Stone Fleet (New South Wales)


The Stone Fleet was the colloquial name for the small coastal ships that carried crushed-stone construction aggregate from the ports of Kiama and Shellharbour, and from nearby ocean jetties in the Illawarra to Sydney. The coastal shipping trade carried on by these ships was known colloquially as the 'Stone Trade' or 'Blue Diamond Trade'. The trade ended finally in 2011.

The 'Stone Trade' or 'Blue Diamond Trade'

The predominant bedrock in the Sydney metropolitan area is sedimentary rock—Hawkesbury Sandstone with some isolated areas of shale. Crushed stone was needed as aggregate for concrete, road making, and as ballast for railways and tramways. Sandstone and shale are totally unsuited to such purposes, which typically use crushed igneous rock. There are some intrusions of igneous rocks in the Sydney area, particularly at Prospect Hill and Hornsby, but these isolated outcrops, although later quarried, were insufficient to meet demand.
In the southern part of the Illawarra region, south from Sydney, there are extensive igneous rock formations—mainly basalt—stretching from north of Shellharbour to south of Kiama at Gerringong, and extending right to the coastline. Around Kiama, the formations—known as the Gerringong Volcanics—are the result of lava flows from the extinct collapsed volcanic vent known as Saddleback Mountain. It is by far the largest formation of igneous rocks relatively close to Sydney and was well situated to allow transport by sea. The South Coast railway line did not reach Shellharbour and Bombo until 1887 and it took until 1893 to reach Kiama; by that time, shipping of 'blue metal' by sea was already well established.
After the railway reached the district, significant amounts of the quarried and crushed stone were sent by rail, and some quarries had their own sidings. Coastal shipping remained cost-competitive as a means of transport for many years and the coastal shipping trade in "blue metal" continued until 2011.
Another colloquial name for this trade, the 'Blue Diamond Trade' probably stems from the term 'Black Diamond' used to describe coal, with a similar analogy being applied to 'blue metal', as the quarried and crushed basalt was known colloquially.

The ports of the Stone Trade

Kiama

was a port of the 'Stone Trade' from around 1881, when the Pike's Hill quarry opened on the outskirts of the town.
The harbour at Kiama relies upon the natural shelter provided by Blowhole Point but is largely artificial. The Robertson Basin was excavated from solid rock between 1871 and 1876. The connection from Blowhole Point to the mainland—previously submerged at high-tide—was raised by adding rock excavated from the basin in 1871. It was also in 1871 that the first commercial shipment of crushed basalt—waste from the excavation of the basin—was made to Sydney. From 1881, there were two staithes for loading crushed stone at the Robertson Basin. From 1887, the port had the Kiama Light as a aid to navigation.
It was difficult for sailing ships to enter Kiama, with a following wind, and not collide with the basin walls or other vessels; this problem was partially solved by placing a heavy chain on the seafloor at the harbour entrance, which ships could use to decelerate by dragging an anchor over it. Ultimately, sail gave way completely to steam, ending the need for this unique method of shedding speed.
A narrow gauge railway line ran from the quarries to the port, via Terralong Street, from 1914 until 1942, when the quarries at Kiama closed. Hoppers and staithes for loading crushed stone were located on the eastern side of the Robertson Basin.

Bombo

was the site of an ocean jetty for the nearby headland quarry. Bombo was more exposed to the weather than Kiama and a less reliable port as a result. The jetty only operated from 1883 until 1889. The arrival of the railway in 1887 and the acquisition of the quarry by the NSW Government Railways in 1889 made the jetty redundant.

Shellharbour

Blue metal was loaded at times at the small coastal-shipping port at Shellharbour. It was a difficult port to navigate, used only by small craft—such as Paterson —and masters who had local knowledge. There was a small jetty there by the end of the 1850s. A larger jetty was constructed in the late 1860s. Although receiving some protection from Bass Point to the south and Cowrie Island to north, the Shellharbour jetty was exposed to heavy seas from the east or north-east.
An artificial harbour was constructed in the 1880s, with one breakwater running for 100 yards In a north-easterly direction and another to the south-east for 50 yards—from Cowrie Island—providing an entrance only 100 feet wide, with a depth of six feet of water. The breakwater was extended westward around 1899, to block completely the gap between Cowrie Island and the mainland.
The jetty ran from the south-east corner of the basin, for 50 yards to the north-east. There was only one berth on the north-west side of the jetty, with from five to seven feet of water at low tide. A 'swinging buoy' was used when berthing vessels that had to head north-east as they went alongside. There was also a smaller, high wharf on the northern side of the basin, near the site of the modern-day boat ramp.

Bass Point (near Shellharbour)

A wooden jetty constructed around 1880. It was damaged by storms in 1922 and repaired. The jetty closed during the Second World War and did not resume operation after the war. It survived until 1957, when it was damaged in bad weather; its remains were demolished in 1958.
The existing jetty and its loader were completed in 1973. It could load a ship at a rate of 900 tonnes per hour. Bass Point was the last port of the 'Stone Fleet', closing in 2011.

Sydney Harbour (Pyrmont, Woolloomooloo and Blackwattle Bay)

In the early 20th Century, 'blue metal' was unloaded at Pyrmont, by gangs of men in a similar way to 'coal lumping'. This was dangerous work.
During the 1930s, Blue Metal and Gravel Company Pty Ltd had discharge hoppers at Woolloomooloo and 'blue metal' was unloaded there.
'Blue metal' was unloaded at wharves at the head of Blackwattle Bay in Sydney Harbour. From 1972, this facility has been owned by Hanson. In its last decade, Blackwattle Bay was unloading 380,000 tonnes of crushed stone per annum. Part of the facility, the concrete batching plant, was still operating in 2019, but ships no longer unload there.

The ships

In the earliest years of the coastal trade, the "Stone Fleet" ships were sailing vessels. These were quickly supplanted by small coal-fired steamers designed to carry bulk cargo. The steamers in the earlier years of the trade were relatively small, wooden ships, like the Dunmore, built in 1891.
Some of the steamships such as the second Kiama—built in 1920—were capable of making a round trip, from Kiama to Sydney and return, in one day, 22 hours.
There was also a similar type of small bulk cargo ship, usually dedicated to carrying coal, known as a 'sixty-miler'. Some 'sixty miler' ships carried construction aggregate from time to time. 'Stone Fleet' ships would occasionally carry coal, as part of the coastal coal-carrying trade. Given the density of their cargo, 'Stone Fleet' ships were smaller and had relatively smaller holds than the typical 'sixty-miler' designed to carry coal.
The last ship of the 'Stone Fleet', the self-discharging bulk carrier MV Claudia, was much larger and faster than the earlier vessels. The ship had three separate holds and could handle three different materials in any one trip, with a total capacity of 3,800 tonnes.

Incidents and losses

Over the years of the 'Stone Trade', many ships of the Stone Fleet were wrecked, involved in collisions with other ships, or foundered.
Many sailing vessels were lost in the earlier period of the 'Stone Trade'
In 1881, the schooners Industry and Mary Peverley where both attempting to enter port at Kiama, with a strong north-east wind blowing. The Industry 'missed the chain', and ran into the stone wharf. Mary Peverley managed to drag a second anchor over the chain, narrowly avoiding collision with another schooner, Prima Donna. Prima Donna later foundered and capsized, in a squall off Bondi in 1882, with the loss of six of her seven crew.
In 1894, the small wooden steamer Resolute, out of Kiama, sprang a leak off Five Islands and was saved by being beached In Wollongong Harbour. She was refloated and her cargo of 'blue metal' offloaded at Wollongong. Also in 1894, the Bowra, a wooden steamer that had been put on the Kiama run in 1893 assisting the Resolute, also sprang a leak near Seal Rocks, while carrying coal to the Clarence from Newcastle, and foundered, without loss of life.
Not lucky for a second time, Resolute went aground on the notorious Bellambi Reef, in 1907, and broke up. No lives were lost, but the vessel was uninsured at the time. She had been in service since 1883.
The wooden-hull Dunmore had a narrow escape after she collided with a much larger ship, the 'sixty-miler' Kelloe, two miles off the Botany Bay heads in May 1902. The Kelloe sank within 15 minutes. Dunmore picked up the Kelloe's crew and made it through the heads of Botany Bay, where she was only saved by being beached at Kurnell.
Dunmore collided with a naval longboat off Mrs Macquarie's Point in Sydney Harbour in 1909, resulting in the drowning of 15 sailors from HMS Encounter. Outbound from Sydney, Dunmore was involved in another collision, in 1914, off the Heads of Sydney Harbour; this time she collided with another 'Stone Fleet' ship, the steel-hull Kiama, which was inbound and fully-laden with crushed stone. Although Dunmore was left with a gaping hole in her bow, she remained afloat. In 1915, the Dunmore ran aground on a reef near Bradley's Head, but sustained little damage. In 1918, the Dunmore was involved in yet another collision—this time with the tug Champion—and sustained damage; a Court of Marine Inquiry found the Champion's master responsible.
in 1924, the wooden steamer Kiltobranks had just loaded 'blue metal' at Shellharbour but, upon leaving the wharf, she went aground nearby during a north-easterly gale. Her back broken and with large seas breaking over her, she was a total loss.
In 1939, the small wooden steamer Belbowrie, en-route for Shellharbour, ran onto a rock shelf and was wrecked, at the southern point of Maroubra Bay. Although the rescue of her ten crewmen was difficult, no lives were lost She had escaped serious damage, in 1923, when she ran aground at Doughboy Point five miles north of Cronulla.
In 1949, Bombo, carrying 'blue metal', was attempting to make for the safety of Port Kembla, when her list became so great that she rolled over and sank off the coast between Wollongong and Port Kembla. Twelve of the fourteen crew lost their lives; the two survivors and the ship's dog making it to shore, but a considerable distance north of the location at which the ship sank.
Paterson had a near miss, in 1949 during a storm off Wollongong, soon after she had replaced Bombo on the Kiama run. With her bunker coal wet due to waves breaking over the ship, it took her 46 hours to reach Sydney, after needing to take shelter in Botany Bay.
In 1951, the 'Stone Fleet' ship, Kiama, was carrying coal from Newcastle to Sydney, during a gale that carried her onto the Tuggerah Reef—located offshore due east of Toowoon Bay. The crew took to lifeboats and rafts but were too close to the reef to be picked up safely by the CSR ship the Fiona that was nearby. The Kiama broke up and sank within a few minutes. Only five of the thirteen crewmen survived by making it to shore.
Later in 1951, Paterson —carrying general cargo at the time— sprang a leak and foundered off Norah Head without loss of life.
In 1954, while the second 'Stone Fleet' ship known as Dunmore was in Kiama Harbour, her engineer was badly burned when a diesel engine back-fired. He leapt into the water to extinquish his burning clothing but later died of his injuries.
Hexham Bank had survived her time carrying coal as a 'sixty-miler' but, in June 1978, while preparing to load crushed stone at Bass Point, she caught fire. All her crew were rescued. Her engine room was destroyed and she was deemed a "constructive loss" and scrapped. Her hulk later was later sunk off Sydney Heads.

Decline and end of the 'Stone Fleet'

Impact of the Second World War

There was an interruption to the trade during the Second World War, when the Kiama, Dunmore and Bombo were requisitioned for wartime service. The quarries and narrow-gauge railway at Kiama closed permanently at this time. Around the same time, the Bass Point quarry and jetty also closed.
Bombo was used as a minesweeper during the war.
Loading at Bass Point did not resume after the war, and its disused jetty was destroyed in a storm in 1957.

End of operations at Kiama

After the war, the trade resumed but ground had been lost to road and rail transport. Kiama became, once again, a port for loading 'blue metal' but now it was brought from nearby quarries to the port by road transport.
Both Bombo and Kiama survived the war, but were lost in incidents in 1949 and 1951 respectively. The fate of the original wooden-hulled SS Dunmore seems to be not recorded. A new steel-hulled MV Dunmore entered service in 1951, with Kiama as its home port.
171,829 tons of gravel was shipped by sea from Kiama Harbour—vessels making 242 trips—during the 1956–57 financial year.
MV Dunmore took the last shipment of 'blue metal' from Kiama on 21 December 1961, then becoming redundant. She was sold and renamed Fijian Trader, under which name she ran aground and was wrecked in 1964. The hoppers at the Robinson Basin were demolished in 1965.

Reopening of Bass Point and final years

The Bass Point quarry reopened in 1973 using a new jetty and loader, beginning what would be the final phase of the Stone Trade. With the older Stone Fleet ships all gone by then, the trade at the new Bass Point jetty used ex-'sixty-miler' colliers, like Hexham Bank, which were available after the end of gas production from coal.
The new operation at Bass Point and the use of a larger ship, MV Claudia, resulted in the last years of the trade achieving the highest shipments. Over 14 years, MV Claudia delivered over 2.8 million tonnes of aggregate to the Sydney. Three times a week, she made the return journey from Blackwattle Bay Concrete Plant to Bass Point, loading at the Bass Point Jetty, with 3,800 tonnes of crushed basalt carried by conveyors direct from the Bass Point Quarry. Each trip that MV Claudia made was the equivalent of 100 truck movements through the Sydney area.
MV Claudia was retired in 2011, finally ending the "Blue Diamond" or "Stone" coastal-shipping trade. She was sent to be scrapped in China. All transport from Bass Point is now by road.

Legacy and remnants

None of the 'Stone Fleet' ships survive. Bombo and her crew are commemorated by two plaques near Kiama Harbour. Her wreck lies on the seabed near Port Kembla.
The Robinson Basin at Kiama remains but is no longer a shipping port. Remnants of the narrow-gauge railway can be found in Terralong Street, Kiama, outside the Presbyterian Church and the locations of the loading bins at the basin can still be identified. A locomotive from the railway is under restoration at the Illawarra Light Railway Museum.
The headland quarry at Bombo is now the Bombo Headland Quarry Geological Site but nothing remains of its ocean jetty.
The harbour at Shellharbour is now used for recreational boating. The disused ocean jetty, at nearby Bass Point, remains as part of the Bass Point Reserve.
A Hanson concrete batching plant remains at Blackwattle Bay in January 2020, at the site of the former unloading facility, but is no longer used by ships.
The southern Illawarra has continued to be the main source of construction aggregate and ballast—for Sydney and much of New South Wales—for over 140 years.