Historical information

The calendar has an account of the event of the wreck of the Loch Ard and the only survivors, Tom Pearce and Eva Carmichael. It was printed by the local firm, The Terang Express.

HISTORY OF THE LOCH ARD: -

The LOCH ARD belonged to the famous Loch Line, which sailed many ships from England to Australia. Built in Glasgow by Barclay, Curdle and Co. in 1873, the LOCH ARD was a three-masted square-rigged iron sailing ship. The LOCH ARD made three trips to Australia and one trip to Calcutta before its final voyage.

LOCH ARD left England on March 2, 1878, under the command of Captain Gibbs, a newly married, 29-year-old, bound for Melbourne with a crew of 37, plus 17 passengers and a load of cargo. There were items included in the cargo that were intended for display in the Melbourne International Exhibition in 1880.

The voyage to Port Phillip was long but uneventful. At 3 am on June 1, 1878, the LOCH ARD was running into a fog that greatly reduced visibility. Captain Gibbs was becoming anxious as there was no sign of land or the Cape Otway lighthouse. The lifteed about an hour later, and the sheer cliffs of Victoria's west coast came into view. Captain Gibbs realised that the ship was much closer to them than expected. Soon after, just half a mile from the coast, the ship's bow was suddenly pulled around by the anchor. The captain tried to tack out to sea, but the ship struck a reef at the base of Mutton Bird Island, near Port Campbell. Waves broke over the ship, and the top deck was loosened from the hull. The masts and rigging came crashing down, knocking passengers and crew overboard. When a lifeboat was finally launched, it crashed into the side of LOCH ARD and capsized.

Tom Pearce drifted out to sea and then, on the flood tide, came into what is now known as LOCH ARD Gorge. He swam to shore, bruised and dazed, and found a cave in which to shelter. Eva Carmichael had raced onto the deck to find out what was happening, only to be confronted by towering cliffs looming above the stricken ship. In all the chaos, she was swept into the sea. Eva saw Tom Pearce on a small rocky beach and yelled to attract his attention. He dived in and swam to the exhausted woman and dragged her to shore. He took her to the cave and broke open a case of brandy which had washed up on the beach. He opened a bottle to revive the unconscious woman.

Later, Tom scaled a cliff in search of help. He eventually came by chance upon two men from nearby Glenample Station. Eventually, the two shipwreck survivors were taken to Glenample Station to recover. Eva stayed at the station for six weeks before returning to Ireland, this time by steamship. Of the 54 crew members and passengers on board, only two survived: the apprentice, Tom Pearce and the young woman passenger, Eva Carmichael, who lost all of her family in the tragedy.

Significance

The calendar records the wreck of the Loch Ard, showing that the event was significant locally and thought worthy of publishing on a local calendar.
The calendar is significant for its connection to the wreck of the Loch
Flagstaff Hill’s collection of artefacts from LOCH ARD is significant for being one of the largest collections of artefacts from this shipwreck in Victoria. It is significant for its association with the shipwreck, which is on the Victorian Heritage Register (VHR S417). The collection is significant because of the relationship between the objects, as together they have a high potential to interpret the story of the LOCH ARD.
The LOCH ARD collection is archaeologically significant as the remains of a large international passenger and cargo ship. The LOCH ARD collection is historically significant for representing aspects of Victoria’s shipping history and its potential to interpret sub-theme 1.5 of Victoria’s Framework of Historical Themes (living with natural processes). The collection is also historically significant for its association with the LOCH ARD, which was one of the worst and best known shipwrecks in Victoria’s history.

Physical description

Calendar printed by Terang Express for December 1923 with a Coloured picture of Loch Ard Gorge and portraits of the survivors of the wreck, Tom Pearce and Eva Carmichael, and a brief story of the episode of the wreck.

Inscriptions & markings

"With Compliments from The Terang Express Printing and Publishing Office"
"December1923" "Historical" "Tom Pearce" "Eva Carmichael"