Melbourne (Williamstown) tides
Port Phillip fishing spots
Western Port fishing spots
VIC fishing regulations
VIC marine parks
Victorian stocked fishing spots
There are many locations in Port Phillip Bay that are of interest to fisherman and/or divers.
Not all wreck locations can be fished, some are historic sites and anchoring is not allowed, and some are located in shipping channels, which also means no anchoring …
1. South Channel navigation markers – these are covered in marine growth and often have nearby fish.
2. SS Wauchope wreck at approx 19.700S 144 44.680E This was a steamer 38.7m long. The ship caught fire and sank. The wreck remains are home to fish, stingrays and more. The boiler is the main feature.
3. Portsea Pier reef – this rocky reef is west of the pier and holds fish.
4. Portsea Hole, 13-28m deep at 38 18.684S 144 42.651E – an old submerged part of the Yarra River, with rock walls and ledges. Wrasse, morwong, cuttlefish, leatherjackets, boarfish, squid and flathead. A wreck exists in 25m of water on the east side of the hole on sand, located towards the pier.
5. Hurricane wreck, 12m deep at approx 38 20.455S 144 52.308E. The 1198 ton iron vessel was 70m long. In 1869 it hit Corsair Rock at the Heads and sank off Rosebud. Not much left but enough to hold fish.
6. Ranelagh Beach/Cahill’s Reef starts with shallow shoreline rocks. In the deeper water Cahill’s Reef is marked with a beacon. It holds mixed fish.
7. Carrum Artificial Reef is the first known Australian artificial reef, built in 1965. It includes the SS Uralba wreck at 18m deep at 38 04.630S 145 02.342E. The original reef of 350 concrete pipes was sunk 8km off Carrum over four hectares. The pipes sank into the silt. A concrete vessel was added in 1967 and in 1971 the 52m timber hulk of the Uralba was filled with ballast and sunk. The remnants have fish.
8. Dozens of aircraft lie in the bay, many still unfound. Those known include two Firefly WWII aircraft wrecks at 20m deep, at approx 38 06.091S 145 00.627E 38.06.004S 145 00.714E 38.05.980S 145 00.692E. They crashed during training in 1947 and lie near Carrum Artificial Reef. Divers found the wrecks in 2007 and they are now official war graves. There are two Supermarine Seafires in the bay, having been damaged and dumped overboard.
9. Mordialloc Tyre Reef, 10m deep at approx 38 03.088S 145 04.568E In 1973, three tyre reefs were installed over sand, being about 1000 tyres each, tied in bundles of eight, sunk along with rock, concrete and steel. Only the reef off Chelsea is still intact. Fish include boarfish, snapper, ling, red mullet, leatherjackets, pike, flathead and more.
10. Sandringham Sub J-7 – this was scuttled as a breakwater and forms part of a marina. The hull shows at low tide. The rock wall also has the wreck of a 44m dredge Francis Henty. This lies near the wall’s north-west end in 4m of water.
11. The Ozone and Dominion, 3m deep at The Indented Head on Bellarine Peninsula Drive goes to a beach where the wreck of the paddle steamer Ozone can be seen at low water about 50m from shore. In 1925 it was sunk as a breakwater, now being just a debris field. Just 20m to the north is the Dominion, also sunk as a breakwater.
12. Swan Island Submarine J3, at 6m deep. This was one of six ex-RAN subs scuttled in the area. The J3 was scuttled as a breakwater in shallow water.
13. Eliza Ramsden wreck, 12-21m deep, 38 17.632S 144 40.445E. The 45m iron barque struck Corsair Rock before floating down South Channel and sinking. It was a hazard so was blasted. The bow rises within 14m of the surface over sandy and rock. There are kingfish, boarfish, cuttlefish, leatherjackets, wrasse, flathead and more.
14. Ramsden Reef, 20-30m deep. The wreck of the Eliza Ramsden is surrounded by rocky reef with leatherjackets, sweep, trumpeter, snapper, trevally and more.
15. HMAS Goorangai wreck, 16m deep, at approx 38 17.300S 144 41.130E, is a war grave. The ship sunk in a collision, with 24 sailors lost. The site lies in the South Channel on sand. The wreckage is scattered. The area has strong currents, with kingfish in the vicinity.
