching on the channels and creeks there.
One of the five Port Adelaide Ships’ Graveyards is located in Broad Creek. The Broad Creek Ships’ Graveyard comprises of just two vessels – the small schooner Dorothy S and an iron hulk (No.1 Hulk). There is also a landing called the Broad Creek jetty there.
The Broad Creek jetty
Although I had previously visited Broad Creek by kayak several times, I had never been able to reach the jetty and vessels before due to shallow water at anything less than high tide. That, however, changed this month when the high tide allowed me to paddle my kayak right up to the jetty and an abandoned vessel adjacent to it. (The Dorothy S is obscured nearby in the mangroves.)
An abandoned vessel adjacent to the jetty
I intially mistakingly assumed that this abandoned vessel was the iron hulk No.1 Hulk, but it does not resemble this vessel below at all, and it looks more like a yacht: -
It appears to me that a vessel has been abandoned at the site more recently, and that I need to return and take a closer look around.
According to the South Australian Shipwrecks Port Adelaide Ships’ Graveyards pamphlet published in 2002 and reprinted in 2004, Broad Creek was associated with the importation and distribution of explosives stored in magazines at Dry Creek from the early to mid-1900s.
The web page found at https://www.environment.sa.gov.au/topics/heritage/maritime-heritage/visiting-maritime-heritage-places/ships-graveyards/port-adelaide describes the iron hulk as “No.1 Hulk, Location: -34.808168*S 138.565345*E, Vessel type: iron bucket dredge. Probably originally built as an iron bucket dredge in 1852, the hulk, known today as No.1 Hulk, was later used as a hulk for storing explosives in the North Arm. It was condemned in 1915 and grounded the same year as reinforcement for the Broad Creek embankment.”
According to a fact sheet for No.1 Hulk, “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 the hulk lies largely intact at the end of Broad Creek, adjacent to the Penrice salt fields*. It shows signs of salvage activities, with machinery and other structure removed, but timbers and surviving construction details verify its original purpose as a dredge.”
* (Now adjacent to the North-South Motorway Northern Connector.)
There appears to be some wreckage in the shallow water in the photo below, and it seemed to be covered in hessian: -
The limit of Broad Creek
(with the North-South Motorway Northern Connector in the background)
According to the web page found at https://www.waterwaysguide.org.au/specialpoi-detail/18237 , “The Explosives Wharf at Broad Creek was opened for use in June 1906. King tides regularly flooded the estuarine plain inundating the jetty, wharf and tramway which were frequently damaged. In July 1917 the jetty was washed away by the highest tide on record to that date (3.6m above low tide). A narrow guage tramway*, with horse drawn wagons, connected the wharf to the magazine at Dry Creek. This method of storing and transporting the large amounts of explosives (such as dynamite used in mining) was introduced to ensure safe handling and to avoid the need to transport dangerous material through streets and populated areas. The jetty was last used in February 1970 and demolished in 1976.”
* (“A one-and-a-half mile tramway connected the new landing with the Dry Creek magazines.” - https://www.environment.sa.gov.au/heritage/ships_graveyards/pt_adelaide.html (no longer available). )
The web page found at https://www.environment.sa.gov.au/topics/heritage/maritime-heritage/visiting-maritime-heritage-places/ships-graveyards/port-adelaide describes the Dorothy S as follows: -
“Location: -34.806508*S 138.564848*E, Vessel type: wooden schooner. Dorothy S was built at Sandridge, Victoria and launched as Stephen in 1868. For more than 50 years Stephen worked the Victorian coastal trade before moving to Adelaide in 1922. By 1926, the vessel was derelict at Garden Island and soon after was moved to Broad Creek to service two (hydroplanes). By 1928 the vessel was abandoned.”
According to a fact sheet for the Dorothy S, “The two masted auxiliary schooner Dorothy S (ex-Stephen) was built by Henry Warnecke at Sandridge, Victoria. The wooden vessel measured 72.7 feet (22.2m) in length, 19.0 feet (5.8m) breadth, 7.4 feet (2.3m) depth and 51 gross tons. The Stephen was launched on 11 July 1868 and first registered in Melbourne in October of that year. In 1920 the vessel was renamed Dorothy S, being registered in Port Adelaide in November 1922 under the ownership of Richard Gericke of Edithburgh. In 1923 ownership changed to F.H. Clausen. By October 1926 the Dorothy S was derelict on the bank of Garden Island. Robert Rake, of Charles Rake and Son, sought Harbors Board permission to move the vessel to Bream Creek, a side stream of Broad Creek. Some few months back I observed a ketch hull drawn upon the North Shore of the North Arm, being desirous of securing a hulk of this type for the housing of two hydroplanes, I would be very grateful if you could advise me if there is any possibility of having the hulk removed to Bream Creek for the above purpose. Approval was given, and the vessel removed to Bream Creek, where in June 1928 it was noted as abandoned. The register was closed in 1935. Today the Dorothy S is located in a small creek off Broad Creek. The site is above high water mark amongst the mangroves. The remains include an intact bow stem and some frames and planking.”
Further details on the topic can be found at Dry Creek explosives depot - Wikipedia.
Comments