Story: Snorkelling the Wreck in Coogee
Episode: 15
Presenter: Will Cochrane
Air Date: 31 May 2026

Will goes snorkelling in Coogee to explore the historical 120-year-old Omeo Shipwreck, which has become populated with vast sea life and colourful coral.

• The Omeo Shipwreck is located just offshore at Coogee Beach, south of Fremantle, and is one of Perth’s most accessible snorkelling shipwrecks.
• The Omeo was originally built in Newcastle, England, in 1858 as an iron steamship before later being converted into a sailing vessel.
• The vessel played a role in major Australian communication history by helping transport materials for the Bass Strait submarine telegraph cable and the Overland Telegraph line linking Australia to Britain.
• After decades of service carrying passengers and cargo between Australia and New Zealand, the ship broke free during a storm and ran aground at Coogee in 1905.
• The wreck now lies in shallow water around 25–40 metres from shore, making it popular with beginner snorkellers, swimmers and underwater photographers.
• The shipwreck is the centrepiece of the Coogee Maritime Trail, an underwater attraction featuring sculptures, artificial reefs and marine life habitats.
• The wreck has become an artificial reef ecosystem that attracts fish, octopus, stingrays and other marine species in Cockburn Sound’s clear waters.
• The Omeo is federally protected under Australia’s Underwater Cultural Heritage Act 2018, and visitors are encouraged to “look but don’t touch” to help preserve the historic structure and marine habitat.