The Gap, New South Wales
Encyclopedia
The Gap is an ocean cliff
, in eastern Sydney
, in the state of New South Wales
, Australia
. It is located in the eastern
suburb
of Watsons Bay
, in the Municipality of Woollahra
, near South Head
.
The Gap is also a suicide location of some notoriety, with a reported 50 suicide
s annually. Don Ritchie
was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for his suicide prevention efforts at The Gap.
The Gap is the most well known suicide hotspot in Australia. Several measures between 2008 and 2011 have seen The Gap go through many changes to protect those at risk of suicide. These measures include security cameras that are positioned alongside The Gap that are monitored remotely, several purpose-built Lifeline counseling phone booths, signs with Lifeline and Beyond Blue phone numbers, a special purpose-built, inward leaning fence to deter people from jumping and to allow persons to get back to safety quickly, and warning signs to call emergency services if people are seen on the cliff side of the fence.
carrying 63 passengers and 59 crew crashed into the rocky cliff at the foot of The Gap. Dunbar, captained by James Green, left England on 31 May 1857 and arrived off Botany Bay shortly after dark on 20 August 1857 .
The weather was stormy, with a strong wind. In poor visibility, Captain Green misjudged the entrance to the harbour and the Dunbar impacted the rocky cliff at the foot of The Gap, causing the ship's topmasts to snap and the ship to turn broadside on pounding her asunder against the rocks. The next day, crowds watched as breakers pounded victims' corpses against the rocks, while inside the harbour the incoming tide carried naked bodies, many mutilated by sharks, amid cargo and wreckage .
One man survived, a young sailor named James Johnson, who clung to a rocky ledge below the Gap for 36 hours. Johnson, later employed at the Newcastle
lighthouse, rescued another lone survivor from the wreckage of the steamer, SS Cawarra
in July 1866.
The funeral of the Dunbar victims was the longest procession Sydney had ever seen. The unidentified dead were buried in a common grave at Camperdown cemetery.
The Dunbar's anchor was recovered more than fifty years later and placed on the cliffs at Watsons Bay
with a memorial tablet .
Cliff
In geography and geology, a cliff is a significant vertical, or near vertical, rock exposure. Cliffs are formed as erosion landforms due to the processes of erosion and weathering that produce them. Cliffs are common on coasts, in mountainous areas, escarpments and along rivers. Cliffs are usually...
, in eastern Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, in the state of New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It is located in the eastern
Eastern Suburbs (Sydney)
The Eastern Suburbs is a general term used to describe the metropolitan area directly to the east and south-east of the Sydney central business district in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Eastern Suburbs can refer to the suburbs within the local government areas of Woollahra, Waverley, Dover...
suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
of Watsons Bay
Watsons Bay, New South Wales
Watsons Bay is a harbourside, eastern suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Watsons Bay is located 11 km north-east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Municipality of Woollahra....
, in the Municipality of Woollahra
Municipality of Woollahra
The Municipality of Woollahra is a Local Government Area in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The administrative centre of the Municipality of Woollahra is located on New South Head Road at Double Bay....
, near South Head
Sydney Heads
Sydney Heads , is the entrance to Port Jackson in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.North Head and Quarantine Head are to the north, South Head and Dunbar Head are to the south. Middle Head, Georges Head and Chowder Head are to the west and within the bay...
.
The Gap is also a suicide location of some notoriety, with a reported 50 suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
s annually. Don Ritchie
Don Ritchie
Donald Taylor Ritchie OAM is an Australian who has rescued at least 160 people from suicide over a 45 year period. Ritchie resides next to The Gap, a cliff in Sydney, Australia known for suicide attempts...
was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for his suicide prevention efforts at The Gap.
The Gap is the most well known suicide hotspot in Australia. Several measures between 2008 and 2011 have seen The Gap go through many changes to protect those at risk of suicide. These measures include security cameras that are positioned alongside The Gap that are monitored remotely, several purpose-built Lifeline counseling phone booths, signs with Lifeline and Beyond Blue phone numbers, a special purpose-built, inward leaning fence to deter people from jumping and to allow persons to get back to safety quickly, and warning signs to call emergency services if people are seen on the cliff side of the fence.
Individuals
The following notable people have died at The Gap, either through suicide or foul play:| Victim/Person | Age | Occupation | Date | Cause |
| Charmaine Dragun Charmaine Dragun Charmaine Dragun was an Australian broadcast journalist and presenter. She was, with Tim Webster, the regular presenter of Ten News Perth's 5pm bulletin, which was broadcast at the time from the TEN-10 Sydney studios at Pyrmont... |
29 | Ten News Ten News Ten News is the national news service of Network Ten in Australia. The majority of its news bulletins are presented from the TEN-10 studios in Pyrmont... reader |
2 November 2007 | suicide Suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse... |
| Caroline Byrne | 24 | Model | June 1995 | homicide Homicide Homicide refers to the act of a human killing another human. Murder, for example, is a type of homicide. It can also describe a person who has committed such an act, though this use is rare in modern English... |
Ship wreck
In 1857 the sailing ship DunbarDunbar (shipwreck)
The Dunbar was a full-rigged ship that was wrecked near the entrance to Sydney Harbour, Australia in 1857 with the loss of 121 lives.The Dunbar was launched on 30 November 1853 for London shipowner Duncan Dunbar and entered the passenger and cargo trade between London and Sydney early the following...
carrying 63 passengers and 59 crew crashed into the rocky cliff at the foot of The Gap. Dunbar, captained by James Green, left England on 31 May 1857 and arrived off Botany Bay shortly after dark on 20 August 1857 .
The weather was stormy, with a strong wind. In poor visibility, Captain Green misjudged the entrance to the harbour and the Dunbar impacted the rocky cliff at the foot of The Gap, causing the ship's topmasts to snap and the ship to turn broadside on pounding her asunder against the rocks. The next day, crowds watched as breakers pounded victims' corpses against the rocks, while inside the harbour the incoming tide carried naked bodies, many mutilated by sharks, amid cargo and wreckage .
One man survived, a young sailor named James Johnson, who clung to a rocky ledge below the Gap for 36 hours. Johnson, later employed at the Newcastle
Newcastle, New South Wales
The Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas...
lighthouse, rescued another lone survivor from the wreckage of the steamer, SS Cawarra
SS Cawarra
The Cawarra was a paddle-steamer that sank in 1866 in Newcastle harbour, New South Wales, Australia with the loss of 60 lives. The sinking was one of the worst maritime disasters in Australian history....
in July 1866.
The funeral of the Dunbar victims was the longest procession Sydney had ever seen. The unidentified dead were buried in a common grave at Camperdown cemetery.
The Dunbar's anchor was recovered more than fifty years later and placed on the cliffs at Watsons Bay
Watsons Bay, New South Wales
Watsons Bay is a harbourside, eastern suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Watsons Bay is located 11 km north-east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Municipality of Woollahra....
with a memorial tablet .