123 in 2023-75: Piece of history
History - excerpts taken from "Heritage South Australia" - EXCELSIOR - Mutton Cove
The screw steamer Excelsior was built in 1897 by Gourlay Brothers of Dundee, Scotland.
The Excelsior was originally registered in Sydney (1897) and in 1908 was owned by South Australian flour millers, John Darling and Sons. By 1912 the Excelsior was owned by the South Australian Farmers Union Cooperative (registered in Adelaide) and remained under their ownership until 1933 when it was sold to the South Australian Harbors Board. The steamer was converted to a coal hulk, lightering coal to the steam powered dredges working in Port Adelaide. As diesel-powered dredges took over from the coal-fuelled ones, the Excelsior was laid up, eventually being abandoned at Mutton Cove, on the northern end of the Lefevre Peninsula, in 1945.
The remains lie embedded in mud, east of Outer Harbor. The rusting hull shows little sign of salvage. The bow is intact but sections of the stern have collapsed.
The screw steamer Excelsior was built in 1897 by Gourlay Brothers of Dundee, Scotland.
The Excelsior was originally registered in Sydney (1897) and in 1908 was owned by South Australian flour millers, John Darling and Sons. By 1912 the Excelsior was owned by the South Australian Farmers Union Cooperative (registered in Adelaide) and remained under their ownership until 1933 when it was sold to the South Australian Harbors Board. The steamer was converted to a coal hulk, lightering coal to the steam powered dredges working in Port Adelaide. As diesel-powered dredges took over from the coal-fuelled ones, the Excelsior was laid up, eventually being abandoned at Mutton Cove, on the northern end of the Lefevre Peninsula, in 1945.
The remains lie embedded in mud, east of Outer Harbor. The rusting hull shows little sign of salvage. The bow is intact but sections of the stern have collapsed.
This image taken on 7th February 2023: the mangroves are quite overgrown and access is a bit limited.
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A beautiful photo.
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