For millennia, people navigated and traded across the northern coast of Australia and the Great Barrier Reef. When early European seafarers came face-to-face with the world’s largest coral reef system, it was not the beauty they saw, but a nearly unnavigable structure that could sink their ships.
Throughout the past 230 years, over 900 vessels met their end on the reef – but only 114 have been found.
Our shipwrecks are protected by law, ensuring they will be around for years to come. We can never replace these sites – once gone they are lost forever.
Shipwrecks are incredible heritage resources. Often thought of as time-capsules, each wreck preserves information about life at that time.
Archaeologists can reveal information about the ship, how it wrecked, who was onboard and what they were carrying. We can learn about immigration, war, trade and exploration throughout Queensland as well as around the world.