The Hereward was a three-masted, full-rigged iron clipper of about 1,513 tons, one of the handsome British sailing ships that carried cargo between Britain and Australia in the last decades of commercial sail. In early May 1898, sailing in ballast up the NSW coast, she was caught by a powerful gale that shredded her sails and drove her ashore on Maroubra Beach on 5 May. All 25 crew were brought safely ashore.

The ship sat on the beach for months – a popular sight for Sydney sightseers – while salvors tried and failed to refloat her, and later in 1898 the waves broke her in two. Her remains have stayed in the Maroubra surf ever since, about 50 m from the shoreline in roughly 3 m depending on the tide. Most of the time the wreck is buried under sand, but after powerful storms the sand is stripped away; in November 2025 a very large section of the hull was exposed, the most visible it had been in more than a decade, along with fragments of the masts.

The Hereward is protected under Commonwealth heritage legislation, with heavy penalties for removing any part of it. It is not a scuba site in any normal sense: it lies in an active surf break with rips and rocks nearby, and lifeguards restrict access to experienced snorkellers. For divers the interest is historical – it is the most accessible relic of Sydney's age of sail, and it sits within walking distance of the Tekapo and Belbowrie wreck sites at South Maroubra.

Viewing it from the beach or the headland when it is exposed is the safest option. It suits strong, experienced ocean swimmers and snorkellers on rare flat days only.

Drive to Maroubra Beach via Marine Parade and park in the beachfront car parks off Marine Parade or Fitzgerald Avenue (large, free, busy in summer). The remains lie roughly 50 m from the shoreline towards the central–southern part of the beach, inside the surf break; when sand has been scoured away a large section of hull and fragments of the masts are visible at low tide. Access is by swimming or snorkelling out from the beach.

Check with the lifeguards first – they restrict access to experienced snorkellers because of the surf and rip currents, and several people have been knocked down by waves trying to reach it.

The wreck sits in the Maroubra surf break, one of Sydney's most consistent surf beaches, open to swell from the north-east through the south-east. Even small swell produces breaking waves and rips over the remains, so it is only approachable on very flat days, and visibility in the sandy shallows is usually poor. Exposure depends on sand movement: big storms (as in late 2025) strip sand and reveal the hull, while calm periods rebury it for years.

Swim only between flags when patrolled and with lifeguard approval.

Not a scuba dive. On a flat day, snorkel out from the beach to the exposed hull section, look from the surface, and return well before any sets arrive. Do not climb on or touch the ironwork.

No operator – visited by experienced snorkellers when the sand scours away; not a scuba site.