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
LGA(s) City of Townsville
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. 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. It is named for the bay on the southernmost corner of Magnetic Island where the town is situated. In the 2021 census, the suburb of Picnic Bay had a population of 367 people.

Wulguru is an outer southern suburb of Townsville in the City of Townsville, Queensland, Australia. In the 2021 census, Wulguru had a population of 4,389 people.

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

Arcadia is a coastal suburb on Magnetic Island in the City of Townsville, Queensland, Australia. In the 2021 census, Arcadia had a population of 246 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 2021 census, the suburb of Horseshoe Bay had a population of 611 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 2021 census, South Townsville had a population of 2,424 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 2021 census, Railway Estate had a population of 2,871 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 2021 census, Rowes Bay had a population of 541 people.

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

Pallarenda is a northern coastal suburb of Townsville in the City of Townsville, Queensland, Australia. In the 2021 census, Pallarenda had a population of 778 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.

Saunders Beach is a coastal town and suburb of Townsville in the City of Townsville, Queensland, Australia. In the 2021 census, the suburb of Saunders Beach had a population of 385 people.

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

Yabulu is a town and coastal suburb in the City of Townsville, Queensland, Australia. In the 2021 census, the suburb of Yabulu had a population of 719 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">Balgal Beach, Queensland</span> Suburb of Townsville, Queensland, Australia

Balgal Beach is a coastal suburb and a beach in the City of Townsville, Queensland, Australia. The town of Balgal is within the locality. In the 2021 census, Balgal Beach had a population of 998 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bay Rock Light</span> Lighthouse

Bay Rock Light is an inactive lighthouse which used to be located on Bay Rock, a rocky islet northwest of Magnetic Island, about 20 kilometres (12 mi) north of Townsville, Queensland, Australia. First lit in 1886, it was automated in 1920 and deactivated in the 1980s. It was relocated in 1992 to the Townsville Maritime Museum, where it is now displayed.

<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 2021 census, Cape Cleveland had a population of 128 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alligator Creek, Queensland (Townsville)</span> Suburb of City of Townsville, Queensland, Australia

Alligator Creek is a rural locality in the City of Townsville, Queensland, Australia. In the 2021 census, Alligator Creek had a population of 1,550 people.

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

Florence Bay is a suburb of Magnetic Island in the City of Townsville, Queensland, Australia. In the 2021 census, Florence Bay had "no people or a very low population".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Mission Beach</span> Town in Queensland, Australia

South Mission Beach is a coastal town and locality in the Cassowary Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2021 census, the locality of South Mission Beach had a population of 968 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.