Skeleton found on Old Bar Beach

In 1934, a skeleton was found in the sand at Old Bar, between the surf club and the river entrance. Locals speculated it belonged to a missing crewman from one of two shipwrecks: Our Jack (1921) or Eclipse (1866). Most believed it was from the Eclipse.¹

The Eclipse had departed Gladstone, Queensland in July 1866 with 78 head of cattle, bound for Sydney.² As the schooner neared the NSW Mid North Coast, it encountered wild weather which had caused disastrous flooding on the Manning River. Though the exact cause of the wreck was unknown, cattle and debris were found strewn along eight kilometres of beach.

The police and Taree’s Magistrate led a search to Old Bar, discovering the bodies of eight men on the beach between Wallabi Point and Saltwater. Naked except for their boots, their condition showed the cruelty of the sea’s force. They were buried above the high tide mark.

At the time, the wreck’s identity was unknown, but a section of the stern marked “ECL” later confirmed it was the Eclipse. Reports suggested two more men were aboard, but their bodies were never recovered.³ It is widely believed the skeleton unearthed in 1934 was one of these missing men – their final resting place revealed 68 years later.

Author: Janine Roberts