Wild weather uncovers a fossilised 128-year-old shipwreck buried beneath the sand after torrential rain lashed the NSW coast
- Wild weather uncovers 19th century ship washed up on beach 130 years ago
- Canadian vessel The Buster was wrecked in Woolgoolga main beach in 1893
- Recent rain has completely uncovered the boat which is popular with tourists
The wild weather that lashed New South Wales has uncovered a 19th Century ship that washed ashore during storms over 130 years ago.
A famed 39m shipwreck on Woolgoolga’s main beach, a town just north of Coffs Harbour on the state’s mid-north coast, became completely exposed after heavy rain dislodged the sand that usually blankets it.
The ship, named The Buster, travelled from Nova Scotia, Canada, to Woolgoolga in 1893 to load timber bound for New Zealand before treacherous seas wrecked it on the sand.
The wild weather that lashed New South Wales has uncovered a 19th century ship that washed ashore during storms over 130 years ago
Woolgoolga main beach on a normal day – with The Buster completely covered by sand
A famed 39-metre shipwreck at Woolgoolga’s main beach has become completely exposed after heavy rain dislodged the sand that usually blankets it
The wreck, which is protected by the Environment and Heritage office, is visible every few years dependent on tides and rainfall. Sometimes it is completely hidden.
Locals have posted images of The Buster on social media as it is particularly visible due to heavy rain conditions the area has recently experienced.
‘Occasionally it’s exposed, [but I’ve] never seen it this exposed,’ one resident said.
Archaeologist Brad Duncan told the ABC it is ‘one of the best preserved wrecks’ anywhere in the world.
The wreck, which is protected under the Environment and Heritage office, is visible every few years dependent on tides and rainfall
Locals have posted images of The Buster on social media as it is particularly visible due to heavy rain conditions the area has recently experienced
The Buster arrived in Woolgoolga on February 17, 1893 where the crew attempted to tie it to the jetty.
The seas were so rough the anchor chain was ripped off the vessel and swept out to sea.
The men aboard The Buster feared for their lives, but as they battled through the night they were shocked to find sand beneath them in the morning.
The Buster has now become part of the fabric of the local community.
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