The type of construction of the ship was known as wood carvel which is a method of nailing the planks to the frame followed by caulking the seams, which was said to be tough, flexible and easy to repair. With a crew of eleven it left Butler's Wharf at Nambucca Heads with a load of timber on the 26th of April 1912. The following account was recollected by Mrs Dulcie Pickett in 1964.

"It was being towed by the tug Thistle and as the two vessels were some distance past the point where the Vee-wall now begins the tugboat was hit by a big wave which forced it back, fouling the tow rope, causing it to wrap round the propeller.

The Bellinger cast off the tow rope and dropped anchor astern. The tug was thrown a line from the wall and this enabled the crew to come ashore. The tug was soon aground on sand and was an abandoned ship."

"The next high tide would be about 4am. the next day and the pilot, Captain Spearpoint and the Thistle's Captain Percival said nothing more could be done until then. At about 3am. Captain Rostron of the Bellinger decided to go out over the bar. The Bellinger had made very little distance when she was caught by the southerly current and forced on the sand off South beach.

The rocket brigade were mustered and a rocket fired. This carried a rope to the ship and the crew secured it around the mainmast. The breeches buoy (a rope based rescue device) would not travel the distance with the Bellinger broadside to the waves on a running tide. It was in a very dangerous position. Two crew members launched a boar boat and took the stewardess to shore where they remained."

"During all this activity the tug boat was forgotten. Captain Percival came down to check on it only to find it was gone. A fisherman had found the Thistle abandoned and brought it into the river near where the Miramar Hotel now stands. Meanwhile the crew of the Bellinger had taken to the rigging where they remained all night. The pilot boat tried to assist but was caught by a big wave and Captain Spearpoint sustained broken ribs. The rescue of the crew was left to plucky locals who used the pilot dinghy to bring three sailors to shore then returned to get the rest. On this attempt the dinghy was swamped.

The two sailors, who came to shore earlier, also attempted the rescue in their boat and they too capsized. There was now nine men in the water who eventually all scrambled back on board the Bellinger. Rock Davis volunteered to take a life buoy out but the men on shore were unable to keep a grip on the rope and he let the life buoy go and called for help. His brother, Keith went in and rescued him. The final rescue was made once the tide slackened after midday. By this time the sea had smashed away the ship's funnel housing, decks and stern mast."

Newspaper accounts added that the wreck eventually became a hazard to navigation and in late July the owners were ordered to dispose of it. They also reported on the heroism of the locals involved in the rescue and said "they cannot be spoken of with too much praise".

The bravery of the locals was recognised by the Royal Humane Society and Merit Certificates were issued to Messrs. Peel, Power, Pickett and Hamilton. The townspeople presented gold medals to these four men and also to Rock Davis, Keith Davis and others.

At the ensuing inquiry Captain Rostron was exonerated from any blame. He stated that he had frequently passed over the bar at Nambucca Heads when the sea had been far worse.

This story was resourced from the archives of the Nambucca Headland Museum. The museum is closed to the public at present due to Covid-19 however inquiries maybe directed through their Facebook page.