SS Yongala · Australia · Wreck

The Bow

The letters YONGALA still legible on the port bow plating

The forward section of the SS Yongala, a 109 m passenger steamer that went down in a cyclone off Queensland in 1911 with all 122 people aboard. It lies over on its starboard side with the stem pointing north, the ship's name still legible in large letters on the port plating, and Queensland groper most often found between 15 and 25 metres around the bow.

Where it is and how deep

Depths on a shared scale to 40 m (130 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

19.3044° S, 147.6219° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.

The dive

Boats tie into the moorings that were put in here in 2002, since anchoring inside the protected zone is forbidden, and you go down the line to the upper parts of the wreck about 16 metres below the surface, with the sea floor at roughly 30. The hull lies over on its starboard side at an angle of between 60 and 70 degrees and the stem points north on a bearing of 347 degrees, so the forward section reads as a wall of plating rather than a deck you can swim along.

Work the port side and the name YONGALA is still there in big letters at the front of the bow, the plainest confirmation of what you are looking at. The interior has not been open to divers for several years, after damage caused by careless divers, and the Underwater Cultural Heritage Act 2018 prohibits penetration and interference with artefacts in any case, so the dive is worked entirely outside the hull.

Queensland groper are most likely between 15 and 25 metres around the bow, and in the low visibility here a fish that size resolves at short range rather than from a distance. Schools of trevally and barracuda form walls in the current off the forward section, giant groper and bull rays patrol the wreck's periphery, and the humphead wrasse, the most observed species in the site's citizen-science record, works the same ground.

The wreck

Vessel: SS Yongala
Type: Passenger steamship
Length: 109 m (358 ft)
Built: 1903
Sunk: 1911
Cause: Sank in a tropical cyclone off the Queensland coast
Lies: On her starboard side on sand, listing 60-70 degrees, bow on a bearing of 347 degrees

SS Yongala was built in England in 1903 for the Adelaide Steamship Company, launched on 29 April that year as yard number 736 and completed in October. She sank in a cyclone off the coast of Queensland on 23 March 1911 with the loss of all 122 passengers and crew. A local fisherman, Bill Kirkpatrick, found the wreck in 1958 and recovered artefacts including a safe from one of the cabins. The site is now protected under the Commonwealth Underwater Cultural Heritage Act 2018 and managed through the Museum of Tropical Queensland in Townsville, and more than 10,000 divers visit each year.

Marine life and season

Groupers
Trevally & jacks
Barracuda
Napoleon wrasse

Month-by-month season rating for The Bow
Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Good	Good	Good	Good	Good	Good	Good	Prime	Prime	Good	Good	Good

Season follows SS Yongala: August and September are the best months; from June to September the water cools to 22–25 °C.

Know before you go

Current runs strong at the surface and at depth; go down and come back up on the mooring line and work the sheltered flank of the hull.
Visibility is often low and the profile is a deep one, so agree gas turn points and no-decompression limits before you leave the boat.
The crossing is exposed and the swell can be heavy enough to cause seasickness; take precautions ashore rather than at the mooring.
Entering the hull is prohibited under the Underwater Cultural Heritage Act 2018, as is touching artefacts; the whole dive stays outside the plating.

Dive videos

Diving the SS Yongala, Large Marble Ray on the bow · Paul Roberts Sydney Scuba Diver on YouTube

Questions divers ask

How deep is the bow of the SS Yongala?+

The upper parts of the wreck sit about 16 metres below the surface and the sea floor is at roughly 30 metres, with operators working profiles to around 28 metres. Queensland groper are most often seen between 15 and 25 metres around the bow.

Can you go inside the SS Yongala?+

No. The wreck is protected under the Commonwealth Underwater Cultural Heritage Act 2018, which prohibits penetration diving and interference with artefacts, and the bow interior has not been open to divers for several years after damage caused by careless divers.

What certification do you need to dive the Yongala?+

Advanced Open Water or above lets you dive the site without further training. Open Water divers cannot dive it on that certification alone and need Deep Adventure Dive training first, because of the depth, the strong current and the low visibility.