PS Young Australian

Last updated
PS Young Australian
Wreck of the 'Young Australian' (B 10132) Cropped from original.png
Wreck of the PS Young Australian in the Roper River, April 1889.
History
Flag of South Australia (1870-1876).svg South Australia
NameYoung Australian
OperatorCharles Todd
BuilderMoney Wigram & Sons
Commissioned12 October 1853
StrickenFebruary 1873
FateSunk, 30 December 1872
General characteristics
Type Paddle steamer
Tonnage92.59 GRT
Length28.23 m (92.6 ft)
Beam4.87 m (16 ft)
Draught2.5 m (8 ft)
Sail plan Schooner
Complement7 crew

PS Young Australian was a paddle steamer that was lost on the Roper River in what is now the Northern Territory of Australia. [1]

In 1854, Young Australian was driven ashore at Cape Northumberland in South Australia. [2] It serviced the Roper River in the Northern Territory for twenty years before sinking in 1872 while bringing supplies for the overland telegraph work crews at Roper Bar. [3] Young Australian sunk upstream from the settlement at Ngukurr, [4] [5] and can still be seen in the river on the edge of the Limmen National Park.[ citation needed ]

In 1980, the wreck site was listed on the now-defunct Register of the National Estate. [6]

Young Australian received an Engineering Heritage Marker from Engineers Australia as part of its Engineering Heritage Recognition Program. [1]

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References

  1. 1 2 "Young Australian, steam ship, built 1853, wrecked 1872-". Engineers Australia. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  2. "Ship News". The Times. No. 21959. London. 26 January 1855. col D, p. 10.
  3. "Roper Bar". Sydney Morning Herald . 8 February 2004.
  4. "The wreck of the paddle-steamer 'Young Australia' in the Roper River" via collections.slsa.sa.gov.au.
  5. Ashford, Stephen Allan (2004). Endurance, courage and shipwreck in the Roper River 1871-1872. Darwin: N.T. Office of Environment and Heritage.
  6. "Young Australian Shipwreck, Ngukurr,(sic) NT, Australia - listing on the now-defunct Register of the National Estate (Place ID 101)". Australian Heritage Database . Australian Government. 21 October 1980. Retrieved 7 April 2020.