SS Yongala

The SS Yongala lies off the coast of Queensland, Australia, south of Townsville near Cape Bowling Green, in the Coral Sea. The ship was a passenger and freight steamer that sank in a cyclone in 1911 with all aboard lost, and the wreck was not located and identified until decades later. It rests largely intact on a sand bottom, and because it stands alone in open water it acts as an artificial reef that attracts large marine life, with divers commonly reporting sea snakes, rays, turtles, and big schools of fish around the hull. The site reaches a maximum depth of around 25 metres and is rated an intermediate dive, with currents that can run strong around the hull. It is regarded as one of Australia's major wreck dives, distinct from the Great Barrier Reef sites further out, largely because of the density and size of marine life it concentrates in one place.