Hawkesbury Packet
Encyclopedia
The Hawkesbury Packet was a sloop
constructed for Solomon Wiseman
that helped him 'rise' from being just a convict
to a wealthy colonial landholder in Australia
.
Constructed in 1811, the Hawkesbury Packet was a 21 ton coastal trader. Prior to its final wrecking in 1817 it was blown ashore in 1816. On 24 May 1816 it sailed from Sydney
to Newcastle
but was hit by a gale and was forced into Port Stephens
on 20 June 1816. Unable to exit the port because of contrary winds and with supplies nearly exhausted, two crew, George Yates and Nicholas Thompson chose to walk to Newcastle. They took an Aboriginal guide with them who took them to a tribe who stole all their clothes. Thompson died shortly after from exposure, hunger and exhaustion and Yates managed to make Newcastle by crawling the last three miles. The Commandant in Newcastle ordered provisions to be sent to Port Stephens and when they arrived they found that the ship had been driven ashore. It was eventually refloated and returned to Sydney around 15 August 1816.
On 14 August 1817 the ship sailed for the Shoalhaven
, under the command of T.Walker, to pick up a load of cedar
. However on an unknown date in August the ship ran aground at Minnamurra near Kiama and was totally wrecked.
Approximate Position 34.6244°N 150.8624°W,
Sloop
A sloop is a sail boat with a fore-and-aft rig and a single mast farther forward than the mast of a cutter....
constructed for Solomon Wiseman
Solomon Wiseman
Solomon Wiseman was a convict, merchant and ferryman. The town called Wiseman's Ferry, New South Wales, Australia is named after him....
that helped him 'rise' from being just a convict
Convict
A convict is "a person found guilty of a crime and sentenced by a court" or "a person serving a sentence in prison", sometimes referred to in slang as simply a "con". Convicts are often called prisoners or inmates. Persons convicted and sentenced to non-custodial sentences often are not termed...
to a wealthy colonial landholder in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
Constructed in 1811, the Hawkesbury Packet was a 21 ton coastal trader. Prior to its final wrecking in 1817 it was blown ashore in 1816. On 24 May 1816 it sailed from Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
to Newcastle
Newcastle, New South Wales
The Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas...
but was hit by a gale and was forced into Port Stephens
Port Stephens
Port Stephens is a large natural harbour located about north-east of Sydney in New South Wales, Australia. It lies wholly within the Port Stephens Local Government Area although its northern shoreline forms the boundary between the Port Stephens and Great Lakes LGAs...
on 20 June 1816. Unable to exit the port because of contrary winds and with supplies nearly exhausted, two crew, George Yates and Nicholas Thompson chose to walk to Newcastle. They took an Aboriginal guide with them who took them to a tribe who stole all their clothes. Thompson died shortly after from exposure, hunger and exhaustion and Yates managed to make Newcastle by crawling the last three miles. The Commandant in Newcastle ordered provisions to be sent to Port Stephens and when they arrived they found that the ship had been driven ashore. It was eventually refloated and returned to Sydney around 15 August 1816.
On 14 August 1817 the ship sailed for the Shoalhaven
Shoalhaven
The City of Shoalhaven is a Local Government Area in south-eastern New South Wales , Australia, two hours south of Sydney. It is more or less conterminous with an area referred to as The Shoalhaven. It is on the Pacific Ocean and the Princes Highway and is the terminus of the South Coast line...
, under the command of T.Walker, to pick up a load of cedar
Cedar wood
Cedar wood comes from several different trees that grow in different parts of the world, and may have different uses.* California incense-cedar, from Calocedrus decurrens, is the primary type of wood used for making pencils...
. However on an unknown date in August the ship ran aground at Minnamurra near Kiama and was totally wrecked.
Approximate Position 34.6244°N 150.8624°W,