The 219 ton Nerong was one of the many ships on the New South Wales coast that succumbed to strong gales. On 19 September 1917, the 36.6 metre twin screw steamer foundered two kilometres off Norah head on the New South Wales Central Coast. With 12 crew and 2 passengers, the steamer had a mixed cargo of 130 tons including beer and spirits bound from Sydney for the northern rivers hotels. Three lives were lost, the Chief Engineer, the Cook and a male passenger.
The Nerong was completed in Balmain, Sydney in 1903, being built from parts imported from Scotland, and was owned by the North Coast Steam Navigation Company. The steamer's shallow draft and twin propellers were an ideal combination for negotiating the bars and winding courses of the northern rivers of New South Wales. Even so the Nerong suffered severe hull damage on the Nambucca River bar in April 1917.
The wreck lies in 45 metres of water 3 miles east of Norah Head.
