The worst peacetime sea disaster in Australian history occurred on Aug. 4, 1846 when the bark Cataraqui entered the Bass Strait between Tasmania and Australia. Known as "Shipwreck Strait" this dangerous stretch of water contains the bones of many a sailor and the hulls of many a ship. This time it was a storm and a captain wanting to make port that caused the disaster.

The ship left Liverpool on Apr. 20, 1846 bound for Hobson's Bay (Melbourne), Australia. It was an uneventful voyage, although five infants had died en route (this must have been common as a report stated it this way; "The emigrants were all in excellent health, and five infants only had died during the voyage".) until the Cataraqui entered the Bass Strait on Aug. 3rd a gale was blowing, and captain C.W. Finlay was off course. He had not been able to get the correct position of his ship for four days due to overcast skies, the storm just made things worse. However early in the morning on the 4th he ordered the sails hoisted as the storm had eased up, this was a fatal error for only 45 minutes later the ship ran aground on the reef at the south end of King Island.

The Cataraqui was an emigrant ship and was carrying 369 people, including 73 children to Australia. There were also 8 additional passengers and a crew of 46. As the ship was stuck fast one after another the masts broke and the ship began to list, most of the women and children had been killed early in the disaster, but those who had survived this far had not long to live as the waves washed them overboard one after another. The crew attempted to get a rope to land, but this proved impossible. The broken masts were cut away in the hope that the ship would right itself, but this too proved hopeless.

About noontime the ship broke in half and another 100 people fell into the sea, there remained a horrible sight of people clinging to a sinking ship with no hope of rescue. As the day again turned into night the seas continued pound the wreck and by morning only about 25 were still clinging to what was left. It soon broke up sending all those still alive to their deaths.

Those who did survive were stranded on King Island, wet, tired, bruised and without food, water or shelter, they also did not know exactly where they were. Afraid they would be attacked and killed by natives the group of survivors were cautious when they saw a fire in the distance. It turned out to be a group of seal hunters led by David Howie, a special constable who had arrived in Australia as a convict. His group aided the survivors until the cutter Midge arrived some five weeks later. The eight crewmen and one passenger were taken to Melbourne and safety.