The SS Speedwell (sometimes referenced as a barque or barquentine depending on the source) came to grief on Bull Reef, the shallow reef system between Bird Island and Norah Head, on 14 April 1884, a 350-ton vessel added to the long list of nineteenth-century sailing ships lost on this stretch of the NSW coast before the Norah Head Lighthouse was built to warn mariners away from exactly this kind of hazard. More than a century on, the wreck lies scattered and broken across the reef in a relatively shallow 8-14 m, making it accessible to divers without the demands of the area's genuinely deep colliers and steamers.Because the wreck sits directly on an active reef system rather than in isolation on sand, expect the remains to be integrated into the surrounding reef structure — timber long gone, but ballast stone, fittings and iron fastenings likely scattered among the rock and providing extra shelter for resident reef fish and lobster on top of what the reef itself already offers. This makes the Speedwell as much a reef dive with historical interest as a classic structured wreck dive, and it's typically combined with a look at the broader Bull Reef/Bird Island area rather than dived as a stand-alone destination.

Documentation of the site's current condition is thinner than for the area's better-known deep wrecks, so treat it as a site for divers happy to explore and piece together what remains rather than follow a well-mapped route. As with most of the pre-lighthouse era wrecks along this coast, the loss reflects how genuinely dangerous unlit, poorly charted reefs like Bull Reef were to nineteenth-century coastal shipping, and the site rewards divers with an interest in that history as much as those chasing marine life.

Reached by boat from Norah Head, a short run to Bull Reef between Bird Island and Norah Head.

Sits on an exposed reef between Bird Island and Norah Head, so needs calm-to-moderate conditions with limited swell to dive comfortably and safely near the reef structure. Best after several settled days.

Descend onto the wreck remains scattered across Bull Reef in 8-14 m, working the scattered structure and ballast for reef fish and lobster, staying aware of the shallow reef's surge potential.

No scheduled charter; dived occasionally by Norah Head Divers Depot and private boats/club members.