HMAS MILDURA - The
Ship's History continued
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HMAS MILDURA was not the first ship to bear the name Mildura. The British Government provided funds to establish an auxiliary squadron of Pallas Class Light Cruisers which arrived in Australia in 1891. HMS MILDURA was one of these cruisers. In October 1900 the HMS MILDURA carried the Governor-General of New Zealand, Lord Ranfurly, on a trip to annexe the Cook Islands. Several photos of this trip survive. The ship had been formerly named the HMS PELORUS, but was renamed when she became part of the Australian Auxilary Squadron of the Royal Navy. The ship returned to the UK in 1905.
There was also a cargo ship called SS MILDURA, a steel steamer of 2217 tons which was built in Glasgow in 1901. It struck a reef in bad weather and was wrecked off North West Cape, Western Australia, on March 10, 1907. It foundered with a cargo of Kimberly cattle and was subsequently abandoned by the captain and crew. SS Burrumbeet arrived and rescued the crew, but all 481 bullocks on board were left to die. Timber and iron was salvaged for renovations to the Yardie Homestead. The hull sat on the reef until WW2 when allied planes used the wreck for bombing practice. The wreck site is at the end of Mildura Wreck Road on the very tip of North West Cape. A photo of SS MILDURA is available on line at theMitchell Library in Sydney. The ship was owned by the Australasian United Steam Navigation Company; Lt.Cdr.John Little was also employed by this company both before and after WW2.
The State Library in NSW holds a photo of the SS MILDURA but I can't get permission to include the picture on this website. Story Source: The Encyclopedia of Australian Shipwrecks
For further information contact hmasmildura@hotmail.com © HMAS MILDURA ASSOCIATION Victoria Australia May 6, 2005 |
