Who Killed The Prime Minister? by blinkings
Close
Hover over top left image to zoom.
Click anywhere to exit.
Members remain the original copyright holder in all their materials here at Renderosity. Use of any of their material inconsistent with the terms and conditions set forth is prohibited and is considered an infringement of the copyrights of the respective holders unless specially stated otherwise.
No AI - This artwork was created entirely by hand or with traditional digital tools.
Description
This beautiful and pristine place is the infamous Cheviot Beach, Australia. It was here, on the 17th December 1967, Harold Holt, Prime Minister of Australia, went for a swim. He no sooner entered the sea, when he dropped beneath the surface and was never seen again. His companions raised the alarm, and what ensued was one of the largest search and rescue operations Australia has ever witnessed. My parent's told me of the police cars that seemed to continually scream past their house. Holt's body was never found, fuelling many theories regarding his disappearance, ranging from suicide to abduction by a Chinese submarine!!! He entered the water off to the extreme left of the photo. The beach takes its name from a tragedy that happened 80 years earlier. On the stormy night of 19 October 1887, the steamer Cheviot was wrecked on the rocky offshore reef, and 35 people lost their lives."
It's still a spooky place. Since the 1800's, the whole area has been a secure military facility. As well as having numerous huge guns trained on the coast in case of attack, it was also a testing ground for weapons. The first allied shot of WW1 was fired here. Even today, there are no houses, or surfers.......or anything else. It's a pristine natural wilderness for one very good reason. The surrounding area is littered with ancient but potentially still live ordnance.....bombs and shells that didn't detonate. I've spent the last days exploring the area (using some mighty careful stepping!!), including the old military installations. I got to photograph heaps of stuff!
PS...Being Prime Minister had it's privileges! Holt had access to the area where everyone else didn't! But if I had to guess it wasn't a bomb that killed him......it was the rips. Some of the most violent surf in the world can roll in here. He was an experienced spear fisherman, but Mother Nature always holds the cards eh!
And guess what they named in his honor....a huge public SWIMMING POOL!!!!!!
The photos below shows Mr Holt entering the water at Cheviot Beach all those years ago, the search party, and lastly the steamer Cheviot.
Comments (22)
Absolutely fascinating narrative and a beautiful pic.
This is a lovely shot of this mysterious place and a fascinating story.
Stunning capture my friend. God Bless.
great shot, interesting story
Very interesting upload indeed, on many aspects ! :~)
Very tragic story, but the place is very beautiful, great pov for this shot, superb colors, amazing sea movement!
Interesting and tragic. It looks so inviting, but as you say, a little spooky when you know what happend there.
Wow i never knew that and interesting reading with an awesome shot of beauty to go with it.
Brilliant History lesson Andrew, thank you.. I never knew ...well, almost none of this! But awful really as I'm meant to know 'stuff!' Great picture and thanks for the bonus ones as well.. Good work.. Rob
Fantastic shot!
What a story to go with such a beautiful place.
Lovely picture and a fascinating story!
Great story, I had no idea of this incident. The shot is also superb.
It was not me. I have an alibi. Such terrific colours in the ocean
What a gorgeous place--but often those are the places that can hide danger. Love both your foto and the story with it; learn SO Much here!!
Fascinating.
Never heard that story. Amazing! Great shot and it looks like a peaceful spot for a swim. Noone wants it to end that way. Dana
Beautiful capture!
Nice job!! Remember the story but just barely! UFO most likely!! ;)
Sensational narrative! Something peolple don't realize is that she will always hold the cards. Here along the lost coast, you are taught never to turn your back to the surf!
Lovely image, interesting image
Could have been a shark? As far as I know, at the Australian coast, there are many "Big White". Great shot.