When this article was written there was ongoing bickering and uncertainty over the future of Point Nepean, and even now, when it is managed by Parks Victoria, there is still uncertainty about access to the old quarantine station that contains monuments to our earliest settlement history. Moreover, within that precinct is an unmarked cemetery to which thousands of Victorians have family links. This article was one of my contributions to what our action group referred to as 'The Battle for Point Nepean'.

On pages 77 & 78 of "Fever Beach" there is a quote which refers to a young man called McRae, a Ticonderoga passenger who managed to walk from Point Nepean to Melbourne. In December 2002, I received a letter from Mr Murray MacRae of Morwell, who identified this young man as his grandfather Christopher McRae. He also enclosed some 'recollections' written by Christopher and has kindly given me permission to share them with you. It was written in about 1917, ie some 65 years after the event. By the way, in case you're wondering about McRae/MacRae, three of Christopher's ten sons, including Murray's father, changed the spelling of their name from McRae to MacRae.

The article was received in typewritten form. I have not edited it, except for the spelling of 'Ticonderoga' (which is written 'Ticonderago' in the article) and a few obvious typing errors

In 2007 I made a presentation to the Queenscliff Historical Society about the life of my greatgrandfather Patrick Fanning. Subsequently, I extracted a short article from this talk, focussing particularly on the various lighthouses along the Victorian coast, on which he had served. The article subsequently appeared in "Scoop", the journal of the Couta Boat Association Inc (April 2009). You might find it interesting.

From time to time I get enquiries about pictures of the Ticonderoga. "Is there a picture of it in Fever Beach?" "Is there a picture of it anywhere?" The short answers are "No, there is no picture in the book" and "No, I don't believe there is any authenticated and accessible picture available elsewhere either". This is a short account of my quest to find an authentic image.