NSW Central Coast · Australia · Wreck · Reef
Catherine Hill Bay Coal Loader
Chains, cables and the 1914 Wallarah wreck under a coal jetty in 11 m
Photo: alan gore image_conscious · CC0
A shallow shore dive under the old coal loader at Catherine Hill Bay, once the only ocean coal jetty on the northern coalfield. The seabed beneath it is strewn with ship chains, cables and hardware, including the remains of the sixty-miler SS Wallarah, wrecked on the reef beside the jetty in 1914, and the dive bottoms out at about 11 m.
Also known as SS Wallarah wreck.
Where it is and how deep
33.1577° S, 151.6304° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
The coal loader is the dominating feature of the bay and the dive stays under and around it, a shallow profile that goes to about 11 m. On the bottom you pick through what the coal trade left behind: ship chains, cables and assorted hardware, and among them the remains of the SS Wallarah, the sixty-miler that heavy seas forced onto the reef 64 m south of the jetty (70 yards) as she was leaving the bay in April 1914.
The sand between the debris carries schools of fish, nudibranchs and sea stars, and rays settle on the open bottom. With more air and time, the southern headland of the bay offers several more sites at depths between 3 and 30 m, with dozens of swim-throughs and overhangs to investigate on the way, and the shallows there suit snorkellers.
The wreck
- Vessel
- SS Wallarah
- Type
- Sixty-miler collier
- Sunk
- 1914
- Cause
- Forced onto the reef south of the jetty by heavy seas while departing in a squally east-nor-easter
- Lies
- Remains under and around the coal loader in about 11 m; she was wrecked on the reef 64 m south of the jetty (70 yards)
Catherine Hill Bay was the only ocean jetty on the northern coalfield, and the coal loader that still dominates the bay is what the sixty-milers, the small colliers that shuttled coal down the coast, came here to fill from. On 16 April 1914 the sixty-miler Wallarah was departing the bay in a squally east-nor-easter when heavy seas forced her onto the reef 64 m south of the jetty (70 yards) and wrecked her. Her remains now lie among the ship chains, cables and hardware on the bottom under and around the coal loader.
Marine life and season
- Reef fish swarms
- Nudibranchs
- Stingrays
- Macro critters
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Good | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Fair | Fair | Good | Good |
Season follows NSW Central Coast: Logged visibility peaks May–Aug at 15 m or more, when the water is coldest at 16–17°C; spring is murkiest, with 5 m or less logged in October.
Know before you go
- The southern headland has dozens of swim-throughs and overhangs; stay in the ones with a clear exit and keep the tight ones for a look from outside.
Photos from Catherine Hill Bay Coal Loader
Fayeem · CC BY-SA 4.0
Special Collections · Public domain
Questions divers ask
How deep is the Catherine Hill Bay coal loader dive?+
The dive under the coal loader is shallow and goes to about 11 m. The southern headland of the bay has further sites with depths between 3 and 30 m, and the shallows suit snorkellers.
What wreck is at Catherine Hill Bay?+
The SS Wallarah, a sixty-miler collier wrecked on 16 April 1914 when heavy seas forced her onto the reef 64 m south of the jetty (70 yards). Her remains lie among the ship chains, cables and hardware under the coal loader.
Sources
- Catherine Hill Coal Loader — Scubago
- Local Shore Dives — Central Coast Divers
- Sixty-miler — Wikipedia
Photo credits
- The old coal-loading jetty at Catherine Hill Bay seen from below on the beach at low tide by alan gore image_conscious, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Long exposure of the coal loading jetty's pylons receding into misty water at Catherine Hill Bay by Fayeem, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Historic 1894 photograph of workers on the coal loading jetty with its winding gear and rail hoppers by Special Collections, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
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