Meet the site
The Llewellyn was built in Liverpool in 1884 as a Queensland Government pilot vessel. She proved unstable in heavy seas and spent much of her career on river duties around Brisbane, but during the 1919 seamen's strike she was pressed into service carrying supplies to isolated north Queensland communities. On the evening of 16 July 1919 she left Rockhampton for Bowen under Captain Holloway with eleven crew and two passengers – nurse Rowena Gordon and shipping accountant W.J. Bradford – carrying about 30 tons of cargo, coal and lighthouse stores. After passing Cape Capricorn lighthouse the next morning, she was never seen again. Heavy gales were blowing, and her forward-stowed cargo may have made her bow-heavy. Wreckage washed up on St Bees Island, but the ship itself was not found for 78 years. On 7 December 1997 diver Mark Earney, with David Leffman and Debs McLennan, dived a sonar anomaly off Bailey Islet and found her. Leffman's account describes a 30 m hull sitting intact and upright on the bottom, facing into the current, with a squarish wheelhouse, a broken funnel stump and a mast lying across the starboard deck, all covered in soft corals. A large grouper occupied the wheelhouse; potato cod, coral trout, batfish schools, wobbegongs carpeting the deck, turtles and even tiger sharks were seen, in 10–20 m visibility. The Queensland Museum quickly took control of the site. The wreck lies in about 35 m on a silty bottom in open water, exposed to strong currents. A permit is needed to approach within 500 m, the site is policed, there are no buoys, and there are no commercial trips. For permitted, experienced deep divers it is an untouched, poignant wreck – the grave of thirteen people.
What you might see
Grouper (in wheelhouse), potato cod, coral trout, batfish schools, wobbegong sharks, turtles, tiger sharks, soft corals
Location
Intact government steamer lying in about 35 m of open water roughly halfway between St Bees Island and Bailey Islet, north-east of Mackay.
Facilities nearby
Mackay Harbour boat ramp / Mackay Marina. Nearest air/nitrox fills in Mackay.
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
davidleffman.commackayisaac.commarinelife.org.auRecord updated 26 Sept 2026. Source claims are being reviewed.