Meet the site
The Newfield was a three-masted iron and steel barque of 1,386 tons, built by Alexander Stephen and Sons at Dundee in 1889. Bound from Sharpness on the Severn to Brisbane with a cargo of salt, she made her landfall on the Victorian coast in heavy weather at the end of August 1892 and her master, Captain George Scott, mistook the Cape Otway light for Cape Wickham on King Island and altered course to the north-east, believing he was entering Bass Strait. At about 3.40 am on 29 August she struck the reef about 100 yards off the shore just east of Peterborough. The crew tried to launch the boats in the breaking sea; the captain and eight others drowned, and seventeen were rescued by locals who ran lines out through the surf. The Marine Board blamed the loss on the captain's one-man style of navigation and his refusal to heed the crew, and the wreck became one of the set pieces of the Shipwreck Coast story alongside the Schomberg 1 km to the west and the Falls of Halladale, which struck sixteen years later a few kilometres further on.
The wreck is broken over low reef in 5–7 m about 100 m offshore. Iron frames, hull plating, anchors and fittings lie in the sand-floored gutters between low limestone ridges, much of it concreted and overgrown with kelp, and the salt cargo dissolved long ago. Crayfish and abalone shelter in the plating and the usual reef fish – wrasse, sweep, zebrafish, leatherjackets – move over it. It is a shallow dive with no navigation difficulty; the entire challenge is the sea, because the site is very exposed and the reef breaks in all but flat conditions. For that reason it is dived only a handful of times a year, by boat, by people who have been watching the forecast for a week. It is a protected historic shipwreck and part of the Great Ocean Road Historic Shipwreck Trail, with an interpretive sign on the clifftop at Newfield Bay for the far greater number of people who will see it from above.
Research this site before booking Stored site notes may be historical. These questions highlight gaps without turning old instructions into a current dive plan.
Newfield is recorded as Wreck in Shipwreck Coast & Warrnambool. The listed access is boat. 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.
- 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 Newfield suitable for my certification?
The record lists Open Water. 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 Newfield 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
Southern rock lobster, black-lip abalone, blue-throat wrasse, sea sweep, zebrafish, leatherjackets, kelp and encrusting growth on the iron
Location
Scattered remains of an 1892 iron barque on low reef about 100 m offshore in Newfield Bay, 1 km east of Peterborough, in 5–7 m.
Facilities nearby
Peterborough boat ramps, toilets and picnic area at Boat Bay, general store and pub in Peterborough; no air fills – nearest Warrnambool.
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.