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Gulaga — Mount Dromedary

Sky stories

Joseph Banks, 10 June 1770:

Scarce were we warm in our beds when we were calld up with the alarming news of the ship being fast ashore upon a rock ... Our situation became now greatly alarming ... certain that we were upon sunken coral rocks, the most dreadfull of all others on account of their sharp points and grinding quality which cut through a ships bottom almost immediately.

James Cook, 11 June 1770:

We went to work to lighten her as fast as possible ... we ... threw’d over board our guns Iron and stone ballast, Casks, Hoops staves oyle Jars, decay’d stores ... by this time we had thrown over board 40 or 50 Tun weight, as this was not found sufficient we continued to Lighten her by every method we could think off.

Sydney Parkinson, 11 June 1770:

On the 11th, early in the morning, we ... set the pumps at work, at which every man on board assisted, the Captain, Mr. Banks, and all the officers, not excepted.

Joseph Banks, 11 June 1770:

The most critical part of our distress now aproachd: the ship was almost afloat and every thing ready to get her into deep water but she leakd so fast that with all our pumps we could just keep her free: if (as was probable) she should make more water when hauld off she must sink and we well knew that our boats were not capable of carrying us all ashore, so that some, probably the most of us, must be drownd.

Joseph Banks, 12 June 1770:

The people who had been 24 hours at exceeding hard work now began to flag.

James Cook, 13 June 1770:

The leak now decreaseth but for fear it should break out again we got the Sail ready fill’d for fothering ... we Mix ockam & wool together ... and chop it up small and then stick it loosly by hand fulls all over the sail and throw over it sheeps dung or other filth ... the sail thus prepared is hauld under the Ships bottom by ropes ... while the sail is under the Ship the ockam &C^a is washed off and part of it carried along with the water into the leak and in part stops up the hole.

Joseph Banks, 12 June 1770:

In about an hour to our great surprize the ship was pumpd dry and upon letting the pumps stand she was found to make very little water.

Joseph Banks, 12 June 1770:

The Pinnace [ship’s small boat] ... reported that she had found just the place we wanted.

Joseph Banks, 12 June 1770:

The Captn and myself went ashore to view the Harbour ... The meeting with so many natural advantages in a harbour so near us at the very time of our misfortune appeard almost providential.

Sydney Parkinson, 22 June 1770:

Soon after we arrived in the bay, we laid the ship on a steep bank, on the side of a river ... we examined the ships bottom, and found a large hole; through the planks into the hold, which had a piece of coral-rock, half a yard square, sticking in it: the same rock, therefore, that endangered us, yielded us the principal means of our redemption; for, had not this fragment intruded into the leak, in all probability the ship would have sunk.