Yongala

The SS Yongala is a historic passenger and cargo wreck lying approximately 83 km (45 NM) south of Townsville, off Cape Bowling Green, Queensland. The former pride of the Adelaide Steam Ship Company, she sank during a cyclone on 23 March 1911 with the loss of all passengers and crew. The wreck is heritage listed and measures 109 metres in length, resting on its starboard side with a maximum depth of around 29.5 m and a shallowest point of approximately 27 m at the hull.

The wreck is an exposed, open-water site with no shelter, making conditions highly variable. Strong currents are common, and visibility can be reduced depending on conditions. Diving is best timed around slack water at the top or bottom of the tidal cycle. The site is weather-dependent, and the season generally runs from March to November, with May and September noted as particular reference points.

Marine life on the Yongala is prolific. The wreck attracts large schools of fish, rays, sea turtles, barracuda, trevally, eagle rays, sea snakes, reef sharks, giant groupers, giant marble rays, mangrove jack, and corals, with whales also recorded at the site.