Rusting relics of the ship Ethel which sank at this beach in 1904

Ethel Wreck Beach - Innes National Park visitor guide showing a virtual tour of 'Ethel Wreck Beach' linked to an interactive map with local and travel information. 360° panoramas from South Australia.

Ethel Beach lies on the south coast of the Yorke Peninsula within Innes National Park in South Australia. The beach is named after the 'Ethel', a 711 ton, three-masted iron barque that sank in 1904. She was built in Sunderland in England in 1876 and was en route from South Africa to Semaphore when she ran aground Reef Head, close to Cape Spencer on the 2nd January.

A crew member tried to swim to shore with a line but drowned. The remainder of the crew reached shore safely. The wreck was reported SS Ferret in Adelaide on the 4th January but attempts to free the Ethel failed and she was totally lost. All that remains today are some parts of her iron hull rusting away on the beach as a memorial.

Ironically, the SS Ferret sank just a few meters away from the Ethel 17 years later in 1921, and the hulk of the Ethel was used to secure a lifeline to rescue the crew. Today the rusting hulk of the Ethel is one of the tourist attractions in Innes National Park, and an interprative trail around the coast gives information on some of the 40+ ships lost in the area.

Innes National Park
Stenhouse Bay
South Australia 5575
Australia
Phone: 08 8854 3200
Innes NP email

Car: Ethel Beach is about 10km from both Inneston and the Visitor Centre in Stenhouse Bay.