It had been 106 challenging days at sea since the British-built vessel had set sail from Hamburg on May 22, 1891, its cargo a disparate collection of goods including 260 cases of dynamite, crates of schnapps, whisky and gin, 400 German pianos, toys, iron and steel goods and candles.

For captain William Vickers and his international crew, putting down anchor in Melbourne couldn’t come quick enough.

Tragically, nearly half of them never lived to see Melbourne.

Within 24 hours, on September 6, 1891, one kilometre east of Moonlight Head on the aptly named Wreck Beach, the Fiji came to grief.