Middlemarch's amazing Platypus submarine

In the 1980s, John Ingram, a teacher at Strath Taieri School, became fascinated by the

story of Barewood, one of the closest gold mining settlements to Middlemarch. While

exploring the scattered metal debris near the mine shafts he noticed an unusual

shaped object lying in the tussocks, near a pine tree. The closed pointed end was unlike

other remnants of the past. Nearby was another cylindrical, open ended, iron shape. He

then learned of a tank at the station manager’s house which matched the diameter of

the other pieces of scrap. This led to gradual discovery of the story of the “Platypus”, and

eventually its reconstruction as a submarine at the Middlemarch Museum.

Gold and the hunger for riches spurred a Frenchman to design a submarine and have it

built in Dunedin in 1873. It was intended to access the beds of deep flowing Central

Otago rivers. As a non powered submarine it worked, enabling material to be brought

inside and messages to be released through an air lock. As a commercial venture it

failed, leaving many questions to be answered about the company which sold shares

and promoted the undertaking.  

This is possibly one of only two submarines of that era still in existence. In the history of

submarine development it has global significance. 

There is a missing section, possibly buried below the Dunedin Hospital construction

site, which adds another dimension to the story of the Platypus, 

Middlemarch's submarine.

Not only were the remains of the submarine discovered near Middlemarch, but we have

also been fortunate in having Peter Sparrow,  great grandson of the maker, Joseph

Sparrow, work on its conservation at our museum.

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