Hannah Thompson

Wreck Dive | Boat access

Single-Masted Wooden Cutter | Max Depth: 8 m (26 ft)

Level: Open Water and beyond.

Hannah Thompson
© Unknown

The wooden cutter Hannah Thompson had a varied career as a coastal trader and was the first vessel to trade between Melbourne and Port Campbell. It was later used as a fishing vessel, and during this time it was blown ashore and wrecked in Oberon Bay on the western side of Wilsons Promontory.

The Hannah Thompson shipwreck lies in the Wilsons Promontory Marine National Park.

Diving the Hannah Thompson Shipwreck

The Hannah Thompson shipwreck lies in 5 to 8 metres of water 200 metres south of Oberon Point. The site is not suitable for diving when the wind blows from the north-west, west or south-west.

Ideal Conditions: The Hannah Thompson shipwreck is best dived with calm seas, no swell and no wind. Light offshore north-easterly to south-easterly winds may be acceptable. Avoid diving with moderate to strong onshore south-westerly to north-westerly winds. See WillyWeather (Oberon Point) as a guide for the tide times and the height of the tide.

Bass Strait Warning: Always keep an eye on sea conditions throughout any shore or boat dive in Bass Strait on Victoria's coastline. Please read the warnings on the web page diving-in-bass-strait before diving or snorkelling this site.

Hannah Thompson Shipwreck History — Built in 1872

The Hannah Thompson was built in 1872 as a single-masted wooden cutter of Units: unknown unit type given, by Willam White of Williamstown, Victoria. The vessel was built on the dimensions of 41.8 ft (13 m) in length, a breadth of 12.1 ft (3.69 m) and a draught of 5.2 ft (1.58 m).

In its early years, the Hannah Thompson was a regular trader on the Victorian west coast. It was involved in the salvage of the Newfield that went ashore near Peterborough in 1892. Just before the demise of the Hannah Thompson, it was being used in the fishing industry and only occasionally as a trader.

In 1891, the Hannah Thompson ran-aground in the bay at Port Campbel and had to be beached for a replacement keel. A massive piece of timber was cut from a tree over a mile inland and hauled to the shore for this purpose.

Hannah Thompson Sinking — Wrecked 27 July 1923

The Hannah Thompson left Port Welshpool in July 1923 for a fishing cruise to Oberon Bay, Wilsons Promontory under the command of A. Robertson.

In 1923 the Bronzewing went ashore in Oberon Bay and the Hannah Thompson was taken around to salvage it. The Hannah Thomson also went ashore on the 27 July 1923, and they were both total wrecks.

Heritage Warning: Any shipwreck or shipwreck relic that is 75 years or older is protected by legislation. Other items of maritime heritage 75 years or older are also protected by legislation. Activities such as digging for bottles, coins or other artefacts that involve the disturbance of archaeological sites may be in breach of the legislation, and penalties may apply. The legislation requires the mandatory reporting to Heritage Victoria as soon as practicable of any archaeological site that is identified. See Maritime heritage. Anyone with information about looting or stolen artefacts should call Heritage Victoria on (03) 7022 6390, or send an email to heritage.victoria@delwp.vic.gov.au.

Finding the Hannah Thompson Shipwreck

It's unlikely the GPS mark from the Australian National Shipwreck Database is accurate. The Hannah Thompson shipwreck is usually described as being 200 metres south of Oberon Point, whereas the mark we have has it south of Norman Point and north of Oberon Point. If anyone has an accurate mark, please let us know.

Wilsons Promontory Marine National Park

This site lies in Wilsons Promontory Marine National Park, Victoria's largest marine sanctuary. There is a huge diversity of marine life within the waters at the Prom. Brilliantly coloured fish are present such as the Red Velvetfish, Eastern Blue Groper and Wrasse as well as Leafy Seadragons and schools of Barber Perch. Intertidal molluscs such as limpets and snails, as well as anemones, brittlestars and seastars, are also common within the waters.

Divers will experience fascinating sponge gardens which consist of a techni-coloured assemblage of sponges, sea tulips, sea whips, lace corals and seafans. Octopus emerge at night whilst sharks and rays roam the sandy areas.

The offshore islands support many colonies of fur seals and oceanic birds such as Little Penguins, Fairy Prions, Silver Gulls and Pacific Gulls.

You are not permitted to carry a spear gun while snorkelling or scuba diving in Wilsons Promontory Marine National Park.

Boon Wurrung / Bunurong country

Traditional Owners — This dive site is in the traditional Country of the Boon Wurrung / Bunurong people of the Kulin Nation. This truly ancient Country includes parts of Port Phillip, from the Werribee River in the north-west, down to Wilson's Promontory in the south-east, including the Mornington Peninsula, French Island and Phillip Island, plus Western Port. We wish to acknowledge the Boon Wurrung as Traditional Owners. We pay respect to their Ancestors and their Elders, past, present and emerging. We acknowledge Bunjil the Creator Spirit of this beautiful land, who travels as an eagle, and Waarn, who protects the waterways and travels as a crow, and thank them for continuing to watch over this Country today and beyond.

Hannah Thompson Location Map

Latitude: 39° 3.900′ S (39.065° S / 39° 3′ 54″ S)
Longitude: 146° 19.200′ E (146.32° E / 146° 19′ 12″ E)
Datum: WGS84 | Google Map
Added: 2019-03-13 09:02:41 GMT, Last updated: 2022-04-27 08:55:53 GMT
Source: Australasian Underwater Cultural Heritage Database (approximate location only)
Nearest Neighbour: Norman Point, South, 1,348 m, bearing 9°, N
Single-Masted Wooden Cutter.
Built: 1872.
Sunk: 27 July 1923.
Oberon Bay.
Wilsons Promontory Marine National Park.
Depth: 5 to 8 m.

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DISCLAIMER: No claim is made by The Scuba Doctor as to the accuracy of the dive site coordinates listed here. Should anyone decide to use these GPS marks to locate and dive on a site, they do so entirely at their own risk. Always verify against other sources.

The marks come from numerous sources including commercial operators, independent dive clubs, reference works, and active divers. Some are known to be accurate, while others may not be. Some GPS marks may even have come from maps using the AGD66 datum, and thus may need be converted to the WGS84 datum. To distinguish between the possible accuracy of the dive site marks, we've tried to give each mark a source of GPS, Google Earth, or unknown.