12 January 1837   Coromandel deserters

On 12 January 1837 the ship Coromandel anchored in Holdfast Bay. On the 14 February Captain Chesser wrote to Robert Gouger, the first Colonial Secretary, complaining that ten of his crew had deserted and he was short of men and could not sail without more crew. Governor Hindmarsh offered a reward of £5 per head, or £50 for the ringleader, for information leading to their apprehension.

The deserters liked the look of the new land and headed for the hills, camping at first above Brownhill Creek. They soon moved on and eventually came to a lovely valley which they named after their ship, Coromandel. Some settled there, and another report states that some young couples of the labouring class who came out on the ship also settled in the area.

Mail , 12 November 1927, Newspaper Cuttings Book, Volume 1, SSLM