News from Coquette point

Anchor MV Katoora’

Feb 18 2012
Hello from Coquette Point,

Many years ago, around 1976, I decided to complete an inventory of the mangrove species along the foreshore of Coquette Point. One day struggling through the mangroves with my little notebook I tripped over a piece of steel. When I examined it to my amazement I found it was the fluke of a large anchor.  Only the discovery of an anchor would persuade my husband Bill to enter the mangroves and he soon confirmed my theory.

Before the tide covered the anchor we dug most of it out and were excited to see that it was a complete anchor. The next day we put a chain on it and with the aid of a bulldozer we dragged it out of the mangroves and up onto the lawn.

I called  Jack Fossey, who at the time was Innisfail’s historian,  to identify it. Jack suggested it had come off the Sugar Lighter MV ‘Tully’ which had gone aground on the Tully Rocks on the other side of the river in front of the house on the 1 September 1927. So for the last thirty years we have always identified the anchor as belonging to the MV ‘Tully’.

On Friday my old Labor mates Les and Rae Scheu came out to the nursery for a chat and a cup of tea. We were talking about the boats that had gone aground in the shallows of Glady’s inlet and Les mentioned that in July 1939 the sugar lighter MV ‘Katoora’ went up on the rocks off the beach in front of the house.

Les & Rae Scheu

Rocks at Coquette point

Unlike the ‘Tully’ the ‘Katoora’ was floated off safely. ‘Ahhh!’ I said. ‘That makes sense, the anchor I found is obviously the anchor put ashore to kedge the ‘Katoora’ off the rocks’.  It had never seemed feasible that a kedge anchor for the ‘Tully’ would have been put ashore on this side of the river. When history makes sense it is often right.

  The ‘Katoora’  was built in 1927 and became part of the ‘Mosquito fleet’ carrying bag sugar from Innisfail to Cairns port. During the war she was seconded to the war effort and carried US soldiers along the coast. In 1960 she was sold to Keith Holland’s Shipping company of Cairns and was used as a refrigerated prawn bulk handling vessel in the Gulf.  The MV ‘Katoora’ was decommissioned in 1987 after sixty years of service.

On Friday afternoon I caught sight of the AIMS research vessel running along the coast. She was in on the shallow side of the estuary working north along the coastline.

I have seen only one nutmeg pigeon at Coquette Point this week. The mornings are quiet without the soothing coos of these birds and no doubt this solidarity bird will soon leave for her journey north.

The male Indian Koel has been unusually quiet as he feeds on fruits while surveying the rainforest canopy. Perhaps he has given up calling for rain.

I went almost a week without seeing a cassowary. Wow! It is good news as it means they are now keeping to the rainforest and away from dangers; roads, cars and humans.

Jan Shang at the top of the Moresby Range saw’ Dad1’ and she reported that chick ‘Rosie’ was still with him. Jan said they were moving fast and disappeared into the rainforest. This week I caught a glimpse of ‘Big Sis’ at 6am on Wednesday and saw ‘Q’ marching down my top road the same day. ‘Q’s feet have grown so big he looks quite gangly.

Lots of spiders around at the moment I saw this huntsman chasing a large skink, I think my presence disturbed the chase and the skink escaped. The spider has obviously been in a battle as he has one leg missing.

There are also lots of jumping spiders around. These spiders are beneficial in the garden as they eat a wide range of plant pests.

The little red ants has been very active of late. This ant is also known as the ‘rubber eating’ ant.  I packed the car on the lawn for one night and nearly lost a tyre. Oh the delight of living in the Wet Tropics!

One wonderful thing about living at Coquette Point is the people here. My neighbour John and Dee Wilson are always there to help. This week John shifted a shelf from the front of the nursery to the back with one lift of his tractor and a lot of strategic manoeuvrings. Thank you Willo.

Cheers for now,

Yvonne C.