Continuing our southerly meandering, we’ve been camped at a small place called Alva, about 100km south of Townsville. The Juru people are the traditional custodians of the lands and waters in this part of the dry tropics.
Alva would be a great spot if you’re into para-sailing; crabbing; bird watching; or scuba diving. We did none of that so it’s been a quiet few days, which is perfectly fine.
It turns out that Alva is a bit of a bucket list destination for divers. On 23 March 1911 the S.S. Yongala sailed into a cyclone and sank 12 nautical miles off Alva beach. She was a luxury passenger liner en route to Townsville with 122 passengers and crew, 610 tons of cargo, and a race horse named Moonshine on board. No life jackets were found, indicating the loss was sudden, and historians believe she was heading at full steam into the cyclone. Although why she didn’t seek shelter is a mystery. There were no survivors and despite a week-long search the wreck wasn’t discovered for nearly fifty years.
The S.S. Yongala was built in South Australia and named after the town of Yongala, which means “good water” in the Nadjuri language.
A telegram warning of the weather conditions reached the Flat Tap signal station in Mackay a few hours after the Yongala had set sail. The ship hadn’t been fitted with wireless equipment and so couldn’t be warned about the cyclone.
When she failed to arrive in Townsville on schedule, it was assumed that she’d found refuge in the Whitsundays to ride out the storm. But then cargo started washing up along the coast all the way from Hinchinbrook Island to Bowen. She was officially reported missing on 26 March but the subsequent search failed to find any trace of the ship or survivors.
The wreck remained undiscovered until 1958 when she was found 30 metres below the surface off Cape Bowling Green at the northern end of Alva Beach. The Yongala is now the largest intact shipwreck in Australia, covered with coral and home to hundreds of species of marine life. A diving bonanza.
Above the water, there’s nothing remarkable about this part of the coast, but it can’t all be white sand and tropical foliage. Despite ordinary weather we’ve had a relaxing and pleasant few days. Except when I nearly stepped on a cane toad on my way to the loo. We’ve seen a few flat, petrified toads on our travels but this is the first live one we’ve seen. We all agree that we much prefer the other kind.
Wow, how tragic! Those poor people and Moonshine too 😢 I cant imagine what it was like 100 years ago with no wireless for safety. People must have been so brave.
Interesting to read about SS Yongala , amazing diving possibilities .
I want to know more about SS Yongala. Please!