Michael McFadyen's Scuba Diving Web Site
Home · Contact Me · Sydney Reef Dive Sites · Sydney Shipwrecks · NSW Dive Sites · Australian Dive Sites · Overseas Dive Sites · Dive Accidents and Incidents · My Yachting Adventures · 4WD Trips · Weather · Search 12 December 2024 18:20
Navigation
Home

General
About Me
My Diving
FAQ
Downloads
Web Links - Dive Clubs
St George Scuba Club
Some of my Best Photos
Contact Me

Dive Sites
Sydney Reef Dive Sites
Sydney Shipwrecks
Sydney Dive Visibility, Swell and Temps
Kelly Talking on ABC Sydney about Shipwrecks
NSW Dive Sites
Sydney Shipwreck Summary
NSW Shipwreck GPS/Marks
Australian Dive Sites
Overseas Dive Sites
Aircraft I have Dived
Old Bottles
Free Shipwreck Books

Dive Related Equipment
Shearwater Predator and Heinrichs Weikamp OSTC 2N
Uwatec Aladin Dive Computers
Apollo AV1 Underwater Scooter
Bauer Compressor
DIY Oxygen Stick - Nitrox
GoPro HD Hero Video Camera
My Camera Setup
Purchase of New Dive Boat
My Dive Boat - Mak Cat
My Old Dive Boat - Le Scat
My Dive Gear
GPS and Diving
Make Your Own Car Tank Rack

Marine Life
Rarer Sydney Marine Life
Bare Island Pygmy Pipe Horses
Bare Island Sea Horses
Bare Island Nudibranchs
Bare Island Marine Life
Encounter with Southern Right Whale and Calf

Other Dive Info
How Weather Affects Diving in Sydney
Visibility and Wave Averages in Sydney
Waves and Diving
Diving Weather and Sea Conditions
Tide Tables
Dive Accidents and Incidents
Dive Book Reviews
Site Map
Noel Hitchins 1951-2005
Lloyd Bridges - Mike Nelson in Sea Hunt
My Yachting Adventures
Below is a list of links to the main pages about my yacht, Catlypso and My Yachting Adventures:
  • Purchase of Catlypso
  • Details about Catlypso
  • Cleaning/Repairing Catlypso
  • My Yachting Adventures.
  • Login
    Username

    Password



    Forgotten your password?
    Request a new one here.
    Michael's 4WD Trips
    Click here for a list of my Four Wheel Drive and Camping Trips.
    Home Brewing
    Click here for an article about Home Brewing.
    Sydney Dive Site Hints
    "Shelly Beach has dusky (black) whaler sharks"
    TSS Wandra
    Michael McFadyen's Scuba Diving - TSS Wandra
    TSS Wandra
    A painting of the Wandra
    Although the TSS Wandra is an extremely small wreck, it is one of the most enjoyable wreck dives in NSW as it is shallow, allowing a long time to explore. However, its location makes it a little harder to access as it is a fair way from calm waters. More about this later.

    The Wandra was a wooden coastal cargo ship constructed by Denis Sullivan at Coopernook in the Taree area of NSW. The keel was laid in September 1906 and its hull was built from locally obtained timber. The keel and keelsons were ironbark, the planking blackbutt and flooded gum and the frames hardwood. The deck was Oregon. It was launched on 1 June 1907 and incorrectly christened as the Wandy but correctly registered as theWandra.

    The new ship was owned by Allen Taylor and Company, which started business in 1893 carrying timber from the North Coast to Sydney (the company was still operating in June 1984, but not with ships). The Wandra was 36 metres long, with a beam of just over 8 metres and displaced 164 tons. The small vessel had twin compound engines (20 and 10 inch diameter cylinders) which were powered from a single boiler. The engines were fitted by Messrs. Begg and Greig of Sydney after it was towed to Sydney by the tug Alice owned by J and A Brown. A speed of 9 knots was envisaged. It also had two masts and accommodation for the crew of 12.

    TSS Wandra
    A photograph of the TSS Wandy being launched on 1 June 1907
    Photo courtesy of Chris Borough

    In August 1907 the TSS Wandra took up service on the "Cape Hawke" trade. It seems to have replaced the SS Tuncurry as the Manning River Bar was now too shallow for the Tuncurry.

    On 4 February 1913 the Wandra was coming down the Manning River when it hit bottom and damaged the starboard propellers, losing two blades. On 28 July 1913 the vessel was involved in the rescue of the dismasted schoonerTramp five miles south of Crowdy Head. She took her in tow and as there was a large sea at the Manning River bar, the tug John Gollan went out and took over the tow from the Wandra. She towed her inside, the tug and the dismasted vessel entering the river at 3:55 pm.

    On 25 February 1915 she damaged two blades of her propellers in the Bellenger River while exiting the river for Port Stephens and Newcastle.

    On 15 December 1915 at 2pm, the TSS Wandra left Moruya Heads with a cargo of timber for Sydney. She passed the Point Perpendicular Lighthouse (at the entrance to Jervis Bay) at 9.20pm with a moderate south-easterly winds and sea. One mile off Crocodile Head (a few kilometres to the north of the light), a wave came over the bow and then another. The hull's timbers came apart under the pressure of the waves and water flowed in and she listed to port (why do most ships in NSW list to port before sinking?).

    The ship's pumps were started but made no difference. The Wandra was out of real control but Captain Reuben Lucey managed to steer her further along the coast and into the relative safety of The Drum and Drumsticks where the anchor was dropped.

    TSS WandraSouth-eastern Mark
    The Drum and Drumsticks
    The Wandra is north-west of the
    white water on the left of the island
    South-eastern Mark

    The crew lowered one of the lifeboats and climbed aboard. As Captain Lucey entered the lifeboat, the Wandra sank. As they left the scene, the masts of the ship were sticking out of the water even though it was on the bottom. The 12 survivors (everyone on board) rowed to shore (probably a small protected inlet to the west-north-west) and then walked to Point Perpendicular where they arrived at 1.30am. The crew arrived in Nowra at 12:30 pm, having walked and ridden in a cart drawn by a horse.

    On Friday 14 January 1916, Mr F R Strange advised in the Sydney Morning Herald that he "was selling by public auction at 28 Market Street, Sydney, at 11:30 am, the wreck of the steamer Wandra as she now lies at The Drumsticks, near Jervis Bay Heads, including a cargo of hardwood, consisting of hardwood sleepers". I do not know if he ended up finding a buyer.

    The wreck of the TSS Wandra was discovered by John Harrington and Paul Jones in 1973 while searching for aquarium fish near the Drums and Drumstick.

    The wreck of the Wandra does not cover a large area, but it makes up for it in quality. The remains lie at 26 metres on a sand bottom straight next to the rocky reef at GPS Reading of 35° 02' 47.8"S 150° 50' 16.8"E (using datum AUS66 - see my GPS Page for more details). Run in on the mark above right till the reef appears. Anchor on the reef, you will only be a few metres from the wreck. See GPS and Marks Page for more details.

    TSS Wandra
    A diagram of the TSS Wandra by John Riley
    John Riley Memorial Collection, Heritage Branch, OEH

    A description of the wreck is as follows. From the south there is a small winch and to the east about five metres away is a bollard and another unknown item. These have kelp growing on the top. Some anchor chain can sometimes be seen above the sand but this can change as the sand moves about a fair bit.

    There are some ribs of the hull or similar sticking out of the sand near here as well. About 10 metres north there is a large winch and 15 metres further north again there is the boiler, right up against the reef. This is quite large and worth examining. It has many things living in the pipes, including moasic eels and conger eels. You will probably be anchored near the boiler, so this is most likely where you start and end the dive.

    TSS Wandra propsTSS Wandra engines
    Kelly McFadyen and the props
    Note engines in background
    Kelly McFadyen and the engines of the Wandra

    Right next to the boiler are the engines. These twin cylinder engines sit upright, with the smaller cylinder facing the bow (south). They are tiny compared to most shipwreck engines you will ever see. I even think that they look "cute". A prop shaft runs from each engine to the north, with small propellers at the ends. These are mostly clear of the sand, but again, can sometimes be buried.

    In front of the props are a small winch as well as a circular loop thing (I have no idea what this might be).

    TSS Wandra engines and boilerTSS Wandra engines and boiler
    The engines and boiler of the WandraAnother shot of the engines and boiler of the Wandra
    TSS Wandra engines and boilerTSS Wandra engines and boiler
    One of the enginesAnother shot of the boiler of the Wandra

    In between the prop shafts there are lots of things to see, including some timber pieces that were probably part of the hull and decking. You can also see the bolts that held her together. After big seas, you can see some of the timber cargo lying on the sand. The ship's telegraph was found by a local Jervis Bay diver and is now in his lounge room. It was buried under the sand.

    The remaining cargo is rotting away, victim of time and marine animals.

    An excellent dive, usually with calm seas and good visibility.

    References:

  • Shipwrecks, Storms and Seamen by Max Gleeson
  • Scuba Action - Riley's Wrecks - article by John Riley, date unknown
  • Scuba Action - list of top NSW wrecks by John Riley, Sept/Oct 1986
  • Sydney Morning Herald 17 December 1915 and 14 January 1916
  • North Coast Run
  • Jervis Bay by Tom Byron
  • Lloyds Register 1910-11, 1913-14
  • Skindiving in Australia and the South Pacific Volume 14 No 3 June 1984
  • The Manning River Times and Advocate for the Northern Coast Districts of New South Wales - Wed 5 Jun 1907
  • The Manning River Times and Advocate for the Northern Coast Districts of New South Wales - Wed 19 Jun 1907
  • The Manning River Times and Advocate for the Northern Coast Districts of New South Wales - Sat 31 Aug 1907
  • The Sun - Wed 5 Feb 1913
  • The Sydney Morning Herald - Thu 26 Feb 1914
  • The Manning River Times and Advocate for the Northern Coast Districts of New South Wales - Sat 2 Aug 1913
  • Emails from Chris Borough dated 27 March 2023
  • Copyright © Michael McFadyen 1990 to 2024
    Non-commercial use of an article or photograph is permitted with appropriate URL reference to this site.
    Dive shops, dive operators, publications and government departments cannot use anything without first seeking and receiving approval from Michael McFadyen.
    This web site has been wholly thought up, designed, constructed and funded for almost 30 years by Michael McFadyen without any help from the Australian Dive Industry.
    Website created 1996!