Meet the site
The Dunbar is the most famous shipwreck in Sydney and one of the worst maritime disasters in Australian history. The three-masted clipper was built of British oak and East India teak by James Laing and Sons of Sunderland in 1853 for the shipowner Duncan Dunbar; at 61 m and about 1,300 tons she was the largest ship ever built in Sunderland and carried a copper rampant-lion figurehead. After service as a Crimean War troopship she began the London–Sydney run in 1856. On the night of 20–21 August 1857, arriving from London with 63 passengers and 59 crew in a gale and driving rain, Captain James Green mistook the gap in the cliffs for the harbour entrance and drove the ship onto the rocks just south of The Gap. She broke up almost immediately. Of 122 aboard, 121 died; the sole survivor, able seaman James Johnson, was washed onto a ledge and hauled up the cliff 36 hours later. The disaster led directly to the building of the Hornby Lighthouse on South Head. Scuba divers first worked the site in 1955 and much was taken in the 1950s and 1960s, including gold coins, pennies and trade tokens, before it was protected. What remains is a scatter of wreckage in a small inlet at the foot of the cliffs in 4–7 m. The most obvious features are dozens of iron ballast blocks, sheets of copper sheathing from the hull, lengths of chain, pieces of mast and swing anchors, with two larger anchors lying north of the ballast field. In the crevices divers still see fragments of green, black, blue and clear bottle glass and pieces of decorated china. Kelp covers the site in many years and makes it hard to see the bottom, so the experience varies with the season. Fish life is typical of the eastern cliffs – luderick, silver sweep, mado, eastern blue gropers and schools of yellowtail – and the cliff face towering above adds atmosphere. It is a shallow, contemplative heritage dive rather than a spectacular one, suited to divers interested in Sydney's history who are comfortable with some surge. It pairs naturally with The Gap reef dive nearby.
What you might see
Luderick, silver sweep, mado, eastern blue groper, yellowtail, rock cale, kelp (Ecklonia) beds, sea urchins, cunjevoi, small wrasse
Location
Scattered remains of the 1857 clipper Dunbar in a small inlet just south of The Gap on South Head, in 4–7 m at the foot of the cliffs.
Facilities nearby
Departure only: Rose Bay public ramp (parking, toilets), Watsons Bay wharf and cafés.
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
michaelmcfadyenscuba.infomichaelmcfadyenscuba.infoRecord updated 26 Sept 2026. Source claims are being reviewed.