Governor Hunter (ship)

The Governor Hunter was a 35 tons schooner built by Isaac Nichols, Sydney and launched 17 January 1805. She was registered in Sydney on 18 January 1805. During a gale in July 1816, she was wrecked on the East coast of Australia.

Built by and owned by Isaac Nichols, Sydney and launched 17 January 1805, Governor Hunter was registered the next day in Sydney.^[1] The Governor Hunter was stranded near Badger Island in the Furneaux Group, Bass Strait, on 1 April 1809 and was later refloated and returned to Sydney on 3 April 1810 with a cargo of 2000 seal skins.^[2] Governor Macquarie made a note of the Governor Hunter near Newcastle in January 1812.

On 11 February 1815 the Governor Hunter, under the command of Captain Murrell, left Sydney for Kangaroo Island and there was no recording of the ship being seen again until July 1816 when it was spotted by the convict ship Atlas off Cape Howe, carrying a cargo of salt and seal skins. Atlas was struck by a gale and driven northwards and took an extra week to beat its way back to Sydney where it landed finally on 22 July 1816. It is likely the Governor Hunter was hit by the same gale. The ship was not heard of again until 1818 and its remains were discovered by the Lady Nelson when on an expedition to find the wrecked William Cossar. The remains of the Governor Hunter were found in a lagoon 50 miles (80 km) north of Port Stephens, possibly Wallis Lake. The hull was nearly completely buried in sand but the ship's figurehead was returned to its owner, Isaac Nichols.^[1] The crew had disappeared without trace and were thought to have been either been drowned or killed by Aborigines.^[1][3]

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