Great Dive Destinations

The Yongala Wreck located in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park in Australia is one of the world’s best wreck dives. The SS Yongala was a steamship that sank in a cyclone in 1911 just 12 nautical miles off the coast of Australia, unfortunately killing all on board. The wreck laid there for 50 years before it was discovered. The ship lies between 14-28m of water so its very accessible to all scuba divers. The ship is 109 metres long and is the largest, most intact shipwreck to be found in Australia.

Scuba divers will find a prolific amount of marine life within the wreck including giant gropers and large schools of pelagic fish including trevally, cobia and barracuda. You’ll also glide past turtles, sea snakes, manta rays and bull rays. Between the months of July and September, humpback whales are often spotted around this dive site.

The wreck is a macro divers paradise as every square inch of the wreck is covered with hard corals, soft corals, sponges and oyster shells of every shape and color imaginable. It is also a workstation for cleaner fish providing the perfect opportunity to view larger species including batfish which not only open up their gills for cleaner fish but also change color so that the parasites are easer to find.

Warm waters (about 24-26 degrees celcius), great visibility (between 15-30m) and the fact that the site is easily accessible by boat (about a 30 minute boat rider from the shore) means that this site is popular amongst avid scuba diving fans.

There are a few charters that will take you to the Yongala Wreck. Please take into account that most of the dive operators won’t take you until you’ve logged at least 25 dives, so its not suitable for absolute beginners. Probably the best dive charter to view the Yongala Wreck is with Yongala Dive as they specialize in diving this wreck.

The following are sites of interest found around the Yongala:

1. Cast Iron Bath
2. Rudder
3. Aft Mast
4. Engine Room & Steam Room
5. Funnel Opening
6. Forward Mast
7. Forward Cargo Hold
8. Anchor
9. ‘Yongala’ Name
10. Anchor Winch
11. 1st Class Dining Room
12. Clown Fish
13. Toilets
14. Port Holes

Dive trips to the wreck vary in length from 1-7 days, with the longer trips also visiting the Great Barrier Reef that lies further offshore, or heading out into the Coral Sea. Yongala Wreck dive trips depart from the city of Townsville and it’s resort island, Magnetic Island. Townsville is a short flight from either Sydney or Cairns in Australia.

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