Meet the site
The Victorian Ships' Graveyard was the official dumping ground for Melbourne's unwanted hulls: an unregulated 'outer Heads' area used from about 1900, and from 1932 the proclaimed Commonwealth Area No. 3, a 6 km circle about 10 km south-west of Barwon Heads in 40–60 m. More than 46 vessels were stripped, towed out through The Rip and sunk with gelignite between 1913 and 1971, and all are protected historic shipwrecks. Burke was the sister of the Wills: an iron steam hopper barge of 345 tons gross (183 net), 39 m (128 ft) long with a 30 ft beam, built in Adelaide in 1884 for the Melbourne Harbour Trust and named for Robert O'Hara Burke of the ill-fated 1860 expedition. She spent almost fifty years shuttling dredge spoil from the Trust's dredges in the Yarra and the bay channels to the dumping grounds, unglamorous work that made the modern port possible. Offered for sale as scrap in November 1934 with the Wills, Batman, Fawkner and H.C. Piggot, she was instead scuttled in the Graveyard on 23 September 1935. The wreck lies in about 50 m in the western part of the field, 500 m from the Euro and within a kilometre of the Pioneer and H.C. Piggot, in the densest cluster of wrecks in the ground. The Scuba Doctor gives no description of the hull, and published diver reports are scarce; divers should expect the same layout as the other Harbour Trust barges – bow and stern sections standing, an open hopper amidships, boiler and engine aft – with the western Graveyard's sponge and zoanthid growth and resident ling, bullseyes and crayfish. Visibility is typically 10–20 m in autumn. At 50 m the Burke is a normoxic-trimix dive of the same profile as the Euro and Pioneer, and it is sometimes dived as the quieter second wreck on a technical day built around one of those. It suits technical divers who want an unhurried, uncomplicated hull to practise on, and, like the Wills, it would repay a proper survey – the record for the Adelaide-built pair is thin compared with their Scottish-built sisters.
Research this site before booking Stored site notes may be historical. These questions highlight gaps without turning old instructions into a current dive plan.
Burke is recorded as Wreck in Port Phillip Heads. The listed access is boat (day trip). 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.
- Lines and obstructions
- Discuss any known entanglement concerns and the suitability of the planned area.
- Planned depth
- Confirm the intended route and training requirements; the recorded maximum is not a target.
- 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 Burke suitable for my certification?
The record lists Technical (decompression). 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 Burke 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
Expected: sponges, zoanthids, ling, bullseyes, southern rock lobster, butterfly perch
Location
Western Ships' Graveyard about 9 km south-east of Barwon Heads, 500 m south-south-west of the Euro.
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.auRecord updated 26 Sept 2026. Source claims are being reviewed.
