The 'La Bella'

	The 'La Bella' Length: 144 feet (44 metres) Beam: 27 feet 4 inches (8.3 metres) Depth: 17 feet 6 inches (3.8 metres) Built in 1893 in Norway 406 ton iron and steel barque. Wrecked off Warrnambool, in 1905. 7 lives lost, 5 survivors.
The La Bella sailed from Kiapara in New Zealand on the 5th. October 1905 for Lady Bay at Warrnambool with a cargo of timber. She ran aground on a reef west of the entrance to Lady Bay at 8pm and began to break up. By the following afternoon 5 crew were rescued and 7 had perished. The drama was witnessed by many in the town from the shore. The reef is now known as La Bella Reef and is given a wide berth by mariners. In March 1982 a Melbourne diver, Geoff Pearce located the wreck when he dropped his anchor on it while diving for crayfish.
Information on the 'La Bella' was compiled from the book 'Exploring Shipwrecks of Western Victoria', by Peter Ronald. Published by The Osburne Group, Warrnambool, 3280. Victoria.