Mooloolaba
TownsvilleDIVING THE WRECK OF THE EX-HMAS BRISBANE
The HMAS Brisbane was one of three Perth Class guided missile destroyers which served in the RAN. The 5,000 tonne HMAS Brisbane saw active service from 1967 until 2001 including Vietnam and the Middle East. The decommissioned ex-HMAS Brisbane was sunk as a dive wreck in 2005, and sits upright in 28 m of water approximately 3 nautical miles off Mooloolaba, on the Sunshine Coast.
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The bow of the Brisbane |
A guitar shark lying nearby |
Soft coral whips inside |
The dive boat departed from the marina at Mooloolaba with about a dozen divers, however only three of us were SCUBA divers, the rest being free divers. It was a short 20 min trip out to the dive site.
We did two dives, the first covering the wreck from stern to bow, the second penetrating inside.
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The resident octopus |
Upper infrastructure |
Engine room |
At 133m long the wreck is quite impressive, with 5 inch guns forward and rear, the missile launcher is removed, and all that remains is a big empty chamber.
Fish life was pretty good, both outside and inside, big and small, including a guitar shark, and a resident octopus and turtle.
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The forward 5 inch gun |
Juvenile fish schooling inside |
The resident turtle |
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Model of the ship at the Sunreef shop |
I dived with www.sunreef.com.au located at the marina at Mooloolaba,
I hired all the gear, and was a bit cold with the wetsuit supplied and water temperature of 18 degrees. But it was one of the coolest months of the year.
Snacks and drinks were provided between dives.
There was no shower to wash off on return to shore
Andrew
August 2021