Barjon Wreck

Meet the site

The Barjon is a small fishing vessel that caught fire and sank in 1986, now lying on a sand and silt bottom roughly 18 km from Bundaberg. Marinelife.org.au, the only published dive source for the site, reports that the wreck is breaking up but still acts as a magnet for fish on an otherwise featureless seafloor.

What you see is a low, broken hull and scattered fittings rather than an intact boat. The attraction is the fish life that structure attracts: schools of baitfish hanging over the wreck, groper and snapper around the hull, mackerel passing through, and moray eels and scorpionfish in the gaps in the plating. Like most small wrecks on silt, visibility is modest and very sensitive to finning, so good buoyancy is essential to keep the dive enjoyable for everyone.

The Barjon is not a regular charter destination and its depth and exact position are not published. It is best regarded as a local secret for Bundaberg divers with their own boats, and a possible second dive for someone already out at the Bundaberg offshore marks. Because the hull is collapsing, penetration is not an option.

Visitors looking for a wreck dive near Bundaberg will find far more at the Cochrane Artificial Reef (several deliberately sunk vessels and aircraft in 15-18 m), the Karma barge to the north, or the ex-HMAS Tobruk, one of the largest dive wrecks in Australia. The Barjon suits divers who enjoy small, fishy wrecks and are happy to do the homework to find one.

What you might see

Baitfish schools, groper, snapper, mackerel, moray eels, scorpionfish

Location

Remains of a small fishing vessel that burned and sank in 1986 on a sand and silt bottom about 18 km from Bundaberg.