HMQS "Gayundah" Wreck - Redcliffe

At the foot of the Woody Point cliffs (opposite Filmer's Palace Hotel) lies the remains of HMQS Gayundah, former flagship of the Queensland Navy.

Gayundah was launched on 13 May 1884 at Newcastle upon Tyne, England. Gayundah, and her sister ship, Paluma, were originally designed as gunboats, but following an Admiralty request, Paluma was converted and fitted out for nautical survey duties.

After completing shipbuilder trials in September, Gayundah sailed from Newcastle upon Tyne on 13 November 1884, bound for Brisbane, Australia, under the command of Captain Henry Townley-Wright (Royal Navy).

After a voyage of some four months, Gayundah arrived at her destination on 28 March 1885. No doubt the ship made an impressive sight on the Brisbane River, being at that time the most heavily armed ship of her size. Her armament included a 200mm breach-loading 12 tonne gun (forward) and a 152mm 4 tonne gun (aft). She displaced 360 tonnes and was able to attain a speed of approximately 11 knots.

Indeed, such a fine vessel was Gayundah, that Captain Townley-Wright seemed reluctant to hand over his charge, triggering the first naval mutiny in Australian history. Refusing the Queensland Government's orders to relinquish his command to another officer, he instead moored the Gayundah on the Brisbane River and threatened the Queensland Parliament House. A boarding party led by Police Commissioner D.T. Seymour subsequently removed Captain Townley-Wright from the ship. This was somewhat of a delicate situation - one of Her Majesty's captains being arrested at gunpoint, beneath the Union Jack, by another jurisdiction altogether!

For the next seven years, Gayundah remained on active service as a gunboat in the Queensland Navy until being assigned to reserve duties on 30 September 1892. Her sister ship Paluma, joined her in 1895.

On 9 April 1903, the first message received from a ship at sea to an Australian wireless station was transmitted by Gayundah to a receiving station in Brisbane. The ship's aerial was a tall bamboo pole lashed to the mast. The historic message read: "Gun drill continued this afternoon and was fairly successful - blowing squally and raining - prize firing tomorrow. Marconi insulators were interfered with by rain but easily rectified and communication since has been good. Good night."

Following Federation, control of individual state defence forces was transferred to the Commonwealth of Australia. For Gayundah, and a number of other obsolete gunboats and torpedo boats, this occurred on 1 March 1904. In October 1911, King George V signed documents officially bringing the Royal Australian Navy into existence - HMQS Gayundah was now HMAS Gayundah.

Gayundah was moved south, but returned to Queensland waters following the outbreak of World War I in 1914. At that time, she was one of the oldest ships in the R.A.N. Her wartime career was uneventful, being spent patrolling the relatively peaceful sea lanes of Moreton Bay.

After WWI, HMAS Gayundah was retired from the Navy. Her working life, however, was far from over. She continued to ply local waters, spending many years as a sand and gravel barge, on the Brisbane River. Finally, in 1958, Gayundah was retired. She was towed to Woody Point at Redcliffe and beached to serve as erosion protection.

More information about Gayundah, including original photos, can be found at http://www.gayundah.vze.com.