Cockle Bay Wreck

-

Located  on the south west side of Magnetic Island rests the wreck of the "SS City of Adelaide".  The remains of this once proud ship now forms an artificial island approximately 300 m off  the shoreline of Cockle Bay, with GPS co-ordinates S 19 10 29.5   E 146 49 30.9    Google Maps Link

Launching from Palleranda Boat Ramp, the wreck is approximately 6 km away at a bearing of 65 degrees (magnetic) and lies within the tidal zone of Magnetic Island.  Access to it, is best achieve during mid to high tide, as the area will be completely dry at low tide levels below 0.6 m.

 Mangrove Trees Growing Inside the Hull of the Wreck.


Looking Towards the Mid Section of the Wreck.





 

Looking Towards the Stern of the Wreck



























 When viewed from the seaward side this wreck blends in seamlessly with the surrounding mangrove fringed coastline, making it difficult to locate without  a bearing. It's not until you get in really close that you can visually distinguish it from the coast.  In fact I had traveled past this wreck several times on my way to and from  Picnic Bay before stumbling across it.
 

History of the Wreck


The SS City of Adelaide was a passenger steam ship, launched in Glasgow, Scotland in 1863. The vessel was later converted into a cargo ship and then used as a hulk for the storage of coal in Townsville.  In 1912 the vessel caught fire and burnt for several days.



The hull was stripped, and an attempt was made to float the vessel to Magnetic Island.  The vessel was  to be scuttled as a breakwater for a Picnic Bay jetty.  However, as the vessel was being towed from Townsville, she ran aground in Cockle Bay, where she remains today.  The wreck has been further damaged by cyclones and a freak accident where a RAAF aircraft struck the masts of the vessel during a training exercise.

These days the masts have long since been removed, and the outer hull is slowly disintegrating away, while mangrove trees have taken hold in the inner section of the hull.  This is a great spot to visit and well worth the detour from the more direct route to Picnic Bay. 



An added benefit of detouring to see the wreck while on route to Picnic Bay, is that not far from the wreck the coastline changes from mangroves to a very scenic boulder lined shoreline, which you are perfectly positioned to follow for the rest of the way to the Picnic Bay.

About 500 Metres From the Wreck the Mangrove Lined Coastline Changes  to Large Granite Boulders Surrounded With Pine Trees.


Map Showing the Position of the Wreck.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Garmin Etrex 20x GPS

-
Image
The Garmin Etrex 20x is a lightweight and compact GPS unit designed and constructed to be waterproof to IPX7 standards and holds up to a bit of rough handling.  The unit is powered by two AA batteries, which provide sufficient power for 2 full days of kayaking.  Furthermore this unit has mapping capabilities, is highly customisable and has all the functionality a kayaker could want in a GPS unit. The unit has a 3.5 x 4.4 cm colour display which is clean and crisp and can be backlit to improve visibility.  There are five buttons placed along the vertical edges and a joystick style thumb button mounted on the front face for scrolling, inputting and selecting.  When I was choosing a GPS device for kayaking, I ruled out the touchscreen devices right away as touchscreens don’t work very well when wet and they also have a lower battery life. There are rubberized covers on all of the buttons along with sealable covers for the battery compartment and USB port.  The waterpro
Read more

Yanks Jetty

-
Image
Yanks Jetty is the name given to a floating pontoon positioned approximately 2km from the southern tip of Orpheus Island.   This area was the original site of an American WW2 Degaussing (demagnetising) Station for allied ships and submarines, hence the name.  It is located approximately 20.5 km from the Forrest  Beach Boat Ramp and has the following GPS coordinates  S18 39 04.2 E146 29 12.0  Google Maps Link. The pontoon consists of a 18 x 9 metre platform with an attached gangway connecting it to the beach.  There is a centrally shaded area containing several picnic tables and a snorkeling platform with easy access ladders.  The entire structure is moored approximately 55m from the shoreline on the edge of the surrounding reef.   There is a National Parks Camp Site located approximately 200m south of the pontoon where basic facilities such as a composting pit toilet and picnic tables are provided.  There used to be a gas BBQ at the campsite, but the burners and plate have been
Read more

Loading a Sea Kayak for an Expedition

-
Image
Despite their relatively small size, a sea kayak can carry an amazing amount of gear. One of the big draws of sea kayaking is that you can go and explore some of the most beautiful, wild and remote parts of the coast, for days or even weeks at a time and still live in relative comfort. The good thing about packing a sea kayak is that there are three hatches to stuff full of gear and there will usually be enough free space to pack a few luxuries (a little extra weight will still float just fine). The bad thing is the hatches are awkward shapes and nothing fits in them easily. Keeping Your Gear Dry The sealed hatches of a modern sea kayak are generally water-tight. However, leaks do happen. Your first line of defense against water ingress is to check that your kayak hatches are in good order and correctly fitted before setting off.  As a secondary precaution, dry bags or waterproof containers can be utilised to keep your gear dry. I use the general rule that if you woul
Read more