Cockle Bay (Queensland)

Last updated
Cockle Bay
Magnetic Island,  Queensland
Adelaide ship.jpg
The wreck of SS City of Adelaide in Cockle Bay at low tide
Postcode(s) 4819
LGA(s) City of Townsville
County Elphinstone
Parish Magnetic
State electorate(s) Townsville
Federal division(s) Herbert

Cockle Bay is a small bay within the locality of Picnic Bay on south-western corner of Magnetic Island, City of Townsville, Queensland, Australia. [1]

Contents

Geography

Cockle Bay lies on the western side of Nobby Head, a headland which juts out at the southernmost end of the island. The bay is populated with a number of small residential premises. Access to the bay is gained via an unsealed road which leads through the mangrove flats to the north of Cockle Bay to West Point Road, which in-turn connects to Picnic Bay and West Point. Access to the bay can also be gained by boat, and a channel through the offshore reefs is provided for access by boats with a larger draft.

History

Most notably, approximately 300 meters (330 yards) offshore in Cockle Bay at 19°10′29″S146°49′32″E / 19.174842°S 146.825471°E / -19.174842; 146.825471 is the site of the wreck of SS City of Adelaide, a fire-damaged former passenger steamer and coal storage hulk which was wrecked in the bay in 1915 while under tow from Townsville to Picnic Bay for scuttling as a breakwater. On 24 December 1971, Cyclone Althea struck the area, causing the partial collapse of part of the wreck's iron hull, but the wreck has become an artificial island hosting a variety of plant and bird life.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Magnetic Island</span> Island off the coast of Queensland, Australia

Magnetic Island is an island 8 kilometres (5 mi) offshore from the city of Townsville, Queensland, Australia. This 52 km2 (20.1 sq mi) mountainous island in Cleveland Bay has effectively become a suburb of Townsville, with 2,335 permanent residents. The island is accessible from Townsville Breakwater to Nelly Bay Harbour by ferry. There is a large 39.5 km2 (15.3 sq mi) National Park and bird sanctuary and walking tracks can be taken between the populated bays and to a number of tourist destinations such as the World War II forts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Picnic Bay, Queensland</span> Town in Queensland, Australia

Picnic Bay is a town and suburb of Magnetic Island in the City of Townsville, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, Picnic Bay had a population of 291 people. It is named for the bay on the southernmost corner of Magnetic Island where the town is situated.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nelly Bay, Queensland</span> Suburb of Magnetic Island, Queensland, Australia

Nelly Bay is a town on Magnetic Island and a suburb of the City of Townsville, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, Nelly Bay had a population of 1,196 people. A tourism hub on the island, it is especially significant as the site of the ferry terminal, which links it to Townsville.

Wulguru is an outer southern suburb of Townsville in the City of Townsville, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, Wulguru had a population of 4,570 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Horseshoe Bay, Queensland</span> Town in Queensland, Australia

Horseshoe Bay is a bay, town and suburb on Magnetic Island in the City of Townsville, Queensland, Australia. It is a major tourist accommodation and recreation centre on the island. In the 2016 census, the suburb of Horseshoe Bay had a population of 578 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oonoonba, Queensland</span> Suburb of Townsville, Queensland, Australia

Oonoonba is a suburb of Townsville in the City of Townsville, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, Oonoonba had a population of 1,675 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Townsville, Queensland</span> Suburb of Townsville, Queensland, Australia

South Townsville is a coastal suburb of Townsville in the City of Townsville, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, South Townsville had a population of 2,353 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Railway Estate, Queensland</span> Suburb of Townsville, Queensland, Australia

Railway Estate is a suburb of Townsville in the City of Townsville, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census Railway Estate had a population of 2,852 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rowes Bay, Queensland</span> Suburb of Townsville, Queensland, Australia

Rowes Bay is a suburb of Townsville in the City of Townsville, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, Rowes Bay had a population of 573 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Ward, Queensland</span> Suburb of Townsville, Queensland, Australia

North Ward is a coastal suburb of Townsville in the City of Townsville, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, North Ward had a population of 5,065 people.

PS <i>George Rennie</i>

PS George Rennie was a steel-hulled ship scuttled in the lee of Hawking Point, Magnetic Island, Queensland, Australia. It was built in 1885 in Middlesex as a 151-gross-ton paddle steamer. In 1896 the vessel was purchased by Howard Smith and Company who converted it into a lighter. Howard Smith and Company used the vessel to transport coal from the anchorage at West Point to Townsville harbour. It was scuttled in 1902 to serve as a breakwater for a small jetty in the bay. The remains of the ship can still be seen at low tide from Picnic Bay beach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cluden, Queensland</span> Suburb of Townsville, Queensland, Australia

Cluden is an outer southern suburb of Townsville in the City of Townsville, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census Cluden had a population of 427 people.

Saunders Beach is a coastal town and suburb of Townsville in the City of Townsville, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, the suburb of Saunders Beach had a population of 409 people.

SS <i>City of Adelaide</i> (1863)

City of Adelaide was an iron-hulled ship that was launched in Scotland in 1863, spent a long career in Australian passenger and cargo service, and sank off the coast of Queensland in 1916. She served with several Australian shipowners, including the Australasian Steam Navigation Company, Australasian United Steam Navigation Company and Howard Smith Company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Green Head, Western Australia</span> Town in Western Australia

Green Head is a small Australian coastal town in the Shire of Coorow. The town is situated between Geraldton and Perth in the Mid West region of Western Australia along Indian Ocean Drive. Its beaches and lifestyle provide a relaxed holiday atmosphere. It is the home of what was a significant, but now declining, rock lobster industry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cape Cleveland, Queensland</span> Suburb of Townsville, Queensland, Australia

Cape Cleveland is a rural locality in the City of Townsville, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census Cape Cleveland had a population of 155 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Town Common, Queensland</span> Suburb of Townsville, Queensland, Australia

Town Common is a coastal suburb of Townsville in the City of Townsville, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, Town Common had a population of 71 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cyclone Tessi</span> Category 3 Australian region cyclone in 2000

Severe Tropical Cyclone Tessi was a small but potent tropical cyclone that caused extensive damage along the coast of North Queensland in early April 2000. The ninth cyclone and fourth severe tropical cyclone of the 1999–2000 Australian region cyclone season, Tessi developed on 1 April from a persistent trough of low pressure in the Coral Sea and slowly tracked west-southwestward. Tessi was an unusually compact storm that strengthened rapidly just before landfall, peaking as a Category 3 severe tropical cyclone on the Australian tropical cyclone intensity scale with 10-minute average maximum winds of 140 km/h. Around 22:00 UTC on 2 April, Tessi moved ashore about 75 km northwest of Townsville and rapidly diminished as it progressed inland. At the height of the storm, Magnetic Island experienced sustained winds of 109 km/h (68 mph), while gusts as high as 130 km/h (81 mph) were recorded in Townsville.

Beach Holm is a coastal locality in the City of Townsville, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census Beach Holm had a population of 32 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naval Base Brisbane</span> Major World War 2 base in Australia

Naval Base Brisbane was a major United States Navy base built in the early part of World War II at Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. At first, operated as a base for patrol aircraft and convoy escort aircraft to protect the last leg of the Pacific War to the Southwest Pacific. As the US Navy expanded in the island hopping campaign, Naval Base Brisbane expanded to include a submarine base, repair depot, seaplane base and other facilities. US Navy operations started on April 14, 1942, and ended after the war in 1945.

References

19°10′36.72″S146°49′43.77″E / 19.1768667°S 146.8288250°E / -19.1768667; 146.8288250

  1. "Cockle Bay – Bay in City of Townsville (entry 7642)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government . Retrieved 10 October 2017.