SS Yongala · Australia · Wreck

The Stern

A long lap along the flank of a 109 m hull

The after end of the 109 m steamer, reached by working the length of a hull that lies on its starboard side on open sand. The big animals reported here belong to the wreck as a whole rather than to the stern in particular: giant Queensland groper and bull rays patrol the periphery of the steel, with trevally and barracuda stacked in the current above.

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

Descend the mooring line to the upper parts of the wreck at about 16 metres and turn aft. The ship is 109 metres long and lies over on her starboard side at 60 to 70 degrees with the bow pointing north on 347 degrees, so the run to the after end is a long lap along one flank, the plating going away below you towards a sea floor at roughly 30 metres.

Keep the hull between you and the flow: the current here runs strong at depth as well as at the surface, and operators plan profiles to around 28 metres. Giant Queensland groper and bull rays patrol the periphery of the wreck, and schools of trevally and barracuda form walls in the current, so the animals tend to find you rather than the other way round in water that is often low on visibility.

Nothing on this dive goes inside. The wreck is protected under the Underwater Cultural Heritage Act 2018, which prohibits penetration and interference with artefacts, so the return leg is a slower pass back over the top of the structure towards the mooring line and the ascent.

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

Marine life and season

Groupers
Trevally & jacks
Barracuda

Month-by-month season rating for The Stern
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.