By C Bishop, 2025.
The name Australind does not just arise in the name of the Shire of Harvey place, but regularly appeared until the 1980s relative to shipping activity associated with Western Australia.
The Australind Steam Shipping Co. Ltd (ASSC) owned by Trinder, Anderson & Co. Ltd, was based in London. The company managed services and cargo between the United Kingdom and Western Australia. They also started a service between Fremantle and Singapore.
Oliver Jones Trinder made a business trip to Fremantle in 1885, and in March of that year he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Colonial Institute. He bought the business of Oliver & Wilson of Fremantle, to enter the trade from Western Australia to Singapore. In 1886 he set up the steamer service called West Australian Steam Navigation Co. Ltd (WASN). This later became the Australind Steam Shipping Co. The first vessel of the new company was the newly built Australind 1 built by Blackwood & Gordon on the Clyde River at Paisley, Scotland.[1] She was registered at Fremantle for owners WD Moore, Shenton and Bethell, but transferred to the WASN in 1887.
The first Australind was originally to be named West Australian, but was changed because the proposed name clashed with a barque named West Australian operating from Fremantle.[2] She served the Fremantle to Singapore route for many years in a passenger and cargo capacity, taking in the smaller Western Australian ports along the way.[3] Australind 1 was the vessel that conveyed the first message of the tragic disappearance of a merchant competitor the Koombana to the Port of Broome in 1912. On occasions these vessels ventured south of Fremantle, such as the Australind 2 did to load with fuel coal at the Port of Bunbury.[4]
The company flag clearly showed the Western Australian association by being a black swan on a yellow/gold cross.
The Australind Steam Shipping Company flag.[5]
The company commissioned the building of many steam vessels over time, some of which they later on-sold. All except three of the ship’s names began with ‘A’, of which there were seven named Australind.
| Name | Tonnage | Built | Start | End |
| Australind 1 | 1018 | 1886 | 1887 | 1913 |
| Karrakatta | 2091 | 1897 | 1901 | |
| Australind 2 | 4251 | 1904 | 1904 | 1928 |
| Ashburton | 4445 | 1905 | 1905 | 1916 |
| Arrino | 4484 | 1906 | 1906 | 1918 |
| Armadale | 6153 | 1909 | 1909 | 1917 |
| Ajana | 7753 | 1912 | 1912 | 1920 |
| Atholl | 4647 | 1901 | 1919 | 1929 |
| Errol | 4465 | 1905 | 1919 | 1924 |
| Montrose | 4452 | 1905 | 1919 | 1924 |
| Ashburton | 5088 | 1926 | 1927 | 1937 |
| Armadale | 5066 | 1929 | 1929 | 1954 |
| Australind 3 | 5020 | 1929 | 1929 | 1941 |
| Ardenvohr | 5237 | 1931 | 1931 | 1937 |
| Ardenvohr | 5025 | 1940 | 1940 | 1942 |
| Australind 4 | 7214 | 1944 | 1944 | 1959 |
| Ashburton | 5005 | 1946 | 1946 | 1962 |
| Ajana | 5626 | 1950 | 1950 | 1968 |
| Araluen | 8485 | 1958 | 1958 | 1973 |
| Armadale | 10328 | 1960 | 1970 | 1981 |
| Australind 5 | 6276 | 1961 | 1961 | 1975 |
| Arrino | 9279 | 1974 | 1974 | 1978 |
| Ajana | 9006 | 1976 | 1976 | 1980 |
| Australind 6 | 8800 | 1978 | 1978 | 1980 |
| Australind 7 | 10609 | 1959 | 1981 | 1982 |
Table 1- Australind Steam Shipping Company ship list.[6]
In 1912 the company owned five ships. During World War I the company lost four of its six ships. In World War II the company lost two ships.
Items associated with the ASSC ships are offered for sale online, including cap badges. An interesting offering I found is a …coconut carved by someone in 1937 – four years before the Australind was sunk by Nazis in 1941… This relates to the Australind 3. Australind 3 was shelled and sunk by the German raider Komet in the Pacific Ocean (4°13′S, 91°03′W) on 14 August 1941. Two crew were killed. The rest were made prisoners of war, but one died on the raider.
ASSC captain’s cap badge.[7]
The ASSC ships brought important emigrants to this state, although not without some drama. In February 1893 at the Fremantle Police Court a case was brought against Henry Talboys, captain of the Australind 1, for breach of the Scab Act, 1891. The …alleged offence consisted in the defendant’s introducing by the Australind 128 wethers from the Cossack or northern scab district, to the Fremantle, or central scab district, without being the holder of a clear certificate, and without giving notice to the Inspector of the Fremantle scab district of such intention to introduce such sheep, as directed by the provisions of the Scab Act, 1891…[8]
In November 1901 a writ of habeas corpus, was directed against Captain Rodger, of the Australind 1, to produce …one Ah Jack, a Chinese youth on board the vessel. Mr. M. L. Moss appeared on behalf of the captain of the ship, who, counsel stated, had refused to allow the eight Chinese to land, because he had had reason to believe that if they were allowed to land, he would be liable to a fine of £500, in respect of each of them, under the Chinese Immigration Restriction Act…[9]
On a day in May 1911, ‘the population of the State was increased by 428’, these arriving on Australind 2. Of these… 75 were nominated and the remaining 353 came out under the assisted passage system. The assisted immigrants included 2174 single men, 45 single women, and 39 families, comprising 134 souls. Soon after leaving London the vessel ran into bad weather, and the Australind was struck by a tremendous wave, which caused her to lurch terribly. The result was terrifying to the large band of immigrants, more especially as over 400 pieces of crockery were smashed by the impact…
Once this was over, the …run out to Fremantle was made in pleasant weather conditions. Captain Hunter and his officers made every effort to ensure the comfort of the immigrants. The ship having been fitted out for the accommodation of that type of passenger in pursuance of the special agreement with the Australind Company (Messrs. Trinder, Anderson and Co.), with whom the State has a contract to bring out by each of their boats every two months, equal to 300 adult passengers. Many of the immigrants on arrival at Fremantle yesterday spoke highly of their treatment on the voyage out…[10]
In January 1913, Australind 2’s 492 passengers arriving at Fremantle were, …new settlers for this State. Included in this number is a party of 13 youths under the charge of the matron, Mrs. Wickham. These lads, whose ages range between 8 and 13 years are mostly orphans, who have been specially selected throughout England by an organisation recently formed in Oxford and known as the Child Immigration Society… The boys were destined for Fairbridge Farm.[11]
Australind 2[12]
Arrino[13]
……………………………………………………….
[1] The origin of the use of the ship name Australind is obscure, but must be some form of acknowledgement of the place name. Likely it is associated with the connection of the registered company owners Moore and Shenton to Australind. The Moore and Shenton families had land holdings near Australind.
[2] Advice from Allan Tilley of December 2024.
[3] https://shippingtandy.com/features/trinder-anderson-co-ltd/ and https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/32704082
[4] 1923 ‘SHIPPING.’, The Bunbury Herald and Blackwood Express (WA : 1919 – 1929), 1 May, p. 2. , viewed 05 Mar 2025, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article87063799
[5] P&O, courtesy of National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London, Pope Collection.
[6] Revised and expanded version of information found at https://www.benjidog.co.uk/TheShipsList/Australind.php. viewed 6 June 2025, using multiple sources.
[7] Extracted from Sally Bosley’s Badge Shop website in 2024.
[8] 1893 ‘PROSECUTION UNDER THE SCAB ACT.’, The West Australian (Perth, WA : 1879 – 1954), 8 February, p. 2. , viewed 06 June 2025, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article3045028
[9] 1901 ‘PROHIBITED IMMIGRANTS.’, Kalgoorlie Western Argus (WA : 1896 – 1916), 19 November, p. 28. , viewed 06 June 2025, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article32605413
[10] 1911 ‘POPULATING THE STATE.’, The West Australian (Perth, WA : 1879 – 1954), 9 May, p. 5. , viewed 06 June 2025, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article26339653
[11] 1913 ‘ORPHAN BOYS.’, The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 – 1954), 23 January, p. 9. , viewed 06 June 2025, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article15392641
[12] DATE:1904 – c 1929, OBJECT NUMBER: ANMS0047[374], MEDIUM: Black and white photographic print on paper, CREDIT: Australian National Maritime Museum (ANMM) Collection Transfer from the Australian War Memorial.
[13] DATE: 1906-1914, OBJECT NUMBER: ANMS0047[268], MEDIUM: Black and white photographic print on paper, CREDIT: ANMM Collection Transfer from the Australian War Memorial