"Standua". the native name of
the Sea Mouth of the Murray.
Gazetted 101911840 The difficulties and dangers
that attend the "Ingress" and "Egress" of the Murray Mouth,
possessed a challenge for our early Colonists; who set themselves with characteristic
energy
to solve the problem, and have endeavored to tabulate in a concise form, the several
attempts
that were made to surmount the dangers of navigating this mighty stream at its mouth.
The first attempt to enter the Murray Mouth was made by
Captain Blenkinsop's crew, in the whaleboat "Currency Creek", this they
successfully accomplished on the 4"' December 1837.
The boat was carted of a bullock dray to within six miles of the mouth.
The letter of Messrs. Strangways & Hutchinson says '
after arriving again at the head of
Currency Creek December 8th, Capt: Blenkinsop ( who had generously lent the whaleboat
and crew from his whaling station opposite Granite Island, rode over to the fishery to
secure
a supply of provisions.
The next day the 9th, our party was increased by the
arrival of Sir John Jeffcote and
Governor Hindmarsh's son, both of whom had on the 8th inst: been wrecked at Rosetta
Harbor, Encounter Bay. Judge Jeffcote was on his way to Tasmania when he was wrecked in
SA.
On the 10th we returned to our old halting place, six miles
from the bar, on the 12"' December
(Capt: Blenkinsop having returned, ) he with Sir John Jeffcote and a boat crew of four men
started
to go through the mouth. They had nearly passed all the breakers when the boat filled, and
Capt:
Blenkinsop, Sir J Jeffcote, George Wright and Hy Brooks (two of the crew) were drowned.
The survivors were assisted by the natives, who waded into the water and dragged them
almost exhausted to the shore.
Capt: Blenkinsop's body was the only one recovered and was
buried the next day (13th) in the
sand and the broken whaleboat was placed over it.
It appeared afterwards that the boats crew had concealed
from Capt: Blenkinsop, the danger
and difficulty they had met with on entering the Mouth, a knowledge of which might have
prevented
this melancholy catastrophe.
Our thanks go to Rob Potter for contributing this early
history of the problems that still beset the
Murray Mouth.
River Murray Boat Owners Association
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