Star of Greece

Loaded with over 16,000 bags of wheat destined for Great Britain, the Star of Greece was wrecked off a reef 200 metres from Port Willunga on Friday 13 July 1888. There was no rescue equipment available on shore and by the time Port Adelaide received the message for help, the captain and many of the crew clinging to the mizzen rigging had drowned. The disaster took place so close to shore that many locals stood helpless on the beach, unable to reach the men as the tragedy unfolded. Of the crew of 28 men, 17 lost their lives. Survivors were taken to the Port Willunga Seaview Hotel for treatment and shelter.

Figure of Tragedy

The figurehead was salvaged by Mr Walter Kimber owner of the Seaview Hotel in Port Willunga and displayed outside his home for many years. Upon his death in 1937 Kimber’s widow donated the figurehead to the Port Adelaide Nautical Museum. Holding the oldest maritime museum collection in Australia, founded in 1872 as part of the Port Adelaide Institute, the Port Adelaide Nautical Museum is now a core part of the History Trust’s South Australian Maritime Museum.

Long before state and commonwealth heritage laws protected shipwrecked items from beachside looting, Vernon Smith, honorary first curator of the Port Adelaide Nautical Museum scoured the state for these treasured historical relics. The legacy of his collecting lives on at the South Australian Maritime Museum where you can find the largest figurehead collection in the Southern Hemisphere.

This figurehead depicts the bust of a Grecian noblewoman wearing a gold leaf coronet. Painted white, her tunic is trimmed with gold on the neckline and she wears a gold bangle. Her right hand crosses her chest and a tendril of hair falls over her left shoulder. Beautifully carved, it reflects the elegance of the Irish Star vessel which it adorned. Built in 1868 by Edward Harland, the Star of Greece was a sleek three-masted, full-rigged iron ship of 1227 tons.

Figureheads, carved wooden sculptures which ornamented the bow of a sailing ship, signify ancient maritime traditions embodying the ‘souls’ of vessels and bestowing protection and safe passage to crews on the high seas. They were also used to identify a ship, reflecting its function or paying tribute to a person connected with the vessel. The Star of Greece figurehead is an evocative relic from South Australia’s most infamous shipwreck that led to significant reforms in maritime safety laws.

Remembering the Wreckage

The many eye witnesses to tragedy ensured that the Star of Greece shipwreck went down in history. The dead were buried at the Aldinga Cemetery on the afternoon of Sunday 15 July, 1888. Soon after, local residents erected a granite obelisk over the mass grave. The Marine Board  was heavily criticised for its inadequate response. A noisy protest was held in Port Adelaide where over 1,000 people denounced the government for making cutbacks to rescue equipment, lighthouse keepers, and life boats. 

After the wreck, the remains of the ship were sold by auction at Port Adelaide. Many other fittings of the ship were either salvaged or recovered in later years by divers. Some items ended up in private collections. As well as the collection at the South Australian Maritime Museum there have been displays at the Willunga Courthouse Museum. The State Library of South Australia and Art Gallery of South Australia also hold works related to the Star of Greece.

The Star of Greece is remembered in many ways today. Apart from items salvaged from the wreck itself there are artworks commemorating the event, commemorative plaques and signs and even a restaurant named for the ship. Proximity of the site to Adelaide make it one of the best known wrecks in South Australia.