Shipwreck Trail
Shipwreck trail of Magnetic Island
There are over 20 known shipwrecks around the island, which have been integrated into a shipwreck trail which circles the island created by Vivian Moran at the Maritime Museum.
The trail guides visitors on a historical tour of the island’s rich maritime landscape utilizing land based display boards in each of the bays.
These shipwrecks reflect the local maritime history that has seen boats plying between the mainland and the island for more than 100 years and their stories reveal much about the island's history and development.
SS City of Adelaide 1863 (Cockle Bay)
The City of Adelaide was a passenger steam ship launched in 1863 in Glasgow, Scotland. The vessel was later converted to a Barque for use as a cargo transport. In 1912 the vessel was gutted by fire, and in 1916 the burnt hulk was run aground in Cockle Bay, Magnetic Island, Australia.
George Rennie 1902 (Hawking Point)
The George Rennie was a steel hulled ship scuttled in the lee of Hawking Point, Magnetic Island.
Moltke 1870 (Geoffrey Bay)
The Moltke was a three-masted barque built in Hamburg, Germany in 1870. The vessel was wrecked off the coast of northern Queensland, Australia in 1890 before being refloated and hulked.
SS Bee 1884 (Picnic Bay)
The SS Bee was an Australian wooden steamship built in 1884 and wrecked in 1901. The ship was built in 1884 in Newcastle, New South Wales for the Watson Ferry Service, who operated it on their Manly to Sydney ferry service from 1884.
Presto 1896 (Nelly Bay Harbour)
Over a century ago, a 40 metre shipwreck once imposed its presence and protected a frail timber jetty which serviced Nelly Bay...