Picnic Bay on Magnetic Island

June 13, 2024 to June 14, 2024

Thursday the 13th of June 2024

After breakfast we stashed our panniers in the storeroom at last night's digs and headed off to look for Koalas. Our first spot just behind Arcadia didn't produce anything. So we cycled up the steep climb to the Forts Walk. Our expectations were initially low but within fifteen minutes we got the first of four that we managed to see.

Florence Bay, on the way up the Forts Walk, before we had seen any Koalas.

Near the top. Four in the bag by this stage.

Horseshoe Bay. We had planned to visit it but weren't keen on the climb back out of it.

Interesting snake near number two. As thin as my finger and about 70cm long. Not sure what it could be but it's not one of the elaptids so it wasn't likely to be highly venomous.

After getting back to Arcadia we had a celebratory ice-cream before heading over to our digs for the next two nights in Picnic Bay.

Alma Beach, on our way back to Arcadia from the Forts Walk.

Friday the 14th of June 2024

With the Koalas ticked off yesterday, all we needed to do this morning was visit tge wreck of the City of Adelaide.

The following extract is from Magnetic Island Shipwrecks:

The SS City of Adelaide was a passenger steamship launched in 1863 in Glasgow, Scotland. The vessel was later converted to a Barque for use as a cargo transport. In 1912, the vessel caught fire and burnt for a number of days before the flames could be extinguished.

The burnt hulk of the vessel was then purchased in 1915, by George Butler, the son of the first European resident of Magnetic Island. Butler had the hull stripped, and an attempt was made to float the vessel to Magnetic Island's Picnic Bay, where she would be scuttled to provide a breakwater for a jetty. However, as the vessel was being towed from Townsville to Picnic Bay she ran aground off Magnetic IslandÃ¢â‚ in Cockle Bay.

During World War II, the wreck of the vessel was used as a target by Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) bomber pilots. Four people were killed in a training accident when a RAAF aircraft struck the masts of the vessel. During the bombing run, the aircraft dived upon the wreck in a bombing run, during which one of the aircraft appeared to strike one of the masts of the sunken vessel, before crashing into the shallow ocean waters approximately 700 metres from the vessel. The planeÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s fuselage disintegrated on impact instantly killing three RAAF officers and a United States Navy officer aboard the bomber.

It is possible, with the correct footwear, to walk to the wreck at low tide. Unfortunately we would have had to walk through knee deep water and we weren't planning on getting our shoes wet. So we enjoy the birds instead.

It would have been a long walk on the reef through a lot of water to get to the wreck.

The closest we got to the wreck was through the lens of my camera.

A few Green-backed Heron (Butorides striata) ventured out of the mangroves onto the mud flats.

While a Little Egret (Egretta garzetta) chased bait fish in the shallows.

While a Pacific Reef Heron (Egretta sacra) hunted on the mud flats.

A few Silver Gulls (Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae) were pecking away at a piece of garbage when a Brahminy Kite (Haliastur indus) came and stole it from them.

We had planned to take a walk out onto the Picnic Bay jetty yesterday evening but the wind had come up. Instead we ended up the local brewery so we had another go at the jetty late this afternoon.

A view of the jetty from the beach on its western side.

We head back to the mainland tomorrow but we're not yet sure as to where we'll spend the night.

Today's ride: 23 km (14 miles)
Total: 4,146 km (2,575 miles)

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