Warrnambool

Warrnambool, city, southwestern Victoria, Australia, on Lady Bay near the mouth of Hopkins River. The bay, too shallow for modern ships, was first visited in 1802 by Nicolas Baudin, a French admiral and scientific explorer. Near Warrnambool is a site reputed to be that of the "mahogany ship," a wrecked vessel of Spanish or Portuguese origin from before the time of European settlement. Although it purportedly was sighted in 1836 in coastal dunes, its presence...