The ex-HMAS Brisbane is one of Australia's best-known wreck dives. Commissioned in 1967, the Charles F. Adams-class guided-missile destroyer served the Royal Australian Navy for 34 years, including in the Vietnam War and the 1991 Gulf War. After decommissioning she was prepared as a dive site – with around 30 access holes cut through her hull and decks and three points of natural light inside – and scuttled on 31 July 2005 about 2.9 nm east of Mudjimba Island. She sank in 2 minutes 10 seconds and landed upright on sand in 27-28 m.

The layout is classic warship. The forward decks lie at about 15 m and the stern at 18 m, with the bridge, masts and funnels rising towards the surface – the top of the funnel is only about 3 m down. QPWS describes a ship eight storeys tall and 133 m long, with the forward engine room, boiler room, gun mount and crew quarters prepared for penetration. The wreck is protected within the Ex-HMAS Brisbane Conservation Park, managed by Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service.

In March 2025 ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred reshaped her. A whole section below the forward funnel detached and now rests upright on the sand beside the port side, creating a gutter that Divernet describes as an instant fish sanctuary. The site was closed while rangers secured the loose structure; operators have since resumed guided dives on an external-only basis, pending a full internal inspection before penetration is allowed again. QPWS currently lists the public mooring and public access as closed (30 June 2026 to 31 January 2027), so check status before planning a private visit.

More than 1000 marine species and over 350 fish species have been recorded. Divers see kingfish schools, Queensland gropers, bull and eagle rays, wedgefish, turtles, lionfish, anglerfish, octopus, nudibranchs, leopard sharks in summer and grey nurse sharks in winter, with humpback whales passing overhead. The external dive suits Open Water divers; the deeper hull suits Advanced divers.

Mooloolaba's dive boats leave from The Wharf on the Mooloolah River (Parkyn Parade, Mooloolaba), about 1.5 hours' drive north of Brisbane via the Bruce Highway and Sunshine Motorway. Scuba World's shop is about 40 m from its boat, with 100+ free all-day parking spaces nearby; Sunreef departs from the same precinct. Boats run down the calm river, cross the Mooloolah River mouth beside Point Cartwright and head north-east to the reefs – about 15 minutes to the Inner Gneerings and Mudjimba Island.

Private boats can launch at the Mooloolaba (Parkyn Parade/Lions Park) ramps. The wreck lies about 2.9 nm east of Mudjimba Island: Sunreef quotes about 15 minutes from the river mouth and Scuba World about 30 minutes from its shop. Entry to the conservation park requires a QPWS permit: dive with a licensed operator (Scuba World or Sunreef), or book a private-diver or club permit in 3-hour timeslots.

Boats must use the conservation-park moorings – anchoring is not permitted. Note that QPWS lists the public mooring as closed and public access closed from 30 June 2026 to 31 January 2027 following cyclone damage; confirm current access with an operator.

The Mooloolaba reefs are open-ocean sites with no shelter from the south-east trade winds or easterly swell. Operators generally cancel when winds exceed about 20 knots or swell makes the river-mouth crossing and moorings unsafe; they confirm trips by email and text around 3.30 pm the day before. Northerly winds (common on summer afternoons) also make the reefs choppy, so morning trips are more reliable.

Visibility averages about 12 m offshore (range 3-30 m) and is clearest after southerly winds and in winter; it drops after easterly blows and heavy rain. Winter (June-October) brings 19-21°C water, grey nurse sharks and humpback whales; summer (November-May) brings 25-27°C water, leopard sharks and lower visibility. The wreck's superstructure rises to within about 3 m of the surface, so surge is felt on the funnel and bridge in any swell; the decks at 15-18 m are calmer.

Current operations are external only. Descend a mooring line to the superstructure, drop to the forward deck at about 15 m and tour the bow and forward gun mount, then look at the displaced forward superstructure now lying upright on the sand off the port side, which has formed a gutter full of fish. Return aft along the upper decks past the funnels to the stern at about 18 m, then come back up the superstructure.

Safety stop on the mooring line or around the funnel tops. Divers qualified to the sand (Advanced) can explore down to the keel at 27-28 m.

QPWS certification guide: upper/outer decks – Open Water; outside to the sand – Advanced Open Water; upper penetration – wreck certification; lower penetration – advanced experience/wreck certification (all penetration suspended at present). Minimum recommended 10 logged open-water dives. Nitrox useful for the 18-28 m sections.

Scuba World Mooloolaba – double-dive half-day trips (guaranteed Saturday and Sunday departures, weather permitting), Open Water minimum with prior boat-dive experience, currently outside only; Sunreef Mooloolaba – double dives, currently external only. Both are the QPWS-licensed operators. Private and club divers need QPWS permits.