Janet Wreck Site, Rottnest Island

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Built in Fremantle back in 1878, the Janet was the largest ship ever to call that port home at the time of her catastrophic demise. On her way back from a journey to Columbo with a cargo hold full of wheat and furniture bound for the Swan River Colony, she suffered a devastating fate on December 11th, 1887. The 211-ton jarrah schooner struck Transit Reef in the evening, taking on water at an alarming rate as her crew desperately clung to the spars of the masts for dear life. By morning, the vessel was nothing more than a wreck, its wooden hull structure completely destroyed and lying in tatters. Yet, remnants of this fateful day still remain, including two admiralty-type anchors, a donkey boiler, and piping scattered throughout a small cave system as well as proudly displayed on a museum plinth.