Local Government
Carnarvon
Region
Gascoyne
17 Mile Beach Quobba
Red Bluff, on Quobba Station (135kms north of Carnarvon) ; Lot 378 on Plan 216205
Red Bluff
Carnarvon
Gascoyne
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| (no listings) |
| Type | Status | Date | Documents |
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| Type | Status | Date | Grading/Management | |
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| Municipal Inventory | Adopted | 23 Jun 2015 | Category 5 | |
Historic Value – Importance in relation to an event, phase or activity of historic importance in the locality. The sinking of the HMAS Sydney was one of the major disasters suffered by Australia during the war. Social Value – Importance as a place highly valued by a community or cultural group for reasons of social, cultural or education associations.
The cave provided shelter for the German survivors from the raider ‘Kormoran’ after it was sunk in the battle with HMAS Sydney in 1941.
On 19 November 1941, a battle occurred between the Australia light cruiser HMAS Sydney and the German raider, the auxiliary cruiser HSK Kormoran off the coast of Western Australia. Both ships were destroyed from the half hour confrontation. After HMAS Syndey failed to return to port on 24th November, search by air and sea was undertaken. From the 645 strong HMAS Sydney crew, there were no survivors. The battle marks the largest loss of life in the history of the Royal Australia Navy. 318 of the 399 personnel on the Kormoran survived. Some boats and rafts carrying survivors from the Kormoran were recovered at sea. Other survivors from the Kormoran made it to land north of Carnarvon. They camped out at the caves at Red Bluff. These survivors were held in prisoner of war camps until the end of World War II. Both the HMAS Sydney and Kormoran wrecks were discovered in 2008. To this day, there remains a lot of speculation surrounding the event with regard to how a purpose built warship like the HMAS Sydney was defeated by a raider such as the Kormoran.
High/High
Site only
Historic Site
| Epoch | General | Specific |
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| Present Use | OTHER | Other |
| Original Use | OTHER | Other |
| General | Specific |
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| OUTSIDE INFLUENCES | World Wars & other wars |
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