Meet the site
Beverwijk 19 was a Dutch steam dredge of 319 tons built in 1912, one of a numbered series built for the Beverwijk dredging concern in the Netherlands. She was imported to Melbourne in 1950 for dredging the Yarra River and later helped deepen the Geelong and Melbourne shipping channels during the post-war port expansion. Worn out by 1963, she was towed to the Graveyard and scuttled on 7 May that year – one of the last vessels dumped before the practice ended. The wreck lies upside down with the bow pointing towards Barwon Heads in 42–46 m. The hull has collapsed and the Scuba Doctor describes the site as generally unstable, so it is a dive of machinery rather than of intact ship: a large boiler, the propeller, and the great 'wagon wheels' of the dredging gear are the landmarks, and the suction pipe and pumping gear are visible at the bow. The stern section remains upright and is the most structured part. There are, despite the collapse, some sections that allow penetration for trained divers. Sponge and zoanthid growth is good and the usual western-Graveyard fish – ling, bullseyes, butterfly perch – shelter in the machinery, with crayfish under the plates. Visibility is generally 10–20 m in settled autumn conditions. With the top of the wreck around 40 m and sand at 46 m it is a normoxic-trimix dive of similar profile to the neighbouring Batman and Fawkner, and it is often dived as one of a pair with either. It suits technical divers who enjoy working out industrial machinery and who are comfortable around unstable structure; it is not a wreck for pushing into confined spaces.
What you might see
Sponges, yellow zoanthids, ling, bullseyes, butterfly perch, southern rock lobster, boarfish
Location
Western Ships' Graveyard south of Barwon Heads, 226 m south of the Victorian and 519 m north-north-west of the Fawkner.
Facilities nearby
Departure from Queenscliff Harbour (parking, toilets, cafes, fills at Dive Victoria/Queenscliff Dive Centre) or Portsea Pier (parking on Point Nepean Road, toilets, cafes).
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.audivernet.comRecord updated 26 Sept 2026. Source claims are being reviewed.