Tangalooma Wrecks

It’s not often that you will get a chance to see ship wrecks up close. They are usually found in deeper waters and unless you are scuba diving, you won’t get anywhere near them. However, you can swim among some wrecked ships off the coast of eastern Australia near Brisbane. So if you’ve never heard of the Tangalooma Wrecks then read on.

The Tangalooma Wrecks are located off Moreton Island which is just off the coast of Queensland. There are many tours and ferries going to Moreton Island from Brisbane and many of them include the Tangalooma Wrecks in their site seeing itinerary.

Moreton Island itself is actually a huge sand island and you will find large sand dunes on it. Its also a protected site and hosts a large variety of marine life around it which includes dolphins, whales, sea turtles and dugongs. You can get to see some of these wildlife during your tour to Moreton Island.

Why are there ship wrecks here, you may ask. They were intentionally sunk here to create an artificial break wall as a safe anchorage for small boats. Created in the 1960’s and 1970’s, 15 ships were sunk into a sand bank forming a calm space of water behind them. Over time, the wrecks have been colonized by corals forming an artificial coral reef and hosting marine life.