Stinker’s History: German mine washed ashore at Anna Bay

A SIGNIFICANT local event in Port Stephens occurred on 21 May 1919 when a German mine was washed ashore at Birubi Beach, Anna Bay.

The Newcastle Sun (22 May 1919, page 2) was the first paper to break the story that was to attract much local attention, and which could have ended in tragedy.

“An enemy mine was found washed up on the beach at Anna Bay last night; and it is a wonder that a terrible tragedy did not ensue immediately,” the Sun stated.

“The mine was the sight of the district today, everybody turning out to inspect it from a safe distance.

“The postmistress at Anna Bay, Mrs. C. Jonson, describes the mine as having five horns and two chain eyes.

“The mine was found at about the highwater mark on the sand, and no doubt the rough weather of the past few days has been the cause of its being washed ashore.”

It did not take long for people to determine that the description of the mine tallied with those previously discovered off the South Coast.

It was certainly of enemy origin and there were theories as to how it came to be beached at Anna Bay.

Did it drift from the Gabo Island field, or from New Zealand, or could it have been laid in the Newcastle/Port Stephens area?

A naval party in the charge of Commander Fearnley soon proceeded from Newcastle to Anna Bay to destroy the enemy mine.

The Maitland Daily Mercury of 26 May 1919, page 8, picks up the story.

“The party on Saturday proceeded to destroy the mine in the first place by placing a charge against the mine and trying to explode it.

“The charge exploded, but failed to destroy the mine, although one of the prongs was blown off.

“Rifle fire was then begun at a range of 350 yards, and at the eighth shot C.P.O. Harman succeeded in registering a hit, which exploded the mine.

“The concussion was severe, and the force of the explosion excavated a hole in the hard sand thirty feet in diameter by five feet in depth.

“Fragments of the mine were blown a considerable distance, some falling near a knot of spectators who had assembled about six hundred yards away, and two pieces weighing between three and four pounds came down dangerously close to the firing party.

“The discovery of the mine created great interest in the district, and many people travelled long distances to view it.”

According to the Newcastle Sun of 31 May 1919, the “shock was felt at Booral over 20 miles away”.

“At the Tea Gardens, distant some 14 miles, crockery was shaken off the shelves and man and beast within a range of 500 to 1000 yards got a taste of shell shock.”

Today, Birubi Beach, where the mine came ashore, remains one of the top tourist attractions of the Port Stephens region, but few visitors would be aware of the First World War mine incident, or of the military use of the beach during the Second World War and the immediate post-war period.

By John ‘Stinker’ CLARKE and Kevin MCGUINNESS.