Maritime heritage

With a rugged, reef lined coast, violent storms and the powerful winds of the Roaring Forties’, about 1,000 vessels have been lost in Tasmanian waters. 

These include some of Australian’s most significant historic wrecks including the: 

• Sydney Cove, wrecked in Bass Strait in 1797, and 
• Neva, George III and Cataraqui that were wrecked in colonial times with the loss of hundreds of lives.

Only about nine per cent of Tasmania’s shipwreck sites are known.  

As part of Australia’s maritime heritage, these sites are managed by PWS.

Shipwrecks and other underwater cultural heritage sites such as downed aircraft, are protected under: 

• the Commonwealth's Underwater Cultural Heritage Act 2018 and 
• Tasmania’s Historic Cultural Heritage Act 1995.

You are welcome to visit shipwrecks but do not collect artefacts, disturb or damage the sites.    

Please contact us to: 

• report sites 
• get permits, advice or information.

More i​​nformation

All known Australian shipwrecks are listed in Australasian Underwater Cultural Heritage Database.