Small fish school around the slowly corroding mast of the Yongala.

By providing complex habitats and diverting nutrient-rich cold water up from the sea floor, artificial reefs quickly become encrusted with life.

Moses perch swim near the wreck, which is encrusted with corals and an adundance of life.

The Yongala is recognised as one of the top diving experiences in the world.

The wreck is home to more than 1000 species of fish, coral and invertebrates.

A turrum, standing out against the prow of the ship, is alone amid a vast school of smaller fish.

The exact location of the remains of SS Yongala remained a mystery for nearly half a century.

An olive sea snake is one of three sea snakes found on the wreck.

A number of species of parrotfish are found on the wreck. All are born female, but some change sex becoming male in later life.

The wreck is exposed to strong currents that operate as if they are planktonic highways, transporting a supply of minuscule plant and animal life past the wreck.

Blotched fantail rays can grow to more than 3m in length.

Feather stars, mushroom corals, lace corals, tree fern corals and anemones of many kinds, are just some of the species attached to the wreck.

The wreck is found submerged, and on an angle, 15-30m down on the seafloor. It makes for a challenging and fascinating dive experience.

Batfish shelter from the current.

Growth of the Yongala’s invertebrate life is catalysed by the iron released by corrosion. But the dense covering of life also slows the process, because it partially seals the ship’s metal from direct contact with seawater.