Miwok II Barge

Meet the site

The Miwok II is an obscure but interesting site off Bickley Point. She was a 33 m steel crane barge of 237 tons that had worked for Hamersley Iron at Dampier before being brought south. In 1983, at the WA Museum's request for an alternative to the RMS Orizaba (a historic wreck then being used for military training), she was scuttled off Rottnest and used by the Special Air Service Regiment for underwater demolition training.

The result is a battered steel barge lying in about 11 m on sand, showing the effects of both explosives and four decades of swell. Divingwawrecks describes it as a largely unknown site, so there is little published detail of its present condition; expect a low profile with broken plating and crane remains that attract reef fish, and clear water of 10-15 m typical of the south-east side of the island.

It is a short, simple dive best suited to divers with their own boat who want something different from the busy Thomson Bay wrecks, or who are exploring the Porpoise Bay and Dyer Island area, where the Lady Elizabeth and Crystal Palace are close by. Because it is less than 75 years old it is not a protected historic wreck, but it lies within the Rottnest Island Reserve, where spearfishing is banned. Treat the site as a navigation challenge as much as a wreck dive: with little published information, finding and mapping it is part of the appeal, and a well-marked GPS and a good sounder are essential.

What you might see

Western king wrasse, buffalo bream, old wife, sweep, bullseyes, leatherjackets, sponges and weed on the plates

Location

Steel crane barge scuttled in 11 m off Bickley Point on the south-east side of Rottnest, used for SAS demolition training.

Facilities nearby

Nearest facilities at Thomson Bay settlement; public moorings in Thomson Bay and Porpoise Bay.