Meet the site
The Yongala is Australia's best-known wreck and routinely makes lists of the world's top ten dives, not because of its structure – though that is impressive – but because a 109 m steel hull sitting alone on a featureless sand plain has become an oasis for an extraordinary concentration of marine life. Built in 1903 by Armstrong Whitworth at Low Walker on the Tyne for the Adelaide Steamship Company, the 3,664-ton passenger and cargo steamer ran the Fremantle–Brisbane route and later the winter Melbourne–Cairns service. On 23 March 1911 she left Mackay for Townsville; the cyclone warning flags hoisted at Flat Top signal station went unseen, and she had no wireless. She steamed into the cyclone and vanished with all 122 people aboard, along with a racehorse named Moonshine whose body later washed up at Gordon Creek. The wreck was located in the late 1950s by fisherman Bill Kirkpatrick and identified in 1961 when a safe recovered from it was traced by its maker, Chubb, to the Yongala's purser. Today the hull lies on its starboard side, listing 60–70 degrees, with the bow pointing roughly north and the upper (port) side at 14–16 m and the sand at about 28–30 m. It is remarkably intact for its age: the bow and stern still rise off the bottom, masts, portholes and fittings are recognisable, and the whole structure is carpeted in hard and soft corals, sea whips and gorgonians. Everything above that is fish. Giant Queensland groupers drift along the hull, schools of trevally, barracuda, batfish and golden trevally circle overhead, huge marbled and bull rays rest on the sand and olive sea snakes forage in every crack. Turtles sleep under the overhang and cleaning stations operate all along the upper hull. Bull sharks, tiger sharks and, in winter, minke and humpback whales are seen from time to time. Around 79 species have been recorded, with humphead Maori wrasse the most frequently logged. The wreck is protected under the Commonwealth Underwater Cultural Heritage Act 2018, managed by the Museum of Tropical Queensland, with a 797 m protected zone. Penetration is prohibited and divers are asked not to let exhaled bubbles pool in the hull. It is a dive for Advanced divers comfortable with depth and current; for them it is one of the essential dives in the country.
Research this site before booking Stored site notes may be historical. These questions highlight gaps without turning old instructions into a current dive plan.
SS Yongala is recorded as Wreck in Townsville & Magnetic Island. The listed access is boat (day trip). 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.
- Current and timing
- Ask how the operator assesses the current window for the actual route. Historical tide notes are not a departure instruction.
- Lines and obstructions
- Discuss any known entanglement concerns and the suitability of the planned area.
- Planned depth
- Confirm the intended route and training requirements; the recorded maximum is not a target.
- Water movement
- Ask how swell and local exposure affect the proposed entry, exit and route.
- Overhead environments
- Ask whether the plan stays entirely in open water. A wreck or cave listing is not permission or training to enter.
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 SS Yongala suitable for my certification?
The record lists Advanced 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 SS Yongala 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
Queensland (giant) grouper, humphead Maori wrasse, giant and golden trevally, marbled rays, bull rays, eagle rays, olive sea snakes, green and hawksbill turtles, schooling barracuda, batfish, cobia, giant sweetlips, mangrove jack, coral trout, bull sharks, occasional tiger sharks and whaler sharks, guitarfish, octopus, nudibranchs, soft corals and gorgonians; minke and humpback whales in winter
Location
Open-water wreck on a flat sand seabed about 22 km east of Cape Bowling Green, 48 nautical miles south-east of Townsville; roughly 30 minutes by fast boat from Alva Beach near Ayr.
Facilities nearby
Yongala Dive lodge at Alva Beach (accommodation, gear hire, air/nitrox fills, beachfront launch). Townsville departures from Breakwater Marina.
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
nquec.org.auyongaladive.com.auen.wikipedia.orgmarinelife.org.auadrenalindive.com.auexplorewhitsundays.commoua.com.auRecord updated 26 Sept 2026. Source claims are being reviewed.
