The current upgrade to the Rhyll Boat Ramp sparked an historical expedition to locate and protect the remains of a local shipwreck.
Local historian John Jansson said the Rhyll Boat Ramp upgrade, funded by the state government via Better Boating Victoria, could have affected the remains of an historic cargo ferry, the Ventnor.
“Bass Coast Shire Council is overseeing the upgrade, including delivery of the construction works. Improved flow of the car park is part of the upgrade, so to accommodate these improvements, the playground is to be moved westward toward the Rhyll Slipway,” John explained.
“It was realised these works may affect the remains of the Ventnor.
“All shipwrecks more than 75 years old are automatically protected by Commonwealth and Victorian Government Acts. The Ventnor is on the Heritage Victoria Shipwreck Register.”
Peter Harvey, a consultant Maritime Archaeologist, and former head of Maritime Archaeology at Heritage Victoria, was engaged to locate and survey the site.
“It was known approximately where the remains were but it was almost 40 years since they were last exposed so no one was sure what was left and how deep they were,” said John.
The team arrived on December 3 last year and a site for the dig was chosen on the landward side of the sea wall and west of the boat ramp.
A backhoe was used to do all the heavy digging.
It wasn’t long before some timber was exposed, followed by several hours of careful digging using hand trowels and brushes.
The timbers exposed were the keelson, engine bed, frames and bottom planking of the ferry. All fastenings were of wrought iron.
“Measurements were taken to locate the timber relative to the sea wall and a survey marker on the boat ramp. A drone was then flown to get aerial photos,” said John.
“The site was then backfilled and tidied up, completing the work required.”
The Ventnor’s history.
The cargo steamer Oscar, 29 tons, length overall 73 feet, beam 13 feet 6 inches, was built at Footscray for Carlton & United Breweries in 1874. She had a scow hull, (flat bottom). Her side planking was New Zealand kauri and her keel and frames were hardwood. She was owned by a Mr. White of Footscray in 1877.
Oscar carried beer barrels from Little Dock on the Yarra River to Williamstown and at the same time she could tow up to three ketches between Little Dock and Port Phillip.
The Oscar was bought by the Phillip Island and Western Port Steam Shipping Company in late 1922 for carrying general cargo, and re-named Ventnor.
She ran at the same time as the larger ferry Genista which carried mainly passengers.
Ventnor commenced running around Christmas 1922 under Captain Jack Jansson with an engineer and deckhand as crew. There was accommodation on board for the master but not for the crew who had to sleep in one of the railway carriages at Stony Point Station.
She proved uneconomic to run as she lacked a condenser to convert the steam back to water. The only place she could get water was on the Stony Point pier which meant she had to lay there overnight for every second night to fill up.
After seven months Captain Jansson couldn’t run her at a profit due to the water supply problem so he was replaced by Captain Leonard McFee who was given a three months trial. She apparently carried on until 1925 with the Melbourne steamer Plover taking her place over the busy Christmas to Easter periods.
The Ventnor was then laid up at Rhyll and was acquired by Charlie Richardson who was a deckhand on the ferry Genista.
Charlie pulled her up on the beach west of Dorward’s slipway. He dismantled the deck and sides leaving the bottom, stern post and rudder. He used the planking in some of the buildings and fences on the Richardson property opposite the jetty.
Two long planks were used as wall bracing on the former 1930 Ferry Company shed at Rhyll.
Gradually the sand built up over the hull, leaving only the stern post and rudder visible. They were removed around 1980. The council removed part of the keel when they built the sea wall west of the boat ramp.
Her bow lies buried near the children’s playground on the Rhyll foreshore and what is left of the stern, if anything, is on the seaward side of the sea wall.
A bronze plaque set on a timber post marks the approximate site of the remains. (Ref. IL Barton Papers, “Western Port Ferries” by Arthur E Woodley; Letter from AKT Sambell to Captain Jansson.)
