Famous explorer Captain James Cook has lodged a belated claim for danger money after visiting Magnetic Island , off Townsville, North Queensland . His ship's compass went crazy when he approached the island in the l770s , so he named the place Magnetical Island or Headland , the latter because it could have been a peninsula .
Now it is well known as Magnetic Island , Townsville's so called Jewel in the Crown tourist destination .
During a recent visit back to the island aboard a cruise ship , Captain Cook went ashore and was shocked to see that Compass Crescent , which runs off Sextant Drive, Nelly Bay , looks like a marine disaster site , the gutters blocked .
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A friendly native informed him Compass Crescent had been reduced to this dangerous state following heavy rain months ago which washed a lot of granite, sand, dirt and leaves down from the hills .
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Captain Cook looked down a stormwater drain and was surprised to see what looked like a coconut growing within , or it could have been one of Captain Bligh's troublesome breadfruit plants . Keen to get back to the safety , luxury and well stocked bars of the cruise ship , Captain Cook said Magnetic Island is obviously a dangerous destination for mariners and drunken pedestrians , there being 20 known wrecks in the surrounding waters ,
On reflection , he now felt he should receive danger money from the Royal Navy and King Charles lll for sailing along the coast in 1770 , without a map ,exposing himself and crew to the hidden dangers of the island and hitting the reef off Cooktown .
Since his inspection of Compass Crescent there has been a burst water main in the area and sluice valves have been operated on .
