Bon Voyage?

When I was down in Byron Bay last weekend browsing in 'The Book Room Collective' bookstore I almost bought a book called 'Hell Ship' written about Michael Veitch.

It was about a ship I had never heard about before, the Ticonderoga a grand clipper which left Liverpool in 1852, bound for Melbourne.

I didn't end up buying the book, but today on the ABC 'Conversations' podcast I heard the author having a conversation with Richard Fidler about the deadly voyage.

You can hear that podcast by clicking on this link below -
The terrible journey of the Ticonderoga

The shipwreck of the SS Wollongbar in Byron Bay

I was staying at a motel named after a shipwreck that was still visible from the beach today.
The Shamanic Artists of Byron Bay: The Medicine of Karuah and Sean O'Shea

What's left of the SS Wollongbar today

I guess I didn't buy 'Hell Ship' book because I had already heard Gordon White at the 'Rune Soup' podcast recount the story of the ship called the Batavia, so I was all shipwrecked out that week.

Gordon starts telling the ship tale at about the 13 minute mark of the You Tube below.

I saw a news story about Russell Crowe owning the rights to the Batavia story and he might be turning it into a movie for the big screen soon.

I had also written a post about a doomed ship voyage before I had left for Byron Bay -
New Italy: 1881, The Deadman's Hand, Dante and Dad?

And on the subject of Russell Crowe I saw a fish shop in Byron Bay owned by a mad keen Rabbitohs supporter who had a jersey pinned to his wall under sets of shark jaws.
For those who don't know, Crowe is a part owner of the Rabbitohs Football Club.

The store owner also had membership stickers stuck on the front window, but what I liked, being a Sharks supporter, apart from the shark jaws on the wall, was the shark swimming in the front window saying, "bite me".
The Rabbitohs were playing the Melbourne Storm that Friday night, and I was hoping the Rabbitohs would win and wreck Melbourne's chances of a top four finish this year, and they did.
Russell Crowe and 'The Art of Divorce'?
And the Sharks did the Rabbitohs a favour and beat Melbourne last Sunday.
So seeing this fish shop on my walk around Byron Bay proved to be a good omen after-all.
Cheers Russell and good luck on making that movie about the Batavia.
And GO THE SHARKIES!!!