Wrecks and Reputations

By Don Charlwood

Two shipwrecks: 20 miles apart; 23 years apart. Both with gripping stories to tell.

The Schomberg was lost on her maiden voyage to Melbourne in 1855. Despite the survival of all passengers and crew, the ship’s loss ruined the reputation of her famous captain, ‘Bully’ Forbes.

The Loch Ard – its story both tragic and heroic – was lost in 1878. There were only two survivors – 18-year-old passenger Eva Carmichael and her saviour, ship’s apprentice Tom Pearce, also 18…

Don Charlwood, descendant of a Schomberg passenger, brings together the stories of the two shipwrecks and their aftermath in a compelling and highly readable account of the colonial era of immigration by sail. Perfect for fans of Horatio Clare and Michael Palin.

Don Charlwoodwas born in 1915 in Melbourne and spent his boyhood in Frankston. During the Great Depression, unable to obtain work, Charlwood walked through the Otways and what is now known as The Great Ocean Road to explore the region where his grandmother was shipwrecked aboard the Schomberg in 1855.