25 years since the Zhou Gan Tou beached at Scotts Head Nambucca Valley Nambucca Valley - popup ad by News Of The Area - Modern Media - March 14, 2024March 14, 2024 Local man Mr Bart Scrivener recalls an unforgettable day in the history of Scotts Head. The beach behind him is the location where the Zhou Gan Tou became stranded. ON 10 April this year it will have been 25 years since a boat from southern China, known as the Zhou Gan Tou, came aground on the beach at Scotts Head. The Zhou Gan Tou was carrying 60 people from China who disembarked when realising the boat was stuck on the beach, thus entering Australia illegally. Advertise with News of The Area today. It’s worth it for your business. Message us. Phone us – (02) 4981 8882. Email us – media@newsofthearea.com.au The police and other relevant Government agencies were alerted to their presence however the group, mostly dressed in black suits, were determined to maintain their freedom. Some went into hiding in and around homes at Scotts Head and some were heading along bush tracks and main roads with the apparent intent of eventually getting to Melbourne. All were located and detained within 24 hours. The event generated significant media interest and created considerable concern for the Federal Government. The Scotts Head landing was preceded by a comparable event a few months earlier in Cairns and an attempted landing one month later off Jervis Bay on the South Coast that was thwarted by Royal Australian Navy surveillance. Significantly, it was the illegal arrival at Scotts Head that provided the Howard Government with the rationale to set in place improved border security and within days of the event they announced the establishment of a coastal surveillance task force. Local man Mr Bart Scrivener and his wife were working in the Scotts Head caravan park when they noticed figures moving in the bushland on the dunes in the early morning darkness. “We soon realised there was a very large boat that had run aground on the beach and the people from the boat had dispersed into the bushes and even into yards in Scotts Head,” Mr Scrivener told News Of The Area. “My Granddaughter was working in the Scotts Head Bakery at the time and when they opened at 6:00 am in the morning several of the Chinese fellows were presenting $100 notes to purchase whatever food and drink they could.” Some of the 60 walked several kilometres along the road between Scotts Head and Macksville, while others were making steady progress toward Kempsey. “By 10:00 am that morning ten helicopters had landed on the sports oval here at Scotts Head from the news networks and a number of government agencies. “Eventually the fuel was taken out of the boat and it was cut up for scrap with some lucky locals even getting a BBQ made from the boat,” added Mr Scrivener. Scotts Head was not the intended target for these travellers and it is believed that the rudder had broken resulting in the Zhou Gan Tou ending up running aground at Scotts Head. Two permanent reminders of this memorable day in local history remain. One of the Zhou Gan Tou’s anchors is at the entrance of the Club Scotts carpark and the boat’s funnel is now a landmark in front of the Scotts Heads shops. By Mick BIRTLES Scotts Head local Mr Bart Scrivener in front of the funnel of the Zhou Gan Tou, a lasting reminder of that day 25 years ago this April.
