Yongala

The SS Yongala was a passenger and cargo steamer that sank in a cyclone in 1911 off the coast near Townsville, Queensland, with the loss of all aboard. The wreck was not located and identified until the 1950s and 1960s, and it now lies largely intact on a sand bottom, roughly 100 metres long, in a spot with no other reef structure nearby, which concentrates marine life onto the hull itself. It sits down to around 30 metres, rated an advanced dive due to strong currents that are a recognised hazard here, along with an exposed offshore location, swell, and depth that can bring reduced visibility on a given day, though conditions are generally good. Barracuda, sea turtles, and trevally are regularly seen on the hull, and divers have also reported bull sharks, eagle rays, marble rays, grouper, sweetlips, Napoleon wrasse, reef sharks, and even migrating whales passing through. Boat access from Townsville is required to reach the site, and its isolation from any other structure is part of what draws such a concentration of life to the wreck.

Confirmed by our research team, reported by independent divers, or observed nearby via iNaturalist — each entry is labelled with its source.

• Sea turtleSea turtleConfirmed present · 2 independent sources
• Marble rayMarble rayReported here · unconfirmed
• Reef sharkReef sharkReported here · unconfirmed
• SweetlipsSweetlipsReported here · unconfirmed
• Napoleon (humphead) wrasseNapoleon (humphead) wrasseReported here · unconfirmed
• Bull SharkCarcharhinus leucasReported here · unconfirmed
• BarracudaBarracudaConfirmed present · 2 independent sources
• TrevallyTrevallyConfirmed present · 2 independent sources
• Eagle rayEagle rayReported here · unconfirmed
• WhaleWhaleReported here · unconfirmed
• GrouperGrouperReported here · unconfirmed