Maheno History beached on Fraser Island
Having visited the fantastic Fraser Island ans observing the shipwrecked maheno I became interested in its history and some of the writings below have been plagiarized along with some pics BUT some of them are mine also…….
S.S. Maheno
Union Steam Ship Company
Built by William Denny & Brothers Dumbarton,
Yard No 746
Engines by shipbuilder
Port of Registry: Wellington
Propulsion: Triple screw, steam turbines.
1914: Fitted with geared turbines and reduced to two screws.
Launched: Monday, 06/19/1905
Built: 1905
Ship Type: Steamship
Ship’s Role: Intercolonial passenger and cargo service
Australia / New Zealand / Canada.
Tonnage: 5323 grt | 3318 nrt
Length: 400 feet
Breadth: 50 feet
Draught: (Depth 31 feet)
Owner History:
Union Steamship Company of New Zealand
Status: Sunk – 09/07/1935
Remarks:
ON 117588.
1905: Delivered 29 September.
War service as Hospital Ship 30.
For many tourists enjoying the sites of Australia’s beauty, one wonders if they stop long enough to question the history behind the natural and man made wonders before their eyes. The Australian coast is littered with the ‘remains’ of many seafaring wrecks, which have today become some of the most popular of tourist attractions.One such example is Fraser Island’s most famous wreck, the ‘Maheno,’ which was driven ashore in July 1935 during a cyclone.
Drawing on local cultural ties, the word Maheno means ‘island’ in Maori, which is the native language of New Zealand. At the time of her maiden voyage, her name stirred quite a bit of interest, based on it’s unusual origins.
THE MAHENO
To The Editor
New Zealand Evening Post
December 12, 1905
‘Sir – at the luncheon on board the Maheno on the 22nd inst., Mr. H. Beauchamp mentioned that he had been informed that the meaning of the word ‘maheno’ was ‘the passing!’ It is often difficult to trace the meaning of Maori proper names, and it would be interesting to know the reason the Maoris called the place after which the steamer is named ‘Maheno.’ The common Maori word ‘maheno’ means to ‘untie.’ A broad interpretation might be ‘let her go,’ as you would let a greyhound slip from the leash. Mr. Beauchamp’s pronunciation of the word was not the Maori pronunciation. He made the ‘e’ long and called the ship ‘Maheeno.’ The a, e, and o are all short, and a Maori (or at any rate, a North Island Maori) would pronounce the ‘MAhEnO!’ 24th November, 1905’
Built in Dumbarton, Scotland in 1905 the Maheno was the world’s first triple screw turbine steamer luxury liner. Cutting through the water with her knife like prow, she had a top speed of 19 knots and broke all previous records on the run between Melbourne and Sydney. She held the Sydney to Wellington speed record of 2 days 21 hours, a record that would stand for 25 years.Designed as a rakish Edwardian nautical beauty, she served as a luxury liner, accommodating 254 first class and 201 second class passengers for Trans-Tasman crossings. Employed upon the Trans-Tasman Australia – New Zealand route, the Maheno took in the ports of Melbourne, Sydney and Hobart on passenger service.
After nine years of panache and service to the upper crust from both sides of the Tasman, she was refitted and was enlisted in the Navy as a hospital ship for service in the First World War.During the war the Maheno served as a hospital ship in the Mediterranean, Gallipoli, and the English Channel. Some 25,000 sick, wounded and dying soldiers were valiantly transported and cared for as she traversed the English Channel over the five years of her military service.
After the war, she was returned to her former glory as a luxury liner, and made six New Zealand to England voyages. But the advent of internal combustion engines, ironically improved by the war, lead to her demise as newer, faster and cleaner vessels took to the high seas, leaving the Maheno in their wake. In 1935, the ship was declared outdated and withdrawn from sailing. The Maheno was auctioned off and sold as scrap metal to the Japanese firm, Taminosuke Myachi of Kobe. At the time, Taminosuke Myachi was running very low on funds. As a result, the company made the decision to sell the huge brass propellers from under the still-working Maheno. The reason behind this was to fund the towing of the Maheno by a ship named the Ottawa back to Osaka, Japan. Once in Japan the Maheno was to be dismantled, melted down and then sold as scrap metal. This would turn out to have disastrous results.
The Maheno left Melbourne on June 25, 1935 in tow behind the Oonah, a 1700 ton coaster which had also been sold to the same buyer. It was while on this sad final journey that the Maheno was hit by an unseasonal cyclone off the eastern coast of Fraser Island. During the storm, the tow rope broke and the Maheno drifted ashore and became stranded between Happy Valley and Cathedral Beach on Fraser Island on July 9th, 1935.
Luckily, there was only a skeleton crew on board. Some of the stories of the ship washing up on Fraser tell the tale of the Japanese crew being too afraid to get off the vessel after hearing of the cannibalistic traits of the local Aborigines.Attempts were made to refloat the Maheno unsuccessfully and eventually it was left abandoned on what is now known as 75-mile beach. Another classic yarn tells of the ship being on a tilt of 20 degrees plus. One of the politicians from Maryborough held their wedding on the angled deck and photos have been found with all in sundry enjoying a slightly ‘leaned’ wedding with the Model T Ford cars parked on 75-mile beach.At the beginning of World War II the ship was used as target practice by the RAAF’s Bundaberg aviation training school. Square holes remain in the middle section of the hull, resulting from World War II demolition practice by the Z force commandos, using limpet mines.
Allan Dyball, Senior Queensland Parks and Wildlife Ranger explained:
‘During World War II she was used for bombing practice from above and also had shells fired at her from the sea,” said Allan, “She also had commandos climbing all over her, blowing her up. So she had a bit of a hard life, even after she came to grief on the island.’
Now the reclining former beauty, that the years have dressed in layers of rust and sand, stands today, a relic of her once great glory, but it is a case of ‘look but do not touch,’ as the Queensland government has declared her dangerous and off limits. As a result, and in spite of the temptation, climbing on the shipwreck is not permitted. In fact, fines are issued to those who breach the 3 meter ‘no go zone!’ Nevertheless, she remains one of Fraser Island’s most visited and photographed attractions.
Fraser Island
We rose at 6.30 am and caught our connecting bus to the Ferry enduring a 25 min drive,,The ferry took around 35 minutes to land us on Fraser (not bad ONE hour away from home !) After being introduced to our 4 wheel bus driver we set off on our travels via a very sandy,bumpy drive. Ian didnt spare the horses and the drive was exhilarating similar to Blackpools Big Dipper !! Within minutes we were “thrown” into a deep shady tropical forest and the scenery out of this world ( actually featured on BBCs Walking with Dinosaurs) The trees were incredibly high and some young ones we viewed are approx 8500 yrs old !The island is made up entirely by sand being the largest of its kind in the world and its existence apparently helped evolve the Great Barrier Reef (in Australian terms,just around the corner from us!) Fresh water streams over sand is SO clear the water is hard to notice on film .The “jungle” is reminiscent of a Tarzan movie with so many vines hanging from the ancient trees Altho I have visited this Island before it was a short stop for a couple of hours at the hotel,this time the Ferry took us to a small almost desolate landing. After a drive thru a lot of magnificent scenery and after a great all you can eat lunch we drove onto the beach and were amazed at the amount of cars on the 75 mile stretch of sand we drove on (4 wheel drives ONLY are allowed on the Island as all interior roads are very spongy sand) We drove lots of fresh water streams that drained into the ocean,spotted a couple of dingos,various bird species and a Whale that was frolicking off shore. The highlight (for me) was the wreck of the once magnificent Maheno Liner as it lay in the sands rusting away (info soon a long with some Island background) it was a very full on day going ever so quickly over a 12 hour period .Driver Ian was magnificent in his historical and interesting narration
from Wikipedia..
Fraser Island is a heritage-listed island located along the southern coast of Queensland, Australia, approximately 200 kilometres (120 mi) north of Brisbane.Its length is about 120 kilometres (75 mi) and its width is approximately 24 kilometres (15 mi).It was inscribed as a World Heritage site in 1992.The island is considered to be the largest sand island in the world at 1840 km².It is also Queensland’s largest island, Australia’s sixth largest island and the largest island on the East Coast of Australia.The island has rainforests, eucalyptus woodland, mangrove forests, wallum and peat swamps, sand dunes and coastal heaths. It is made up of sand that has been accumulating for approximately 750,000 years on volcanic bedrock that provides a natural catchment for the sediment which is carried on a strong offshore current northwards along the coast. Unlike many sand dunes, plant life is abundant due to the naturally occurring mycorrhizal fungi present in the sand, which release nutrients in a form that can be absorbed by the plants.Fraser Island is home to a small number of mammal species,as well as a diverse range of birds, reptiles and amphibians, including the occasional saltwater crocodile. The island is part of the Fraser Coast Region and protected in the Great Sandy National Park.Fraser Island has been inhabited by humans for as much as 5,000 years.
Fraser Island has over 100 freshwater lakes,as well as the second highest concentration of lakes in Australia after Tasmania.The freshwater lakes on Fraser Island are some of the cleanest lakes in the world.A popular tourist area is Lake McKenzie which is located inland from the small town of Eurong. It is a perched lake sitting on top of compact sand and vegetable matter 100 metres (330 ft) above sea level. Lake McKenzie has an area of 150 hectares and is just over 5 metres (16 ft) in depth. The beach sand of Lake McKenzie is nearly pure silica.
Diabetes.me and a 10 yr old girl named Harper
Yesterday I had the misfortune of being diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. My world has changed ! I was overwhelmed and what the future holds and very ignorant of the disease. I was sat in the Diabetic Information Office awaiting my pre arranged appointment .At the reception desk was sat a lovely bright 10 yr old girl who kept me entertained with her music and drawings (she would let me have a go at drawing too !) Harper (her name) was filling in for her mother who is the Diabetes nursing specialist and Harper was their courtesy of school holidays. I was sat with Annie who was giggling away at our senior/young person interaction and the very delightful Harper asked which of us is Diabetic.After confirming it was me and she was really up to date with info I asked if her family had history. Without flinching she showed me the Machine that was (almost) permanently attached to her young body and she informed me she was a Type 1 Full blown insulin dependant “victim” My self esteem and self imposed “feeling sorry” for myself disappeared Immediately ! I am one of the lucky ones and will (hopefully) take care of myself considering my family have a history of this disease Sadly this young lady will have this horrible affliction for the rest of her life,whilst I now consider being lucky contracting diabetes after 68 yrs !! and able to enjoy our life style thanks to my very supportive wife All thoughts of self pity etc are GONE and look forward to the future..Just a little of background courtesy Diabetes Australia Newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes …When you are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes you may feel a variety of emotions. Perhaps you are relieved at finally being given a diagnosis to explain your symptoms or you may feel shock and disbelief. These feelings are completely normal when you are diagnosed with a chronic disease.The important thing to remember is that you are not alone. There are many people who can help you understand and manage your condition and live life to the fullest without compromising the things that are important to you and your family. Many people find when they start managing their diabetes they often feel better than they have for years. This is because managing diabetes is really about improving your health – and everyone should do this! I am thankful to my Doctor for diagnosed my Diabetes Dr Lwin
Mary Poppins,Helen Lyndon Goff and Maryborough
Pamela Lyndon Travers OBE (born Helen Lyndon Goff; 9 August 1899 – 23 April 1996) was an Australian-born novelist, actress and journalist. In 1924 she emigrated to England where she wrote under the pen name P. L. Travers. In 1933 she began writing her series of children’s novels about the mystical and magical English nanny Mary Poppins. Her popular books have been adapted many times, including the 1964 film starring Julie Andrews and the Broadway musical originally produced in London’s West End. Interestingly the movie made $29 million in 1964 beating the Sound of Music.Here in Maryborough kids are on school holidays and the town is a popular tourist area virtue of the writer (and actress) PL Travers. Annie spent time in Maryborough today and all pics were taken exclusively by her.Children are involved in kinds of activities including Chimney Sweep competitions and painting of Mary Poppins type umbrella,s (even the big kids had a go !) Children were allowed to “draw” on the pavements and a professional chalk artist began the proceedings with some great pavement drawings
Not being a fan of Mary Poppins I stayed at home cleaning my Bar and Snooker Table and sorting out my extensive CD collection ready to sell at the next Motorhome Rally,they have been stored for a long time,hopefully others will get as much enjoyment out of them as I have ! and? whilst doing this very worthwhile chore I played exceptionally loud music !!
Rocky Creek Lansborough and our SECOND visit to our (hopefully) new Chapter The SunCoasters
To join this elite group of Motor home travellers it is a requirement to attend THREE of the monthly held meetings to achieve membership (hopefully) and this being our second with the next meeting in Pomona and the theme will be YELLOW ,should be a very interesting meeting ! I have plagiarized a few sentences from Wikipedia and here is the result ….Landsborough is a small town on the Sunshine Coast hinterland of Queensland, Australia. It is situated north of the Glasshouse Mountains just off Steve Irwin Way, 82 km north of Brisbane at the base of the southern end of the Blackall Range. At the 2006 census, Landsborough had a population of 2,805.
Landsborough is situated on the main railway line from Brisbane and there are several services daily southbound to Brisbane and northbound to Nambour and Gympie.
The heavens opened up on our Friday arrival and we were greeted by many smiling faces who were determined NOT to let the rain dampen the atmosphere. Saturday was completely different and the Sun shone brightly for the day enabling the usual Disc Bowls and Boule to begin.In the afternoon we were entertained by a travelling singer/guitarist who was a very pleasant musician
Situated on 128 acres of natural bush land and wildlife sanctuary.The northern boundary is Rocky Creek, which is a “”ribbon of rainforest”” and has many varieties of palms, large trees and bamboo (not to be felled).and this very picturesque place was home for almost 3 days
Second Half of 2013 is VERY exciting for us
We have one more weekend attendance to our new “Chapter” The Sun Coasters before we attain full membership and we are truly thankful that we have met such a lovely friendly,helpful group .Next up will be a month travelling the Birdsville Track ( courtesy Wikipedia….The Birdsville Track is a notable outback road in Australia. The 517 km track runs from Marree, a small town in northern South Australia, north across the Tirari Desert and Sturt Stony Desert, ending in Birdsville in south western Queensland. In former years the track was of a very poor quality and suitable only for high-clearance four-wheel drive vehicles, but it has been upgraded to a full-scale dirt road and is now a popular tourist route. It is also used by stock trucks carrying livestock.The path traverses the driest part of the country with less than an average 100 mm of rainfall annually.The area is extremely barren, dry and isolated, and anyone wishing to travel the track must carry fresh water, supplies, fuel, and spare parts for their vehicle with them in case of emergencies ) we will be in time for the annual Birdsville Races and of course this blog will have lots of pictures
After that epic trip we will spend a week at the 28th National Rally Narrabri NSW 21st – 27th October 2013 and we know that will be a great gathering of over 1000 Motorhomes ! THE BIG ONE starts December and takes us on a 16 day cruise around Asia and we will celebrate Xmas and New Year on the High Seas and to top it all off around February 2014 we will spend a week in Brisbane with my Daughter & husband along with 2 of our grand children .Exciting days ahead !
Where we have travelled in Oz in our Bus
Clocking up over 40,000 kms we still have plenty to explore with at least3 more trips to go including the Simpson Desert and The Birdsville Track in August.Thanks to Annie for updating the map (trip is shown in Black)
Still lots to go
Hervey Bay a profile of our Home Town
Time has come for me to write a little on our home and list some of the reasons why we chose to live here after 30 yrs in Perth Western Australia. We started our around Oz trip in 2010 and having giving a lot of time pondering if we should move to the Eastern States we arrived here in Hervey Bay and immediately fell in love with the place ans are also fortunate enough to live in a new area (cul de sac) and after inviting the neighbours round for a drink or 6 we are pleased to say “this is it” our Valhalla & probably our last settlement Unashamedly I have plagiarized from Wikipedia with thanks The Island shown in the photo,s is named Round Island and is a 10 minute boat drive from where we live ,a day trip ( that we have done) proves to be very relaxing
Hervey Bay is a city in Queensland, Australia pop around 50000 The city is situated approximately 290 kilometres (180 mi) north of the state capital, Brisbane, and lies on the coast of a natural bay between the Queensland mainland and nearby Fraser Island. The local economy relies on tourism, for which whale watching, Fraser Island and Lady Elliot Island and Hervey Bay’s calm beaches are the major drawcards.It is very attractive to to Grey Nomads and Seniors because of all the attractions that are on offer for this particular group of people.Whales arrive en masse from July to November for the calfing season and attracts lots of tourists during this time
The area has a mild, sub-tropical climate with an average 30 °C (86 °F) in summer and 23 °C (73 °F) in winter. The coast is predominantly affected by the south east trade winds which keep a cool breeze throughout the summer Cyclones are a threat at times with Cyclone Hamish threatening in 2009 as a Category 5. The land mass of Fraser Island significantly affects the pattern of weather in Hervey Bay and protects the immediate marine environment from open ocean storm effects. Average rainfall for the year is 1,100 millimetres (43 in) with an average of 300 sunny days
Hervey Bay began as a dispersed community spread over numerous small, seaside villages. As the area grew, these communities amalgamated and became suburbs of the new city. The current city includes Dundowran, Dundowran Beach, Eli Waters, Kawungan, Nikenbah, Pialba, Point Vernon, Scarness, Takura, Torquay, Urangan (Our area), Urraween, Walligan and Wondunna.
We are members of 2 local Clubs ( the RSL & The Boat Club ) and a brief description is offered below
Hervey Bay Boat Club Incorporated is a unique group of facilities comprised of Hervey Bay Boat Club, The Sporties Club (page link), The Boat Club Fuel Stop and Great Sandy Strait Service Stations and Hervey Bay Boat Club Marina The Boat Club provides a complete entertainment venue with Sinbad’s’ Bistro a la carte dining, Coffee Shop (page links) bars, free live entertainment the latest poker machines, TAB and Keno, wedding reception and function facilities (functions page link) and a FREE courtesy bus service . The Club also boasts several sporting clubs under its umbrella.( http://www.boatclub.com.au/)
The club was established in 1920 with its first liquor licence granted in 1951. We currently employ 140 people and the club actively supports numerous charitable and sporting associations, as well as providing modern social facilities for 19 000 members.
Hervey Bay RSL members will get to enjo a choice of dining experiences, access to exclusive member only promotions, discounts, reward program, internal social and recreational clubs and savings with selected business outlets in Hervey Bay. ( http://www.herveybayrsl.com.au/index ) Have a look at the URLS I have entered for more info. A great place to live ( the Council do not pay me for this particular Blog !! unfortunately !)
Annie does the Fraser Coast Show
Annie spent Friday at this show (uniquely a public holiday is declared on this day specially so locals can attend)
Photos in this Blog are ALL taken by Annie and I offer a brief description thus …
A world of fun, laughs, action, thrills and non stop entertainment is all included in the gate price at this year’s two day Fraser Coast Show at the Maryborough Showgrounds. Animals are at the heart and soul of the Fraser Coast Show with the region’s finest on show in competitions, events, demonstrations and displays of cattle, team penning, dogs and over 250 equestrian classes in the centre ring.The Fraser Coast Show is an adventure ground for kids, full of amazing discoveries and free entertainment. They can get up close with farm animals, and be entertained with performances.
Widgee,Queensland,Suncoasters RV Chapter and great people
We are currently in the process of finding a Motor Home group (known as CHAPTERS) to join and this week we found it !! The weekend found us arriving at Widgee,Queensland Show ground and we knew we were in for a good weekend as we drew alongside at least 20 + other Motorhomes (It is a requirement that we attend 3 of these gatherings,that could be anywhere in Qld !) We will look NO further AL members were quick to greet us and made us feel very well.This particular gathering was organized by member Dianne and her husband Rick Morning and afternoon teas were a terrific way of getting to know people as we all sat in a huge circle !!The afternoon teas quickly fell into happy hour! where most changed from tea to alcohol 1(my kind of people) The showground bar was open for dinner and drinks all at very reasonable rates and the friendly ambience continued into the night. Club member (potential) Glen provided a few games (the very popular Disc Bowls that is unique to Motorhome Nomads and a newly invented game consisting off throwing 2 golf balls attached to a foot long piece of rope to a 3 bar tiered stand 4 metres away and :lassoing: the balls around a bar ! Complicated to explain but great fun playing !!) Fires (braziers) were all lit at night and also proved to be good gathering point .We had a fantastic weekend and made many friends and now await the next meeting (held monthly) On one occasion a 30 second gust of wind grabbed one of the campers awning and turned it over the top of his bus,the immediate help he got was fantastic and he will have his awning up and running very soon Thanks to all our new found friends for a great weekend.Here s to the next time in ONE month
Watch me play Didgeridoo
Geoffs Life After Work ! 