Mother nature is a force to be reckoned with, and it was certainly the case on this day ten years ago when the Pasha Bulker came to rest on the sand of Nobbys Beach.
Novocastrians woke on Friday June 8th 2007 to what appeared to be another common dreary day, but as the day wore on, winds picked up to 110km/hr and swells of 10 metres lashed the coastline.
The 40,000-tonne Panamanian carrier the Pasha Bulker was caught in the ferocious winds and rain along the coast. The captain ignored warnings to head back out to sea and then consequently failed to fight against the massive swells, leaving the Pasha Bulker grounded at Nobbys Beach.
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| Image abc.net.au |
Former Nobbys Surf Life Saving President Dave Edwards saw the awesome moment the unthinkable happened to the Pasha Bulker and says any further north and the carrier would've been grounded on the rocks of the breakwater for good.
"I was going that way home so I thought I'll go and make sure everything was secure in the surf club and as I drove past Newcastle baths I saw the Pasha Bulker behind the baths there and it got pretty close but it never locked into my brain how close she was because I was more intent on getting around to the surf club to secure the surf club," said Dave.
He saw the propeller start to grab the water and move the boat, but it wasn't strong enough, "and then it started to come across the bay towards the surf club and I thought it was going to come through the doors of the surf club at one stage there. It came across the bay there and I thought oh no it's going to land right in the Southern quarter and come through the doors of the surf club, but then a couple more big waves washed it ashore where she ended up."
Every man and his dog flocked to the foreshore to see the unbelievable sight, along with a vast media contingent including former Newcastle radio journalist Loren Cousins who covered the story from the moment the Pasha Bulker hit the sand and still can't believe what she witnessed.
"It kind of just loomed up out of the waves, this huge coal ship and you just couldn't believe it was so close to the shore. It was just water and spray from the surf crashing all over it - it was actually incredible," said Loren.
"It just looked like an enormous site, this big ship just getting through across into the waves starting to break on the back of Nobbys Reef. Certainly, when you see a big red ship getting blown backwards its just I can't get it out of my brain, I'll take it to the day I die that image in my brain," said Dave.
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| Image Robert Rouse |
The big red ship spent 24 days grounded on the sand and it took three attempts over five nights to drag her back out to sea.
"I think I was on the phone at the time and at one stage there were a few different tries I seem to recall, but eventually you saw this tugboat going down towards Merewether Beach way and then you saw this huge coal ship just gliding along in the darkness," said Loren.
While a lot of what we remember was on Nobbys Beach that day, flooding and strong winds left much of the Hunter absolutely devastated and changed many communities lives forever.
Nine people lost their lives and the region was officially declared to be in a state of emergency.
