Centaur Memorial North Beach

Public Art: Centaur Memorial

Sculptor: © Kevin Hayes

Description: The Centaur Memorial features a simple concrete bow and a plaque marking the direction of the Centaur wreck which lies approximately 3kms directly out to sea in the Marmion Marine Park.

Date Unveiled: The Centaur Me,morial was unvelied on the 9th of December, 1979, by Sir Francis Burt the Chief Justice of Western Australia.

Location: The Centaur memorial is located along West Coast Drive, North Beach, Western Australia.

Inscription:

CENTAUR

The Centaur, an iron brig of 188 tons was built in 1849 at Aberdeen Scotland.
The Centaur was wrecked on the reef approx 2kms directly from here on the 9th of Dec 1874, while on a regular voyage from Geraldton to Melbourne via Fremantle with a cargo of lead ore.
All on board survived and landed at this location.
Passengers included the Colony’s Surveyor General and Commissioner of Crown Lands, Malcolm Frazer and also Septimus Burt, M.L.C., who then proceeded north to Hamersley Homestead.
Erected by : City of Stirling for Community Association.
Unveiled by: Sir Francis Burt, K.C.M.G., L.L.M.
Chief Justice of Western Australia.

9th December, 1979.

Things you may not know about the Centaur:

The 30 metre long ship was carrying 180 tonnes of galena (lead ore) when it struck the reef called Little Island and became impaled on it. Galena is the natural mineral form of lead and which often contains significant amounts of silver.

The 9 crew and 4 passengers scrambled into the lifeboats just in the nick of time because about 5 minutes later the ship rolled over and disappeared from sight.

There was inquiry held into the accident on the 11th of December, 1874.

The captain of the ship was Frederick Brabham.

The two mast iron brig had a carved male bust on its prow.

Trivia:

Marmion Marine Park became Western Australia’s first marine park,on 13 March 1987