Meet the site
The Betsey Island graveyard, west of Little Betsey Island at the mouth of the Derwent, is Hobart's ships' graveyard: from the 1930s to the 1980s obsolete vessels, barges and sections of the old floating bridge were towed here and scuttled in about 20-34 m. The Marine Life Network guide calls it a huge concentration of wreck dives very close to Hobart, with a pebble-and-mud bottom that stirs up easily, poor visibility after bad weather or decaying Storm Bay swell, and massive yellow and white jewel anemones and, at times, hordes of school fish on the wrecks. The Musgrave is the deepest of the graveyard wrecks, lying at 34 m slightly west of the Leura. Built in Glasgow in 1883 as the Fiona, she was later renamed Musgrave and was scuttled at Betsey Island in 1930. The guide gives her tonnage as 817 and length as 211 ft (64 m). She is heavily broken up and shows only a weak trace on a sounder, making her hard to find, but the stern section survives, encrusted in jewel anemones and with a prominent steering quadrant. The depth, cold and low light make this a more serious dive than the other graveyard wrecks: at 34 m on air bottom time is short, narcosis is noticeable in dark water, and a torch is essential. The reward is an old steamer's stern glowing with anemones and the satisfaction of finding a rarely visited wreck. Fish life is similar to the Leura, with small schooling fish and leatherjackets around the structure. Divers should be Deep-certified and experienced in low-visibility conditions, and use a shot line for descent and ascent. Nitrox is not helpful at this depth for bottom time beyond small gains; a conservative air or EAN28 plan with a long safety stop is typical. As a wreck scuttled more than 75 years ago, she is protected historic heritage.
What you might see
Jewel anemones, small schooling fish, leatherjackets, crabs
Location
Broken remains of the 1883 Glasgow-built steamer Musgrave (ex-Fiona), scuttled in 1930 in 34 m, slightly west of the Leura – the deepest wreck in the Betsey Island graveyard.
Facilities nearby
South Arm and Lauderdale boat ramps; fills in Hobart.
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
marinelife.org.auRecord updated 26 Sept 2026. Source claims are being reviewed.