The American Star Picture Gallery.

ADDED ON 29-03-2009.
After telling ex-crew member Maggy Volovinis that they were to spend a week on Fuerteventura last month, she said we MUST visit the ‘Australis’ at Playa de Garcey whilst there. Although Ianni and Kath had only worked on the ‘Britanis’, ‘Ellinis’ and ‘Regina Prima’, they thought it might be a nice day out. It was a bright but windy day, and as Kath & Ianni only had a small hire car, they decided it would probably be more advisable not to tempt fate along the dirt roads, but to walk to see what was left of the old lady.

If they had known just how far the wreck was away from the main road, Kath & Ianni might not have made the pilgrimage (as they are not so young any more). As you can see from the attached photos, there really isn’t a lot of the wreck left anymore, they were glad they made the effort. It brought a tear to their eyes to see her still proudly poking out of the water. Kath & Ianni said "If anybody else still wants to see her, they’d better hurry up".


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Many thanks to Kath & Ianni Arvanitakis for their contribution to the site.

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ADDED ON 04-06-2008.
Andy Lawrence from Rotherham, UK wrote that he had just recently returned from a two week holiday in Fuerteventura. He said "It was very sad to see the ship in the state it's in, as I saw her when I was a child, when I waved my gran off on the start of her journey to Melbourne, Australia".

*I was surprised to see so much of the wreck was still visible above the surface after all this time, it just shows how strong the hull had been built. I would have expected her to have disappeared below the water by now.* (Ken)


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Many thanks to Andy Lawrence for his contribution to the site.

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ADDED ON 12-02-2008.
Justyn Greentree and his partner visited the wreck in Fuerteventura earlier this month, and took these two dramatic photos below. They were taken on 6.02.08. Justyn knew very little about the history of the ship, but loved reading all about her on this site. They were on vacation at the time, and are from Norfolk, in the UK.


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Many thanks to Justyn Greentree for his contribution to the site.

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ADDED ON 12-10-2007.
Eros Bonfanti was on holiday in Fuerteventura and decided to take a trip to the wreck. As you can see from these two photos below, it will not be long before the wreck will probably disappear under the water. Eros was on vacation from Italy when he took the pictures. You can clearly see that there is not much left to the wreck now - I wish I had gone over with Doug Griffiths (ex-passenger who ran a web-site about the ship). He came over to see me here in the UK, from New Zealand, and visited the wreck several times during his stay.


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Many thanks to Eros Bonfanti for his contribution to the site.

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ADDED ON 5-4-2006.


These dramatic photos were sent in by Steve Whittington and were taken on the 18th. of March.


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Many thanks to Steve Whittington for his contribution to the site.

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Also added in the past...
Danny Cleavely managed to get a few photos during his vacation to Fuerteventura. He said nothing can prepare you for what is, at first, a horrible, haunting sight. His wife visibly shivered when she first saw this wonderful old ship. It will always be a lasting memory. What amazed Danny most was just how close the wreck is to the shore.

At a low tide Danny imagined it would be very easy to climb up the ladder, though looking at the terrible condition of her now, he really wouldn't recommend doing this. If you look through the missing section in her bows, it looks as if the decks are collapsing inside. The view taken of her "sea-side" (port) show that there is very little holding the structure upright now.

Danny mentioned that he wished he had been able to see the ship when it was a proud cruise liner. He felt quite emotional at viewing the wreck, and hopes that the photos are not too depressing for all those who knew her in her hey-day

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Many thanks to Danny Cleavely for his contribution to the site.

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Welcome all visitors to the S.S. Australis Website, which has now been online since 1998!

I will continue to update the site if I receive a new story, or if you have interesting photos taken on the ship during your voyage on either the southbound, northbound, or on one of the South Pacific cruises. We used to do those trips several times a year from Melbourne, Sydney and Auckland (New Zealand).

I am deeply moved by the interest and wonderful contributions from the numerous passengers and crew over many years.

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You can send an e-mail to me on the link below:

Please feel free to e-mail me on this link


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A HUGE THANK YOU

Warm Regards

Ken


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