The Mandorah Queen was a 22 m steel-and-aluminium ferry on the harbour crossing to Mandorah. Cyclone Tracy crossed Darwin in the early hours of 25 December 1974 with gusts estimated at over 200 km/h, destroying most of the city and killing 66 people, many of them at sea. More than 20 vessels sank or were driven ashore in and around the harbour, and several of those wrecks now form a second, much more intact wreck trail beside the 1942 sites. During the storm she dragged her anchors and sank with three crew aboard, one of the harbour's saddest losses that night.

The wreck lies in 18-21 m and is almost buried in soft, shifting sand. It appears to be sitting upright, but so little is exposed that it is difficult to tell, and DSAC notes that each visit shows less of her as the sand builds up. It is also hard to locate and to anchor on. The reason to persist is the fish: large jewfish, greasy cod (groper), flathead, batfish, angelfish, butterflyfish, rock cod, coral trout and dense schools of baitfish gather around what structure remains. This is a site for experienced local divers and club outings rather than visitors, and a reminder of the people lost on the water during Tracy. Because the exposed structure changes from year to year, it is worth asking DSAC about recent visits before committing a neap window to it; on a good day it can be combined with the nearby NR Diemen as a shallower second dive on the Mandorah side of the harbour. Divers should treat it as a grave site and leave everything as found.

Boat only. Launch at Cullen Bay Marina or the Cullen Bay public ramp and cross the harbour west towards Mandorah on the Cox Peninsula, a run of around 15-20 minutes in calm conditions - the SeaLink ferry route from Cullen Bay to Mandorah jetty gives the line. Watch for the ferry on approach.

Mandorah can also be reached by road (about 130 km around via the Cox Peninsula Road), but the site itself still needs a boat. Plan to arrive for the neap high-water slack. The site is hard to find and to anchor on - an accurate GPS mark and a good sounder are essential.

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.

Drop a shot on the sounder mark at neap slack. The exposed structure is small, so stay within sight of the shot, circle the visible parts of the ferry and look for the resident large fish; return to the line after 20-30 minutes.

No regular operator; dived occasionally by Darwin Sub Aqua Club and on request with local operators.