Shipwreck Databases Western Australian Museum

Glenfields Beach timber inspection and identification

Author/s R. Anderson

Year of publication 2010

Report Number: 264

Background
In March 2010 Geraldton resident Jonathan Pomeroy reported discovering a timber believed to be from a shipwreck on Glenfields Beach, 7 km north of Geraldton. The timber was subsequently removed from the beach. Catherine Belcher, Manager WA Museum, Geraldton arranged for a local media release to be issued requesting anyone who had recovered the timber to report it to the WA Museum, Geraldton. As a result Geraldton resident Ross Bennett responded by reporting his discovery, and recovery of the timber. James Thompson (Technical Officer, WA Museum) and the Department of Maritime Archaeology arranged with Ross for the intermediate care, and later recovery of the timber and transport to storage at WA Museum, Geraldton in May 2010.

On Thursday 4 – Friday 5 June Ross Anderson (WA Museum, Department of Maritime Archaeology) and Jon Carpenter (WA Museum, Department of Materials Conservation) travelled to Geraldton for the purpose of inspecting and recording the timber, and taking samples.

Both Jonathan Pomeroy and Ross Bennett provided further information on the circumstances of their respective discoveries of the timber. Jonathan initially discovered it washing around at the surf/ tide mark following a heavy swell that had eroded away part of the beach, exposing the timber. He dragged it out of the surf with his 4WD vehicle. Ross Bennett subsequently discovered the timber in this location high up on the beach, and recovered it by digging a trailer into the sand and using his 4WD vehicle’s winch to winch it onto the trailer in order to remove it from the beach.