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South Australia · Jetty/Pier

Stenhouse Bay Jetty

Clear-water jetty with basket stars and gorgonians rarely seen elsewhere on the peninsula, an upturned Ford Telstar and the Hougomont wreck within swimming distance.

Yorke PeninsulaShore or Boat
YouDive mascot illustration; not a photograph or site map

Mascot illustration — not a photograph or site map.

Depth
3–10 m
Certification
Advanced Open Water
Access
Shore or Boat
Dive type
Jetty/Pier
Region
Yorke Peninsula

Depth describes the recorded site range, not a recommended dive depth. Certification is a recorded recommendation; suitability depends on your planned route, training, experience and current conditions.

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Location & map

Recorded location

Recorded coordinates: -35.279812, 136.944269. Not independently surveyed by YouDive. This map is for orientation, not marine navigation or an entry-point recommendation.

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Meet the site

Stenhouse Bay was once a busy gypsum port: from 1913 until the 1930s gypsum mined around Inneston and Lake Stenhouse was railed to the bay and loaded onto ketches and steamers from this jetty. The mine town is now part of Dhilba Guuranda-Innes National Park, and the jetty is one of the best and most unusual jetty dives in South Australia. The piles stand in about 8-10 m of clear, oceanic-influenced water, and their growth is quite different from the gulf jetties. The Dive Shack highlights basket stars, gorgonians and other marine life not common around the peninsula, and visitor information adds leafy seadragons and boxfish. Sponges, soft corals and ascidians coat the timber, and the SDFSA describes amazing life on the numerous pylons. Magpie perch, old wives, zebrafish, sweep and leatherjackets school under the deck, blue groper visit, and a low reef under the outer end adds crevices for crayfish and octopus. Two oddities add interest: an upside-down Ford Telstar sitting on the bottom at the end of the jetty, and, just to the east, the hull of the four-masted barque Hougomont, scuttled in 1933 as a breakwater. Many divers do both on one tank. The catch is the entry. Access is down a steep path and a ladder, which is hard work with twin tanks or a heavy rig and dangerous in surge. Visitor information recommends it for advanced divers only, attempted in minimal swell. On a calm day, though, it offers clear water, rare invertebrates and a historic wreck, all from shore.

What you might see

Basket stars, gorgonians, sponges, soft corals, leafy seadragons, boxfish, magpie perch, old wives, zebrafish, sweep, leatherjackets, western blue groper, southern rock lobster, octopus

Location

Old gypsum-loading jetty at Stenhouse Bay inside Dhilba Guuranda-Innes National Park, in 8-10 m, with richly encrusted piles, an upside-down car at the end and the Hougomont wreck alongside.

Facilities nearby

Car park, visitor centre with toilets at Stenhouse Bay; store, pub, caravan park and boat ramp at Marion Bay.

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.

Record updated 26 Sept 2026. Source claims are being reviewed.