In January 1925, the Moruya Examiner reported an extraordinary find: a bottle containing a message had washed ashore on Bingie Beach, just south of Moruya. The note, written 48 years earlier in 1877 by sailors aboard the Loch Rannoch, described their final dinner as they approached Port Phillip Bay and listed the names of nine crew members.
The Loch Rannoch was an iron clipper ship, part of the Glasgow-based Loch Line fleet, known for transporting passengers and cargo between London and Australia.
Typically, the fleet’s ships sailed from Glasgow to Adelaide with cargo and passengers, then on to Melbourne and Sydney to load wool and grain for the return journey. Each round trip took about a year to complete.
A Shipment of Fine Wines
The Loch Rannoch reached Port Phillip on 24 July 1877, carrying an impressive cargo, including “60 cases of Moet’s extra superior quarts and pints, 135 cases of sparkling Burgundy and Maitrank.” Maitrank, a white wine popular in Germany and Belgium, is traditionally enjoyed on May 1. Perhaps the sailors shared one last toast with a bottle of Moet before casting it—and their heartfelt message—into the ocean.
State Library of Victoria
Despite efforts to trace the sailors listed in the note, no further records of their lives have been found. It is possible they transferred to another ship or deserted entirely, a common occurrence at the time.
The message written on a page from an exercise book, read:
Loch Rannock – this is the bottle that we all drank out of when we were leaving dear old Glasgow, 1877. We are now having the last dinner together as we have sighted Port Phillip Heads, and we are all clearing out to try our luck.
Names of our hard-case seamen: Dan Campbell, from Island of Mull, Scotland; Willie MacLeod, from Island of Harris; Alex Lamond, from Southwell; George MacKinnon, from Island of Barra; Donald MacLean, from Island of Tiree; John Cameron, from Islay, Scotland; Neil MacDonald, from Island of Skye; Nellie Munn, from Oban, Scotland; Hugh MacIntyre, citizen of the world.
If found kind friend, please report, as we will be looking out for news.
Steamer, Loch Rannoch, under full sail, Port Phillip Head.
Good bye.
Moruya Examiner 3 Jan 1925
Australia’s Oldest Message in a Bottle
The Bingie bottle is a rare find, among fewer than 60 recorded long-duration messages worldwide (defined as those found more than 25 years after being launched). In terms of launch date, it ranks as the fourth-oldest find globally and is the oldest known message in a bottle ever discovered in Australia.
Messages in bottles have long been used for scientific studies, memorials, poetic expressions, or simple curiosity. Before the Bingie discovery came to light, the oldest known Australian find was from 1886—a bottle uncovered in Western Australia in 2018. That bottle, launched 9 years after the Loch Rannoch sailors penned their message, was part of a German oceanographic experiment, and had been preserved in sand for over a century.
The Bingie message is a remarkable piece of maritime history, offering a rare window into the lives and camaraderie of 19th-century sailors. The bottle and its contents may be lost to time, but its story survives today thanks to its mention in the Moruya Examiner a hundred years ago!
More Information
- Read the full story
- Message in a bottle – Moruya Mail 12 January 2025
- Clue for Australia’s earliest message in a bottle in 100yo newspaper clippings – ABC South East NSW
- News from 100 Years Ago – 3 January 1925 – weekly extracts prepared by the MDHS
- Making the Headlines Every Week – 100 Years Ago! – about our weekly news extracts
- Loch Rannoch Shipping Report – the Argus, Nov 19, a891. Accessed from NLA Trove
- Message in a Bottle – Wikipedia
- The Loch Line – Wikipedia
MORUYA and District Historical Society Blog 
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