When I first considered this paper I could not find any information on the addressee of this letter, so I decided to discuss this ship which had a short but interesting sailing history, with journeys to and from Australia, and finally its demise on the coast of New South Wales. Its association with Australia is shown on this cover which is addressed to W.D.P. Swain Esq, Barque Eleanor Lancaster, Port Office, Sydney. It has a 2d blue imperforate stamp, the first N.S.W. stamp with a portrait of the young Queen Victoria, issued initially in 1851. The reverse was not shown on eBay, but the vendor states that the cover was dated 1852 (Figure 1).

S.S. WAIRARAPA SHIPWRECK ON ROUTE, from SYDNEY to AUCKLAND N. Z. 1894

On Monday, October 29, 1894, the S.S. Wairarapa, with more than 230 passengers aboard, besides the crew, crashed on to rocks at Miner's Head on Great Barrier Island in the Hauraki Gulf, New Zealand. Captain McIntosh, the master, and initially134 passengers and crew were quoted as having perished (later figures were higher). The covers rescued from the wreck are rated as rare, and the numbers in existence are probably unknown. Here are 3 examples, and the best example is shown first.

It is addressed to the Post Master, Geneal Post Office, Auckland, New Zealand, the stamp (as always) is washed off. It had been canceled with the duplex SYDNEY/ OC 23/ 11-A M/ 94/ 36 with the 3-ringed oval ‘N.S.W’. There is a very fine blue 2-line handstamp ‘Saved from wreck of the/ "WAIRARAPA" (Figure 1).

T.S.S. KANOWNA SHIPWRECK OFF WILSON’S PROMONTORY, VICTORIA 1929

The ‘Advance Australia’ postcard was postmarked with a squared circle PORT ADELAIDE/ 3/ DE 20/ 06/ S.A. on the pink ‘ONE PENNY’ stamp of South Australia, and the message read "Dec 20 1906 Arrived here this morning. I will be in Melb on Saturday & back in old F.C. (Fish Creek) about the end of the month, hoping all are well, Yours ( ). The addressed woman lived at Fish Creek, Sth Gippsland, Victoria (Figure 1).