Sunday, March 29, 2009

Swansea, Tasmania













Great Oyster Bay



Swansea, is a small seaside town in the centre of Tasmania's east coast, on the northwest shore of Great Oyster Bay.

Loointitetermairrelehoiner is the Aboriginal name of the local tribe who roamed this part of Tasmania's east coast before Europeans arrived in the 1820's.

In 1850 the sad story of Thomas and Mary Ann Large is documented here. Returning to Swansea on holiday with their 6 children aboard the Resolution, suddenly disaster struck and the ship sank. At the inquest, Thomas Large made the following statement:

"The vessel all this time kept turning on its side and the sea washing right over us, the children then became very weak and we kept hold of them as long as we could with one hand as we were obliged to hold on ourselves with the other until the sea washed them away from the different persons who had hold of them."

All 6 children perished and are buried here in the cemetry at Swansea.

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