The 109 m passenger steamer SS Yongala sank with all 122 aboard in a 1911 cyclone off Cape Bowling Green, Queensland. Now a protected grave site and one of the world's top wreck dives, it is an isolated structure on open sand that teems with giant gropers, rays, sea snakes, and pelagic schools.
Destination info
Conditions, highlights, and the resident marine life.
Conditions
Water and air temperature across the year.
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Description
The SS Yongala was a 109 m (358 ft) Adelaide Steamship Company passenger and freight steamer, built in 1903 by Armstrong, Whitworth & Co. on the Tyne, that vanished in a tropical cyclone off Cape Bowling Green on 23–24 March 1911, taking all 122 passengers and crew with her — no survivors were ever found. The wreck was not located until 1958 and lies about 48 nautical miles (89 km) south-east of Townsville and 12 nautical miles (22 km) east of Cape Bowling Green, with the seabed at roughly 28–30 m and the upper hull at 14–16 m. Because it is both a war-era maritime grave and protected historic heritage, the Yongala is managed under the Commonwealth Underwater Cultural Heritage Act 2018 (which replaced the Historic Shipwrecks Act 1976): a protected zone of 797 m surrounds the wreck, touching the hull is prohibited, and — critically — no penetration is permitted, both to preserve the site and because the structure is unstable. Honest framing: this is a single iconic wreck, not a reef destination. It sits in exposed open water with frequently strong currents and surge, demands a surface swim, and is an advanced dive best attempted by experienced divers; it is dived as a day trip from Alva Beach near Ayr or on Townsville liveaboards that pair it with mid-shelf Great Barrier Reef sites. As an isolated high-rise structure on otherwise featureless sand, it concentrates astonishing marine life — giant Queensland gropers, marble and eagle rays, olive sea snakes, turtles, dense schools of trevally and barracuda, and seasonal bull and tiger sharks. Visibility is best roughly June through November.
Highlights
What makes this dive worth the trip.
The SS Yongala sank in a tropical cyclone on 23–24 March 1911 off Cape Bowling Green with the loss of all 122 passengers and crew — no bodies were ever recovered — making the 109 m wreck a maritime grave as much as a dive site. It was not located until 1958, after Townsville divers followed up a 1947 Royal Australian Navy survey report.
The wreck is protected under the Commonwealth Underwater Cultural Heritage Act 2018 (which superseded the Historic Shipwrecks Act 1976): a protected zone of 797 m surrounds the site, touching the hull or removing artefacts is illegal, and penetration of the wreck is strictly prohibited — both to preserve the heritage and because the structure is not stable enough to enter safely. The site is managed by the Maritime Archaeology section of the Museum of Tropical Queensland in Townsville.
Queensland Museum classes the Yongala among the top ten wreck dives in the world. As an isolated artificial structure rising from open sand far from any reef, it acts as an oasis that concentrates marine life: giant Queensland gropers, marble and eagle rays, olive sea snakes, sea turtles, and huge schools of trevally and barracuda are routinely seen, with bull sharks and occasional tiger sharks among the larger visitors.
Marine life
30 species you’re likely to encounter on a dive here.
Dive sites
5 signature sites at this destination.
SS Yongala Wreck
The 109 m steel passenger steamer lies on its starboard side on open sand, with the seabed around 28–30 m and the upper hull at roughly 14–16 m. Penetration is prohibited — the wreck is a protected grave site and structurally unstable — so diving is entirely external, working the encrusted hull, railings, and debris field. As the only high-rise structure for kilometres, it draws extraordinary density and size of marine life: giant Queensland gropers, marble and eagle rays, olive sea snakes, turtles, and walls of trevally and barracuda. The site is fully exposed to open ocean with frequently strong currents and surge, normally a surface swim, and is dived at the turn of the tide in good conditions.
14–30 madvancedDay boatStrongVisibility 10–25 m
Lodestone Reef
The most-dived of the outer reefs in the Townsville region and the closest to Townsville and Magnetic Island, making it the standard mid-shelf reef dive on liveaboard itineraries that include the Yongala. Coral gardens, a lagoon perimeter cut by sandy 'drains', coral canyons, and detached bombies give it varied terrain across roughly 15–25 m. Macro life is a strength here — nudibranchs and flatworms — alongside leopard sharks, whitetip reef sharks, turtles, and anemones. An easygoing all-rounder reef that contrasts sharply with the demanding, current-swept Yongala.
5–25 mintermediateLiveaboardModerateVisibility 10–25 m
Wheeler Reef
A small, picturesque outer reef with a lagoon, about 48 nautical miles from Townsville, that almost always appears on commercial dive itineraries. Coral bombies, reef-edge overhangs and swim-throughs, and cleaning stations spread across roughly 10–25 m, with a public mooring at about 13 m. Its varied terrain suits a wide range of experience levels. Reef sharks, trevally, mackerel, coral trout, spangled emperor, and garden eels are typical, making it a relaxed reef counterpoint on a Yongala-and-reef liveaboard.
10–25 mintermediateLiveaboardModerateVisibility 10–25 m
Davies Reef
A mid-shelf outer reef about 5 nautical miles east of Wheeler Reef, sitting in a Conservation Park zone with an automated weather station. It is known for its wall diving — soft-coral-covered walls overflowing with colour — plus detached bombies and pinnacles dropping from about 10 m toward 30 m. Sweetlips, jacks, and coral trout are common. As a reliable wall-and-pinnacle reef it rounds out the gentler reef days that bracket the Yongala on multi-day Townsville liveaboards.
10–30 mintermediateLiveaboardModerateVisibility 10–25 m
Museum of Underwater Art (John Brewer Reef)
The Museum of Underwater Art (MOUA) at John Brewer Reef, reachable by boat from Townsville, pairs a sheltered mid-shelf reef with Jason deCaires Taylor's underwater sculptures. The Coral Greenhouse — the Guinness-record largest underwater art structure at 12 m tall — sits at about 16 m, while the Ocean Sentinels figures stand at roughly 5 m; shallow areas (4–6 m) serve snorkellers and the deeper sections (12–18 m) suit scuba divers. Designed to seed coral growth, the installations now host reef fish and turtles, offering an accessible, current-light alternative to the Yongala for mixed-ability groups.
4–18 mbeginnerDay boatLightVisibility 10–25 m
Where to dive & stay
Local dive centers, resorts, and hotels.
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