Meet the site
The Victorian Ships' Graveyard was the official dumping ground for Melbourne's unwanted hulls: an unregulated 'outer Heads' area used from about 1900, and from 1932 the proclaimed Commonwealth Area No. 3, a 6 km circle about 10 km south-west of Barwon Heads in 40–60 m. More than 46 vessels were stripped, towed out through The Rip and sunk with gelignite between 1913 and 1971, and all are protected historic shipwrecks. Victorian was an iron screw steamer of 718 tons built by D. and W. Henderson at Glasgow in 1876, one of the small passenger-cargo steamers that worked the Australian coastal trades in the last quarter of the nineteenth century. After fire damage in Sydney she was cut down to a coal hulk, ending her days bunkering steamers in Hobsons Bay, and on 8 May 1925 she was towed out and scuttled in the unregulated outer Heads dumping ground – seven years before the official Graveyard was proclaimed, which is part of why her position is uncertain. The Scuba Doctor lists her at about 45 m with a position taken from the Australasian Underwater Cultural Heritage Database that it flags as approximate and unlikely to be accurate, 226 m north of the Beverwijk 19 and 791 m south-south-east of VHB 54. No description of the wreck itself has been published, and it is possible that the hull has never been positively identified on the seabed – a stripped iron hulk with no boilers or engine is notoriously hard to find on a sounder, as the Dunloe page notes. What a diver would expect, by analogy with the other 1920s hulks in the ground, is a collapsed iron hull with bow and stern standing a few metres off the sand and the midships flat, colonised by the sponges and zoanthids of the western Graveyard. Depth and position should be treated as unconfirmed, and any team that does locate and identify the Victorian would be adding genuinely new information to the record. It is a target for exploratory technical divers with a good sounder rather than a dive to plan a day around; the Beverwijk 19, Batman and Fawkner a few hundred metres away are the reliable options in this corner of the ground.
Research this site before booking Stored site notes may be historical. These questions highlight gaps without turning old instructions into a current dive plan.
Victorian is recorded as Wreck in Port Phillip Heads. 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.
- Other water users
- Ask about vessel activity, exclusion areas and the agreed surface arrangements.
- 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.
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 Victorian suitable for my certification?
The record lists Technical (decompression). 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 Victorian 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
Expected: sponges, zoanthids, ling, bullseyes, southern rock lobster (unconfirmed)
Location
Western Ships' Graveyard south of Barwon Heads, recorded 226 m north of the Beverwijk 19 – but the published position is from the national shipwreck database and is unlikely to be accurate.
Facilities nearby
Departure from Queenscliff Harbour (parking, toilets, cafes, fills at Dive Victoria/Queenscliff Dive Centre) or Portsea Pier (parking on Point Nepean Road, toilets, cafes).
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.
