The Packet, a whaling vessel, was wrecked at Elizabeth Reef off the New South Wales coast during a gale some time during 1857. At the time, the Packet had 150 barrels of whale oil on board and was under the command of Capt Davidson. A newsppaper reported that 'the crew is the most heterogenous we have ever seen' including Spanish, Portuguese, Malays, New Zealanders, Sandwich Islanders, Tahitians, etc. The chief mate was Tahitian and the second mate was from Hawaii.
The 25 metre brigantine was built at Prince Edward Island in Canada in 1849 and was oned by Messers Mitchell & Co.