Meet the site
The Antares was a three-masted iron barque of 1,742 tons, built in Glasgow in 1888 as the Sutlej and renamed when Italian owners bought and refitted her in 1907. She left Marseilles for Melbourne in December 1913 with a cargo of French roofing tiles and a crew of 24, and was posted overdue in mid-1914. Nothing was known of her fate until a body and wreckage were found under the cliffs west of the Bay of Islands in November 1914; she had struck in a storm on the night of 7–8 November, and every man aboard died. Because she was lost without witnesses, and because the world's attention was on the war that had begun three months earlier, the Antares attracted little notice at the time, but she holds a distinction: she was the last sailing ship wrecked on the Shipwreck Coast, closing a century in which more than 180 vessels were lost between Cape Otway and Port Fairy.
The remains lie in 2–6 m about 70–80 m off the cliffs and are, in the Scuba Doctor's words, battered and scattered. Iron frames, hull plating, anchors and fittings are strewn through the sand-floored gutters of the shore reef, concreted and overgrown, and among them are the roofing tiles that formed the cargo, many still recognisable and stacked as they fell. Kelp, abalone, crayfish and small reef fish share the gutters with the iron. It is a shallow, short dive whose whole difficulty is getting there and getting in: the site is in the surf zone below unbroken cliffs, reached only by boat from the Bay of Islands ramp 6 km east, and diveable only on the flattest days. It is a protected historic shipwreck on the Great Ocean Road Historic Shipwreck Trail, with an interpretive sign on the clifftop above, and it will interest wreck enthusiasts and historians far more than divers looking for a good dive.
Research this site before booking Stored site notes may be historical. These questions highlight gaps without turning old instructions into a current dive plan.
Antares is recorded as Wreck in Shipwreck Coast & Warrnambool. The listed access is boat. Confirm the actual meeting point, route and permission to visit; a map pin does not establish any of these.
Topics flagged by the stored research
These are questions prompted by the existing notes, not a verified or complete hazard assessment.
- Other water users
- Ask about vessel activity, exclusion areas and the agreed surface arrangements.
- Water movement
- Ask how swell and local exposure affect the proposed entry, exit and route.
Historical access notes exist for this record, but have not been independently verified for current use. Request current directions from the operator or site manager rather than following an old entry description.
Questions, answered
Is Antares suitable for my certification?
The record lists Open Water. That does not establish suitability for every route or day. Share your training, recent experience and equipment needs with the operator and ask about the specific proposed dive.
Can I book Antares through YouDive?
YouDive is an independent research directory. Contact an operator directly to confirm whether it currently runs the trip, the inclusions and the booking terms.
What you might see
Kelp, black-lip abalone, southern rock lobster, blue-throat wrasse, sea sweep, zebrafish, encrusting growth on the iron and tiles
Location
Battered remains of an iron barque lost with all hands in 1914, lying 70–80 m offshore west of the Bay of Islands in 2–6 m, the last vessel wrecked on the Shipwreck Coast.
Facilities nearby
Boat Bay ramp, toilets and picnic area; Peterborough store and pub; no air fills nearer than Warrnambool.
Before you make plans
Conditions, access and operator schedules can change. This is a location guide, not a dive plan. Ask a local operator about current conditions and suitability for your training and experience.
Sources & further reading
scubadoctor.com.auscubadoctor.com.auRecord updated 26 Sept 2026. Source claims are being reviewed.