Item MM 5775 Negative - Auxiliary Ketch 'Orme' at the Wharf, Mitchell River, Bairnsdale, Gippsland, circa 1908

Description of Content

The auxiliary fishing ketch 'Orme' tied up at a pier on the Mitchell River at Bairnsdale, Gippland. The passengers are mostly female while a number of men stand on the pier. There is a bridge in the background. In June 1909 the 'Orme' disappeared during a voyage from Cunninghame to Mallacoota with six men onboard. Despite an extensive search, no trace of the vessel or crew was found at the time. The wreck was eventually found washed ashore at Cape Conran in October 1913. Henry Lawson referred to the loss of the Orme in his 1910 poem 'Mallacoota Bar'.