Meet the site
The Darwin Princess was a 23 m (75 ft) steel passenger ferry licensed to carry 200 people. Among other work she carried Telecom staff across the harbour to Mandorah for the Radio Australia transmitter site on the Cox Peninsula. Cyclone Tracy crossed Darwin in the early hours of 25 December 1974 with gusts estimated at over 200 km/h, destroying most of the city and killing 66 people, many of them at sea. More than 20 vessels sank or were driven ashore in and around the harbour, and several of those wrecks now form a second, much more intact wreck trail beside the 1942 sites. On Christmas Eve 1974 the ferry either put to sea or broke her moorings with only her skipper, Ray Curtain, aboard, and vanished. She remained lost until 2004, when a fisherman snagged an anchor on an obstruction near the recently found Booya. Divers from Coral Divers made the first dives and confirmed her identity from drawings, and the water police and the skipper's family were notified.
The wreck lies upside down in about 26 m. She appears to have hit the seabed on her side and slid around 10 m across the sand before settling, with the port side buried. The rudder is torn away, the propellers are wrapped in heavy rope, the bow cleat is bent down and there is a large dent in the port side, perhaps from a pylon or another vessel. The mast and handrails are gone and doors hang loose; plastic chairs and life jackets remain inside the hull, and a wide, chaotic debris field surrounds it, including a large concrete block. Visibility is often only a metre or two, and one team reported a single exploratory dive running to 2.5 hours including decompression. This is a dark, deep, entangling site that tells a hard story, and it is one for experienced wreck divers only.
Research this site before booking Stored site notes may be historical. These questions highlight gaps without turning old instructions into a current dive plan.
Darwin Princess is recorded as Wreck in Darwin Harbour. 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.
- Current and timing
- Ask how the operator assesses the current window for the actual route. Historical tide notes are not a departure instruction.
- 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.
- Water movement
- Ask how swell and local exposure affect the proposed entry, exit and route.
- Overhead environments
- Ask whether the plan stays entirely in open water. A wreck or cave listing is not permission or training to enter.
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 Darwin Princess suitable for my certification?
The record lists Deep/Advanced + experience. 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 Darwin Princess 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
Estuary cod, golden snapper, jewfish, batfish and baitfish around the hull
Location
Darwin Harbour, close to the Booya; the ferry lies upside down in about 26 m with a large debris field.
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
rodneyfox.com.audsac.com.aurodneyfox.com.aunt.gov.auRecord updated 26 Sept 2026. Source claims are being reviewed.