The SS Yongala was a luxury liner long of 110m, 13.8m at the beam and displaced 3664 tonnes on surface. She could carry up to 235 passengers (110 in first class and another 125 in second class). Her motorization was made of a triple expansion turbine linked to five boilers providing her with a power of 12.5kg/cm2 enabling her to reach an average speed of 16 knots.

Built at the shipyard of Shipbuilding & Engineering Co. Ltd at Newcastle in the UK, she is launched on the 29th of April 1903 at Low Walker, under the aborigines name of Yongala (pronounced Yonggluh) meaning a place of water. She left Southhampton on the 9th of October with one hundred passengers aboard heading for Australia. After two stops, one in Las Palmas and one in Cape Town, she finally reaches Freemantle on the 23rd of November. On the 6th of December, she starts her first commercial trip for the Adelaide Steamship Company and links Sydney to Freemantle. The gold production in the west of Australia growing rapidly enables a new link to be opened to Brisbane and the Yongala is the first ship to head for Queensland. Unfortunately during the winter months the link is not very popular and the Yongala will be assigned to the link Melbourne-Cairns.Her first trip is run in Mai 1907 and her commanding officer is the Captain Knight. The SS Yongala will run this link during three year and a half. On the 14th of March 1911, she leaves Melbourne heading for Cairns carrying aboard 72 passengers and only two passengers signed for the last leg of the trip. After a stop over in Brisbane, she reaches Flat-top Island on the morning of the 23rd of March. She unloads her freight and some passengers and heads at 13h40 for Townsville. The wind is already getting stronger and the sea is growing rapidly. The forecast announces cyclonic winds between Mackay and Townsville. On board, the 121 passengers will not see the sunrise next morning. The SS Yongala is last sighted from the Lighthouse of Dent Island at 18h30 as the passengers prepare to dine. Nobody is sur of what happened next, but probably the captain lost control of the ship due to extreme weather conditions, the propeller turning free out of the water between each wave making any maneuver virtually impossible. The ship would at some point found herself parallel the the waves and turned over by a larger one. She was scheduled to arrive at 8h00 next morning in Townsville.

The SS Yongala lies today on the seabed at 28m with a list of 55° on starboard in crystal clear water. The ship is in very bad condition, but remains beautiful due to extensive marine growth all over her. The dive is essentially about the marine life, you can encounter here large rays and eagle rays, huge groupers reside here, some measuring up to 3m. Marine biologist claim that the reef is superior here to most of the neighboring coral reefs.

There are no particular difficulties linked to the wreck, mild to no currents and no fishing nets. However, these waters host in season Jelly fish that can be a reel threat, so a full suit is required as protection. There is also a strict non-penetration policy on this wreck with heavy fines for trespassers. Nitrox 40 would be the gas of choice for this dive, giving us over 200 minutes without leaving the NDL.