All year 9 students from Hale School in Perth undertake a major Gascoyne region adventure following the tale and trail of survivors of the Stefano shipwreck in 1875.
Story Mandy McKeesick Photo Hale School
In an open dinghy on the millpond waters of the Exmouth Gulf in WA, a dozen boys, aged 14 and 15, are rowing for land. With fatigued muscles, they beach on remote Whitmore Island, where they must fish and forage for food. If unsuccessful, it is only potatoes and bread for dinner. If the wind builds, it will be a longer pull back to the mainland. If it storms, they could potentially be shipwrecked.
The boys are from Hale School in Perth and they are recreating some of the conditions that faced survivors of the Stefano, a three-masted, wooden barque that foundered near Exmouth in 1875. Of the 17 crew onboard the Stefano, the captain was the oldest, at just 26 years of age. Ten boys and youths made it to shore, but over the following three months – faced with little water, desolate conditions and a cyclone – eight of them perished. The remaining two – Miho Baccich (16) and Ivan Jurich (20) – were taken into the care of local Aboriginals and, over another three months, were nursed back to health before pearler Charles Tuckey transported them to Fremantle. Eventually, they made it home to Croatia.
“Being on the coast of WA, where shipwrecks are such a big part of our history, it’s fantastic that Hale School can link the Stefano to our outdoor education program,” teacher Holly Bacon says. “We read excerpts from the book [The Wreck of the Barque Stefano by Gustave Rathe] before we leave and because some of the crew were of similar age to the students it’s a great connection.”
This story excerpt is from issue #164
Outback Magazine: Dec/Jan 2026
