South
Australian Projects
Point
Collinson
Location
Zone 53
Map 5632
N 395800 - E 6400300
Point Collinson is located at the North Western extremity
of Streaky Bay on Eyre Peninsula in South Australia. The site of the Port
Collinson whaling station is located at the beach front at a place locally
known as the Point Brown Whaling site, which is actually located
on the north-east side of Point Collinson.
Topographic map showing Point Collinson (Courtesy:
Mapland)
Aerial photograph showing location of the Fowlers
Bay Whaling Station (Courtesty: Mapland)
History
Port Collinson was a Hobart based whaling station between
1843 - 1846.
In April 1844, Captain Gardiner from Camilla arrived
in Streaky Bay and carried out the following tasks:
"Went ashore to fetch off some staves that were left
last voyage, and the trypots...I pulled down the huts, and burned the bark;
sent the slabs onboard for firewood; pulled the pots down, and cleaned
them ready for going onboard" (Hobart Town Courier, 2 August
1844).
The Camilla was driven ashore the same day and Captain
and Mrs Gardiner and 25 of the crew arrived back in Hobart on 10 October
1844. (Hobart Town Courier, 17 December 1844).
There is no documentary record of a whaling station at
the location of Point Collinson, despite archaeological evidence that one
was established. How, where and by whom the whaling station was established
remains unknown. An early account of the region came largely from explorers.
One account by John Hill and company was given in 1845 explaining that
the land was unsuitable for farming. E. J. Eyre (1845) explained that during
his journey, he located water only once (Eyre, 1845).
Archaeology
Material remains located at Point Collinson included three
types:
Ferrous - mostly fragmented cast iron. Also included
were several broken iron pins.
Glass - Pieces of green bottle glass were located in
the deposits.
Whale Bone.
Other remains include:
Two hand made red bricks were located in the northern
most deposit.
A try-pot from the site is in the possession of Mr. C.J.
Theakstone of Whalers Way, Port Lincoln.
Several large whale vertebrae and rib fragments, as well
as a large cast iron trough from the site, are also in the property of
Mr Willcox near Smoky Bay. ( - P. Kostoglou & J. McCarthy)
Several pieces of hoop iron around the area.
References
DeLeiuen, C., Nelson, N., Pecanek, M., Phillippou, C.,
and Richards, N. Point Collinson Whaling Station. Archaeological
Field Methods Report 1997, Flinders University of S.A. (unpublished).
Eyre, J. 1845.
Kostoglou, P. and McCarthy, J. 1991. Whaling and Sealing
Sites in South Australia, Australian institute for Maritime Archaeology,
Special Publication No:6, p7-9.
Newspaper:
Hobart Town Courier: 2/8/1844
17/12/1844
By Rebecca O'Reilly
Return to South Australian Whaling
Site Index
