Kangaroo Island Shipwreck Shelter Huts

Abstract

During the 19th century maritime trade and traffic was expanding rapidly along South Australia’s coastline (Parsons, 1983: 5; Griffin & McCaskill, 1986: 20; Jeffery, 1989: 52; Coroneos, 1997: 19). These increases in shipping in combination with the rugged and relatively sparsely populated coastline led to an increase in shipwrecks, cargo loss, and loss of life. As a result, lifesaving stations and shipwreck shelter huts were erected along the coast and on Kangaroo Island in an effort to decrease the effects of these maritime disasters, aid in the recovery of shipwreck survivors and cargo, and prevent further deaths from occurring once individuals made it ashore. Records indicate that as early as 1905, and probably earlier, shipwreck shelter huts were erected on the western end of Kangaroo Island (Thorpe, 1905; Admiralty Chart, 1913; Clare, n.d.; Rocky River Flinders Chase National Park Visitor Centre, n.d.; Hope Cottage National Trust Museum in Kingscote, n.d.). These stations were simply huts built of corrugated metal, wood and stone. There were no individuals stationed at the huts to provide assistance, but they contained enough supplies to sustain shipwreck survivors until further help arrived or until such time as they were well enough to walk for help. Items such as bread, meat, water, blankets and rockets were stored inside. A notice board was posted outside declaring that the supplies were only to be used by shipwreck survivors, indicating the location of the nearest settlement, and providing instructions for opening the stores and for firing rockets. It is uncertain if any shipwrecked people ever used these shelter huts; however, they remain an interesting and integral part of the maritime history of South Australia and Kangaroo Island. This article is the result of a project designed to locate and document the archaeological remains of two early shipwreck shelter huts located at Cape du Couedic and West Bay on Kangaroo Island. The documentation of these shipwreck shelter huts is the beginning of a needed investigation of shore-based lifesaving and shelter hut stations. Much like shipwreck survivor camps (Gibbs, 2003: 128–129), maritime archaeologists have paid little attention to these sites as they are located onshore and are separate from shipwreck events. When these sites have been addressed, they are treated subsidiary to the particular details of a single shipwreck event (Society for Underwater Historical Research [SUHR], 1977; Smith, et al., 2005). Although preliminary, this paper will outline an archaeological survey programme for two shipwreck shelter huts in an effort to establish these as a site type and place them within a larger comparative framework of maritime archaeological sites, including shipwrecks, and other maritime infrastructure.