The Ghosts of Kiama Harbour: Kiama: NSW

[KANACKI]

Greetings once again on this ghoulish night of Halloween to all lovers of things that go bump in the night? The following yarn I heard many years related to a tiny harbour on the South Coast that was built to ship Basalt to Sydney from the quarries of Kiama by ships.

For most the story is largely forgotten today. The following picture below is of the harbour now used for pleasure boats and a few fishing boats. For those guests who cannot see the pictures I suggest signing up to this forum to get unique insight to haunted Australia and much more because it is you will keep the haunted folklore alive regardless of being a believer or not.

Any way sit back with a favorite brew and enjoy the yarn around the campfire of lost ghost stories.

To be continued......

Kanacki

[KANACKI]

In the early days of Kiama, when roads were no more than horse tracks, Kiama Harbour was the town's main access point and was key to the area's growth and development. Even so, it had humble beginnings.

In its early days, mooring chains were laid across the harbour in 1848 (some of which are still lying on the harbour floor), and a jetty was built in 1849 at Black Beach, which got swept away and rebuilt, but only one ship could use it at a time. Larger ships had to ferry their cargo and passengers to Black Beach as there wasn't a large enough jetty or adequate mooring. To make matters worse, at high tide there was a dip in the land where Storm Bay is, so that when the seas were rough, waves would crash across to Black Beach from Storm Bay, causing turmoil in the harbour and danger for ships anchoring and loading/unloading. When there were bad seas, ships could not enter or leave Kiama Harbour for sometimes weeks at a time.

This would affect the quality of agricultural produce, which would be left stockpiling under the large fig tree on Black Beach (destroyed by storms in 1964). However, when the weather was calm, hundreds of people would gather around the fig tree to deliver and collect produce from the ships - a very social event!

To be continued......

Kanacki

[KANACKI]

In 1868, work began on the building of a basin in Kiama Harbour. A breakwater was constructed from material quarried on the site where the current tennis courts now stand, and a cofferdam was built to hold back the seawater. The rock removed from the basin was used to build up the dip at the back of Storm Bay to ensure permanent access to Blowhole Point. At one point there was a three-week work stoppage by the divers and carpenters as a result of the Government cutting their wages (this could have been Australia's first maritime strike?), during which time some of the timbers in the cofferdam began to rot.

The basin took almost ten years to be completed. Water was let back into the basin in 1876, the cofferdam was removed, and the basin was named Robertson Basin and officially opened in 1878. The total cost of construction was £36,000.

The increase in shipping that resulted from the new harbour meant that a lighthouse was now necessary, and eleven years later Kiama lighthouse was completed.

To be continued.......

Kanacki

[KANACKI]

On the 24th of April tragedy struck Captain Glopson of the Terrigal Packet ketch was found drowned in the harbour ironically before ladders could be installed around the harbour.

He had been returning to the vessel from the Steam packet Inn and apparently fallen into the water. Ironically days before metal safety ladders was to be installed.

The Australia Town and country Journal Saturday 24th of April 1880 published coroner finding that it was an accident death.

Yet not long after that locals reported see late a night a figure haunting around the harbour? Was it the captain? He has an interesting back story. but i will tell that at a later date. But the deaths continued....

To be continued......

Kanacki

[KANACKI]

The deaths continued......

The evening news Sydney, Thursday 21 of July 1892 reported the following death of a cook Henry Smith aged 50 Cook on the schooner Tottie which arrive with timber from the Hastings River. He left the vessel at 900 pm and supposedly returned from one of the hotels at 11pm that night. However he was found dead in water and recovered with grappling hooks.

A second death in the harbour.

Kanacki

[KANACKI]

Monday 24th of July 1905. The Manaro Mercury, and Cooma and Bombala Advertiser  Monday 24 July 1905, page 2 Reported the death of a man a stranger to locals by the name F Cassall that was found in his coat. Was it suicide accident or murder?

To be continued......

Kanacki

[KANACKI]

Headless gives a very interesting account of kiama harbour?

In the early 90s, I was deckhand on a fishing boat owned by the fish market owner Peter. His son Steve runs it these days. We used the storage sheds besides the fish market. I vaguely remember hearing stories about the sheds being haunted. On several mornings on arriving at the harbour by car, the lights of the storage shed would be on, or when on the boat about to leave the harbour while still dark, the lights in the shed would turn on and off as we head out. Back then I didn’t take much notice and blamed it on electrical problems.

To be continued......

Kanacki

[KANACKI]

The irony of it all the builders of the harbour did not install ladders on the harbour walls as a cost cutting measure. There would of been a chance of Captain Glopson. The ladders was only put in after his death and a inquiry. Today you can still see the iron ladders.

Steve and Nora Bradbury from Brisbane holidaying on the south coast stayed in the holiday cabins above the harbour and one late one even they went for a stroll around the harbour. They encountered an old gentleman in rather old fashioned clothing with a cap and pipe checking on the anchor ropes of the boats. They greet him and he gave no answer as they walked past they turned around said hello again. but there was no one there?

To be continued.......

Kanacki

[KANACKI]

There has been various reports of an old sea captain haunting the harbour at night. And sailor engineer on blue metal cargo ship burned himself to death in the harbour in the 1950's.

So yeah when visiting keep a eye out the old sailor with beard.

Kanacki