Dr Peter Hobbins, will speak on The Shipwreck of the Queen of Nations on the way to Colonial Sydney: Exhausted or inebriated?

Dr Peter Hobbins is Head of Content at the Australian National Maritime Museum in Darling Harbour. As a historian his research focuses on the development – and disasters – surrounding medicine, aviation, maritime and defence. In his talk he will discuss the wreck of the Queen of Nations. Bound for Sydney in 1881, the ship inexplicably sailed onto Towradgi Beach, north of Wollongong. The vessel was wrecked and a sailor lost his life. Then the crew accused the captain of being drunk while in command. How could this have happened to the Aberdeen Line, famed for the sobriety of its officers and the safety of its ships? This presentation explores the story, its scandals and the rapidly changing nature of maritime technology. What remains of the shipwreck lies off the coast near Corrimal NSW.