The Blencathra, an iron barque of about 930 tons, was bound from Glasgow to Sydney with general merchandise, mostly whisky, when she was wrecked in January 1875. The Marine Life Network guide records that she mistook the Cape Wickham light for Victoria's Cape Otway and struck near the site of the Currie lighthouse, 50 m from shore. Salvors recovered much of the cargo.

The guide rates the wreck 6 out of 10: heavily broken up over an area of about 80 x 20 m in 4-5 m, with sections of steel plate and mast, the capstan, steering gear and ballast bricks recognisable, and pottery, china and clay pipes common among the rubble. Another summary notes that no recognisable ship structure remains on the shallow rocky seabed. Local divers shore-dive it, but visitors need directions.

King Island has more recorded shipwrecks than anywhere else in Australia - King Island Tourism puts the figure at over sixty - because ships running for Bass Strait on the 'clipper route' from Europe had to thread the gap between the island and Cape Otway, often in fog and gales with uncertain navigation. Most wrecks lie in shallow water on exposed reefs and have been broken up by more than a century of westerly swell, so diving them is about history and scattered remains rather than intact hulls.

All wrecks over 75 years old are protected under Commonwealth and Tasmanian heritage law: look but do not touch, and report any new finds to the Parks and Wildlife Service maritime archaeologist. With no chamber on the island, a diving injury means aeromedical evacuation to Melbourne or Hobart, so dive conservatively and carry oxygen.

King Island is reached by air from Melbourne (about 50 minutes), Burnie/Wynyard or Launceston; there is no passenger ferry, so divers fly in and hire a vehicle at the airport near Currie. Currie, the main town, is on the west coast; Grassy (with its harbour and boat ramp) is on the south-east coast about 30 minutes' drive away. Roads to the coast are a mix of sealed and gravel.

The wreck lies near the Currie lighthouse, beside Currie Harbour. Locals shore-dive it, but it is hard to find without specific directions; a boat launched at Currie Harbour reaches it in a few minutes.

King Island sits in the path of the Roaring Forties, and its west coast (Currie, Netherby, Cataraqui, Brahmin) takes the full force of the prevailing westerly and south-westerly swell; these sites are diveable only after long calm periods or in easterly weather, which is most common in late summer. The east coast around Grassy is sheltered in westerlies and becomes the fallback. Strong tidal streams run around the island's capes after gales.

Divable after long calm periods; a stirred-up bottom takes days to clear.

Locate the debris field and work across its 80 m length, identifying steel plates, mast sections, the capstan, steering gear and ballast bricks. Turn the dive at half gas (thirds where current or overhead sections are involved), deploy an SMB before surfacing for the live-boat pick-up, and complete a 3-minute safety stop at about 5 m where depth allows.

No dive shop or charter currently listed on King Island (Underwater Australasia has no listings); the King Island Dive Charters/Dive Centre referred to in older guides no longer appears to trade. Visitors must bring their own gear and arrange cylinders and a boat locally (hire weights/tanks on the island where possible to reduce air freight). Verify any current operator before travelling.