Magnetic Island Part Three

We went for breakfast at Horseshoe Bay and spotted this fabulous mini. As we were admiring it, we spoke to the owner who told us it was the bride's car for a wedding later that morning. After breakfast, it was indeed adorned with the ribbons and looking even smarter.

 

We went for a walk around Balding and Radical Bay.

We had lunch at SOS (Stuffed on Seafood), which made the bold claim - as they all do - that they had the world's best fish and chips. This is not true, although I liked the presentation.

In the evening we went out on Cleveland Bay on a Sip and Sail Sunset Cruise on Pilgrim, a beautiful 58-foot sailing yacht. We wandered about the marina first before we climbed aboard.

It was delightful to be out on the water with the smell of the sea and the sound of the wind and the waves. 

These words feel particularly apposite this week

On our final day on Magnetic Island, we had a Maggie Island pie at the markets, and went walking at Cockle Bay and Geoffrey Bay.

There are a few shipwrecks around this island, as you might imagine. One story is of the 827-ton Moltke, which arrived in Townsville from Europe in 1890, carrying a crew of 14, several passengers and a general cargo. The vessel had been built in Hamburg, Germany, and was described as being 'beautiful, spotlessly clean, and expensively furnished'. This was the Moltke's first trip to Australia, where it was to discharge some of its cargo at Townsville and the rest at Rockhampton.

Although the Moltke successfully navigated from the other side of the world, it ran aground shortly after leavign Townsville. A badly stowed cargo and freshening conditions meant that the captain could not maintain his course for Cape Bowling Green, and the vessel struck a reef at the northern end of Flinders Passage.

A small and enterprising syndicate bought the Moltke for five pounds and, much to everyone's surprise, patched the hole and towed it back to Townsville, where it was sold for use as a coal hulk. In 1911, Dr McCabe, a dentist from Townsville, purchased the Moltke to use as a breakwater at Geoffrey Bay.

Rumour has it that while being towed from Townsville, McCabe and the explosives 'expert', William Bright, enjoyed a few alcoholic beverages together. Consequently, Bright failed to set the charges correctly. The hatches were blown off, the moorings parted and the Moltke drifted to where it now lies. Whether this story is true or not, the Moltke did provide small craft with shelter for many years, although not in the position that had been planned.

In the afternoon, we had a cocktail on deck at The Boardwalk in Nelly Bay, before catching the ferry back to Townsville, where I had to take a photo of the boat that matched this morning's mini. Coincidences are everywhere when you look for them.

And then the next day, we flew home.