January 5, 1885 Tsunami: Geraldton, Australia

Only one locally generated tsunami, that for the 1885 Geraldton earthquake in W.A. (reference #2783)

Geelong Advertiser Thursday 15 January 1885, Page 3. TIDAL WAVE ON THE TASMANIAN COAST. On Tuesday, the 6th of January, a rather remarkable tidal wave occurred on the north coast of Tasmania (reports the Launceston "Examiner"). On that day it was high tide about noon, and somewhere after that time a wave from 3ft to 4ft high, ran into the Leven, jostling the vessels that were lying at the wharf against each other, and in its reflux causing one to break adrift; it also knocked over several stacks of timber that had been placed along the edge of the river ready for shipment. The same action was observed at other ports on the coast, but on a modified scale; and Captain Burt, of the schooner Trader, which arrived at the Leven in the afternoon, said he felt the unusual wave out at sea. The time of the occurrence is given by several masters of vessels as half-past 2 p.m. It appears not to have been felt east of the Forth, as the master of the Victory, which was lying in the Don, states he did not notice anything unusual. At the Emu River, near Emu Bay, the wave rushed in with terrific force, completely covering the wharf to which the small vessels are moored, breaking two of them adrift. The schooner Florence Elliott was washed on a bank further up the river than the wharf, whilst the Berean broke adrift from the wharf, and as the water fell again she drifted out of the river. Besides this several pieces of timber were washed off the banks of the river. At the river Forth the water rushed in and carried away logs of about 10cwt. from off the bank of the river, but did not do any material damage. (reference #14306)

More information is to be found from the newspaper published at the time in Geraldton, confusing called the “Victorian Express” – it was renamed the Geraldton Express in 1894. “Shortly after the shock, the sea subsided fully three feet in a quarter of an hour, but there was no subsequent rush of tide, the water rising gradually.” [Victorian Express, 7 January 1885, p3] (reference #14032)

Reference #2813 lists as erroneous entry