The Rip, the infamous strip of water that lies at the entrance of Port Phillip Bay is considered to be some of the most treacherous waters in the world. As a result many ships have met their fate here and the remains now lie at the bottom of the ocean.

Click on the map to zoom in to wrecks or use the ‘legend’ at top left.

Several of the significant wrecks of the Southern Peninsula are listed here.

Where available we have included links to more detailed information including newspaper reports from the time. Some of these make for very emotional reading given their proximity to the tragic events.

1840

PRINCE ALBERT  Nov 19th

1841

WILLIAM SALTHOUSE  Nov 28th

1848

THETIS  May 26th

SOPHIA May 31st

1852

ISABELLA WATSON  Mar 21st

CONSIDE  Sep 14th

1853

FRISK  May 28th

SEA  May 31st

ONTARIO  Nov 14th

1857

NON PAREIL  Oct 13th

1859

GIL BLAS  May 6th (Not wrecked, but 4 lost overboard in heavy seas)

ANONYMA  Oct 2nd

1861

ASA PACKER  May 24th

EMPRESS OF THE SEA  Dec 20th

1863

IQUIQUE  Dec 14th

1866

PRYDE  Feb 8th

TAMAR MAID  Apr 13th

1869

HURRICANE  Apr 22nd

1873

RIP  Jul 13th  (Not wrecked, but badly damaged with the loss of four lives)

1874

CORSAIR  May 28th

1875

ELIZA RAMSDEN  Jul 24th

1887

CHEVIOT  Oct 19th

1891

CRAIGBURN  May 8th

NOWRA  Jul 12th

1893

S.S. ALERT  Dec 28th

1900

SIERRA NEVADA  May 9th

1904

R.M.S. AUSTRALIA Jun 21st

1914

CAMPBELL  Jun 14th

1924

S.S. WYRALLAH  Apr 8th

1940

H.M.A.S. GOORANGAI  Nov 20th

1949

TIME  Aug 27th