The Ellengowan is the oldest known shipwreck in Darwin Harbour and has an unusual history for a small steamer. She was built as the Nokken by Akers Mekaniske Verksted in Christiania (Oslo), Norway, in 1866. The London Missionary Society bought her in 1874 and renamed her after the estate of her benefactor, Miss Baxter; under the Reverend Samuel Macfarlane she supported missionary work in New Guinea and became the first European vessel to steam up the Fly and Baxter rivers. In 1881 she was sold to the Palmerston Plantation Company in the Northern Territory. She struck a sandbar in the Daly River and sank, was refloated in 1885, but was so poorly repaired that she was unseaworthy, and on the night of 27 April 1888 she sank, unmanned, at her mooring off Channel Island.

The wreck, 79 ft (24 m) long and 58 gross tons, lies in about 14 m and stands about 3 m off the harbour floor. It was found in 1991 by local divers Rob Williamson, Phil Franklin, Peter Watkins and Greg Freeman and verified by NT archaeologists in 1994. She lists to starboard and is half buried in mud amidships, with the boiler still prominent and surrounded by hull plating and debris. It is a modest site visually but a significant one historically, linking Darwin to the missionary and plantation eras of the 1870s-80s. It suits divers interested in maritime archaeology who can manage the murky southern-harbour water. Because the southern arms are far from the usual charter routes, it is normally visited only on DSAC outings, and it is worth combining with a look at the Channel Island area's mangrove-lined shoreline from the boat. Treat the wreck gently - iron plating that has survived since 1888 is fragile.

Boat only. The wreck lies between Wickham Point and Channel Island in the harbour's southern arms. The closest launch is the Channel Island boat ramp (off Channel Island Road past the power station, about 45 minutes' drive from the CBD); the East Arm ramp is the alternative.

From Cullen Bay allow 40 minutes or more down the harbour. The Wickham Point LNG plant and its shipping channel are nearby - keep clear of exclusion zones. Mark with GPS and shot; dive the neap high-water slack.

Tide is everything in Darwin Harbour: the spring range is 7-8 m and tidal streams run hard through the harbour, so diving is generally only possible on neap tides (range under about 3-4 m), timed to the slack at high water when clearer ocean water sits over the site. Spring tides bring strong currents and silt-laden water with near-zero visibility. The dry season (May-October) gives the most consistent conditions; the south-east trade winds can chop up exposed water in the afternoon, so mornings are best.

In the wet season (November-April) run-off from the rivers and creeks drops visibility, afternoon storms build quickly, and the harbour is in cyclone season; box jellyfish are present October-May.

Descend the shot to the boiler, the most prominent feature, then circle the wreck at 12-14 m, following the hull plating that lists to starboard and the debris around the half-buried midships. Keep off the bottom to avoid stirring the mud; return to the shot.

No regular operator; an occasional Darwin Sub Aqua Club dive (the wreck was found by club divers in 1991).