Fawkner is the sister of the Batman: an iron steam hopper barge of 388 tons built by William Simons and Co at Renfrew and launched on 5 October 1883 for the Melbourne Harbour Trust, named like her sister for one of Melbourne's founders. She carried dredge spoil from the Yarra and Hobsons Bay channels for half a century, with two martial interludes – in 1885 she was armed with a breech-loading 6-inch 80-pounder and two Nordenfelt machine guns as a gunboat of the Victorian Navy and served as a torpedo-boat tender, and in 1914 she was pressed in as a non-commissioned minesweeper. She was scuttled on 20 May 1935, the day before the Batman.

The wreck lies in 44–46 m at the western end of the Graveyard. Unlike the Batman, whose midsection has gone, the Fawkner retains more of her hopper structure: the strongback – the heavy girder that spanned the open hopper – is clearly visible over the hold towards the bow, the boiler sits near the stern, and the propeller is still in place. Penetration is possible in some areas, though the spaces are small.

The bow is described as the colourful end, with dense sponge, zoanthid and ascidian growth and plenty of fish – bullseyes, butterfly perch, ling – and crayfish in the plating. Because the two sister barges lie within about a kilometre of each other, the Fawkner is usually dived as the second dive of a technical day on the Batman, or paired with the nearby Beverwijk 19. It is very much the same style of dive: a compact 48 m hull, top of structure around 41 m, sand at 46 m, all of it covered in a single 20-minute bottom time with 20-odd minutes of decompression.

It suits technical divers who want a second clean wreck to consolidate skills, and it is quieter and slightly more intact than its more famous sister.

Boat only. The western end of the Ships' Graveyard sits 8–12 km south of Barwon Heads and is normally reached from Queenscliff Harbour (Red Boats, Dive Victoria Group technical charters) – a 40–60 minute run out through The Rip and west along the Bellarine coast – or occasionally from the Barwon Heads river ramp in a small boat when the bar is flat. Drive Melbourne–Queenscliff via the Geelong Ring Road and Bellarine Highway (about 1 h 40 min).

Technical charters usually load at the harbour before dawn to get the wreck dived before the afternoon sea breeze. Private boats need a reliable sounder and the published GPS marks, as nothing shows on the surface.

Fully exposed Bass Strait. South-westerly swell is the killer: most charters will not run on a forecast over about 1.5 m, and anything from the south or west over 2 m makes the site undiveable and the passage through The Rip dangerous. Northerly and north-easterly winds flatten the sea; a calm morning after several settled days gives the best visibility (often 15–25 m in autumn and winter).

Surge is felt on the wreck in any swell over 1 m. Tidal streams outside The Heads are weaker than inside but still run; charters aim for slack water at Port Phillip Heads or a favourable tide for the transit. Winter westerlies close the site for weeks at a time.

The wreck sits in or near the shipping approach and pilot boarding ground, so a shot line, surface cover and a delayed SMB are mandatory.

Shot amidships. Head to the bow to see the strongback spanning the hopper and the colourful growth, then aft along the hull to the boiler near the stern and the propeller at 46 m. Limited penetration is possible in the stern for trained divers.

Back to the shot at 20 minutes and decompress on the line.

Technical (decompression) dive. Normoxic trimix (e.g. 21/35 or 18/45) recommended; 20 min bottom time gives roughly 25–40 min of decompression on EAN50 and oxygen. Air dives to this depth are strongly discouraged.

Drop a weighted shot on the wreck, use a delayed SMB from the wreck or a decompression trapeze under the boat; the site is in a shipping approach so free-drifting deco is discouraged.

Red Boats (Queenscliff) and Dive Victoria Group technical charters, several times a season, usually as the second dive of a Batman/Fawkner or Beverwijk day; otherwise private technical boats.