Occator

The Occator was wrecked near Carbaddaman Passage, North West Cape on 5 February 1856. It had been chartered by J. F. Jones to go to Muiron Island to check the possibility of guano mining. In rough seas the lifeboat was smashed but the Captain and crew managed to launch the longboat. They had also managed to rescue water , provisions and navigational equipment. It was decided to sail up to Muiron Island as that had been their original destination. They hoped to find another ship there as the island was an acknowledged source of guano. When they arrived there was no ship there and they were running short of water . It was decided to return to the wreck to obtain more water , and it was then that they ran into some problems. As they sailed down the coast a large party of Aboriginals appeared on the shore, following the boat to the wreck. The boat went inshore to pick up a water barrel that had washed in from the wreck, and as it pulled away from the shore, the Aboriginals began wading and swimming after the boat armed with spears and stones. During an altercation when a spear and some stones were thrown, Mr Jones shot one of the attackers. This caused them to retreat back to shore. This is an interesting incident. Apart from the unidentified Eyre wreck, it is the first of the wrecks where the survivors encountered hostility. It seems that the Aboriginals were unconcerned at first, until the boat actually pulled into land to take up the water barrel washed on shore.