Bathurst Bay

Bathurst Bay

Bathurst Bayis abayin thelocalitiesofLakefieldandStarckein theShire of Cook,Queensland,Australia.In the 19th century it was the base for thepearlingfleet. It is now a tourist attraction forCape York Peninsulain northernQueensland,Australia, near theGreat Barrier Reef.

History

The area was home to theMutumuiandWalmbariatribes. TheBritishfirst settled Bathurst Bay sometime in the early-19th Century. The settlement had few tradable goods because of its climate and terrain. The site became important in the mid- to late-19th Century as ananchoragefor thepearlingfleet, which was discovering valuableoyster pearls.By the 1890s, the pearling fleet was the only reason for continued settlement. The settlement was destroyed on 4 March 1899, whenCyclone Mahinapassed through northern Queensland. Cyclone Mahina was notable for producing thehighest recorded stormsurge of anytropical cyclonein history. The once-abundant forests have not regrown, mainly because of continuing salt damage to the land by thestorm surge.Since theFederation of Australiain 1901, Bathurst Bay has become a popular fishing area. Few people have settled the bay area.

See also

• Princess Charlotte Bay
• Blackwood Island

Further reading

• Shay, John; Shay, Bev (1999),The greatest of all cyclones: Bathurst Bay – 1899(Limited ed.), Cooktown and District Historical Society

External links

• Callaghan, Jeff (2011),Case study: the Bathurst Bay Hurricane, March 1899(PDF),Brisbane, Qld Harden Up Protecting Queensland,archived(PDF)from the original on 22 October 2017,retrieved23 October2017