CAMDEN HARBOUR

A settlement was established at Camden Harbour (600 miles north east of Broome) on the coast south east of Augusts Island by a group of Victorians who had high hopes but no practical experience.

The first group arrived aboard the Stag 12 days before Christmas in 1864. The harbour was most attractive but the ground was barren and fresh water was very scarce. Some sheep had died on the long journey by ship but many more were to die due to poor feed and water once they were on shore.

Soon after the Stag arrived the Calliance and Helvetia carrying 67 passengers and 2800 sheep sailed into the harbour. The Calliance had stuck a reef near Adele Island and had damaged her keel but did make it safely to Camden. The very day the ship arrived one of the settlers died from the effects of heat stress and was buried on Sheep Island. The settlement was not off to an auspicious start. Later the Calliance was caught in a wet season storm and wrecked close to the settlement.

Although the group came well equipped with supplies much of it was lost or damaged when goods were not moved off the shoreline quickly enough and high tides swept it away.

Organisation seems to have been sadly lacking and the main problem seems to have been 'too many chiefs and too few Indians'. By the time the Government party arrived in 1865 it was already too late with the settlers interested in nothing more than getting away.

Expeditions travelled out from the settlement in an attempt to find better country but none were successful. On October 28th 1865 the last ship set sail from the harbour taking the last vestiges of civilisation with it.

After 11 months of torment (including the loss of most stock and the deaths of 9 settlers) the settlement at Camden Harbour was abandoned and the initial investment of around 20,000 pounds was all lost.