John Scott

Wreck Dive | Shore access

Two-Masted Wooden Snow | Max Depth: 2 m (6.56 ft)

John Scott, Flaxmans Hill

Level: Open Water and beyond.

The John Scott shipwreck lies off the beach at Bold Projection, Flaxmans Hill, east of Warrnambool and west of Peterboroug, on Victoria's Shipwreck Coast.

The John Scott was on a voyage from Adelaide to Melbourne with cargo and passengers when heavy seas and fog caused the vessel to come ashore at Bold Projection on 14 February 1858. The crew and passengers were all saved.

Diving and Snorkelling the John Scott Shipwreck

Location: Mathiesons Road, Flaxmans Hill, Nirranda, Victoria 3268

Parking: There is a parking area at the southern end of Mathiesons Road, Nirranda.

See WillyWeather (Childers Cove) as a guide for the tide times and the height of the tide.

John Scott Shipwreck History — Built in 1848

The John Scott was a two-masted wooden snow of 157 tons, built in 1848, at Hylton, near Sunderland, England, on a length of 78.7 ft (24 m), a breadth of 20.5 ft (6.25 m) and a depth of 12 ft (3.66 m).

The vessel was owned by James Hemphill and registered in Melbourne at the time of its loss.

John Scott Sinking — 14 February 1858

On its final voyage the John Scott left Adelaide on 27 January 1858 bound for Melbourne, with general cargo, plus five passengers and five crew under the command of Captain R.A. Gunn. On leaving Adelaide heavy weather and thick fog was experienced, and at about 1:30 a.m on Sunday 14 February 1858 when the vessel was in stays it suddenly struck on shore.

Initially those on board had no idea where they had come ashore, however at daylight the Captain found that they were stranded off the Bold Projection, Flaxmans Hill, just opposite McCreddins Station about 15 miles to the east of Warrnambool and west of Peterboroug.

The ship's boat was immediately launched and the five passengers safely landed on the beach nearby, followed by the remainder of the crew. They then all made their way to McCreddins Station where they were hospitably cared for. A message was immediately dispatched to notify the authorities in Warrnambool.

See also, See also, west-coast-shipwreck-trail, and
Heritage Council Victoria: John Scott.

Heritage Warning: Any shipwreck or shipwreck relic that is 75 years or older is protected by legislation. Other items of maritime heritage 75 years or older are also protected by legislation. Activities such as digging for bottles, coins or other artefacts that involve the disturbance of archaeological sites may be in breach of the legislation, and penalties may apply. The legislation requires the mandatory reporting to Heritage Victoria as soon as practicable of any archaeological site that is identified. See Maritime heritage. Anyone with information about looting or stolen artefacts should call Heritage Victoria on (03) 7022 6390, or send an email to heritage.victoria@delwp.vic.gov.au.

Eastern Maar country

Traditional Owners — This dive site is in the traditional Country of the Eastern Maar people of south-western Victoria between the Shaw and Eumerella Rivers and from Yambuk in the south to beyond Lake Linlithgow in the north. This truly ancient Country extends as far north as Ararat and encompasses the coastal townships of Port Fairy in the west, Warrnambool, Peterborough, Port Campbell, Apollo Bay, Lorne, and Airies Inlet in the east, including the Great Ocean Road area. It also stretches 100 metres out to sea from low tide and therefore includes the iconic Twelve Apostles. "Eastern Maar" is a name adopted by the people who identify as Maar, Eastern Gunditjmara, Tjap Wurrung, Peek Whurrong, Kirrae Whurrung, Kuurn Kopan Noot and/or Yarro waetch (Tooram Tribe) amongst others. We wish to acknowledge the Eastern Maar as Traditional Owners. We pay respect to their Ancestors and their Elders, past, present and emerging.

 

John Scott Location Map

Latitude: 38° 32.043′ S   (38.534043° S / 38° 32′ 2.55″ S)
Longitude: 142° 44.197′ E   (142.736618° E / 142° 44′ 11.82″ E)
Datum: WGS84 | Google Map | Get directions
Added: 2022-05-18 15:47:25 GMT, Last updated: 2022-05-24 23:03:30 GMT
Source: Peter Ronald GPS
Nearest Neighbour: Antares, 3,250 m, bearing 134°, SE
Two-Masted Wooden Snow.
Built: Hylton, England, 1848.
Sunk: 14 February 1858.
Bold Projection, Flaxmans Hill, Shipwreck Coast.
Depth: 3 m.

DISCLAIMER: No claim is made by The Scuba Doctor as to the accuracy of the dive site coordinates listed here. Should anyone decide to use these GPS marks to locate and dive on a site, they do so entirely at their own risk. Always verify against other sources.

The marks come from numerous sources including commercial operators, independent dive clubs, reference works, and active divers. Some are known to be accurate, while others may not be. Some GPS marks may even have come from maps using the AGD66 datum, and thus may need be converted to the WGS84 datum. To distinguish between the possible accuracy of the dive site marks, we've tried to give each mark a source of GPS, Google Earth, or unknown.