Catherine Hill Bay's old coal loader is one of the more atmospheric shore dives on this stretch of coast, combining industrial archaeology with a genuine, if broken-up, shipwreck. The jetty and loader were built in 1889 to load coal from the Catherine Hill Bay colliery directly onto ships anchored in the open roadstead, and its pylons — some still standing, many collapsed — now form a scattered artificial reef running out from the beach. In 1914 the steamer SS Wallarah, a 633-ton collier working the same coal trade, was driven onto the reef near the jetty by heavy seas and left where she grounded; more than a century of surge and storms has reduced her to scattered structure rather than a recognisable hull, but her boiler and sections of plating, chain and cable remain identifiable among the loader debris.Diving here means picking through a low-relief field of timber and iron pylon stumps, cross-bracing, cabling and wreck fragments in shallow water, all colonised by weed, sponge and small reef fish that shelter in the nooks between structure.

It's not a dramatic dive in terms of depth or visibility, but it rewards divers who enjoy exploring maritime history close to shore, and it sits within Catherine Hill Bay's broader run of rocky shore sites, so it's easy to combine with a look at the surrounding platform and gutters on the same low-key day out. The site is fully open to the swell, so it only comes into its own after a settled spell; the water can turn to soup for days after a blow before the sand resettles. Because the loader has been progressively removed and eroded, keep expectations calibrated to a scattered heritage/debris site rather than an intact wreck, and treat old ironwork with care as it continues to collapse over time.

Drive to Catherine Hill Bay village via the Old Pacific Highway, following signs to the Catherine Hill Bay Surf Life Saving Club and the historic coal loader jetty. Park near the club and walk down to the beach; entry is made in the bay beneath and around the pylons of the old loader, with the wreckage of the SS Wallarah lying close by near the jetty. Conditions need to be calm, as this stretch of coast is fully exposed to easterly swell.

Fully exposed to easterly and north-easterly swell and wind chop; needs at least a couple of days of calm seas to clear and settle after a blow. Best in light offshore (westerly) winds with under 1 m swell. Visibility drops sharply after rain from the small creek behind the beach and after any decent swell stirs up the sandy bottom around the pylons.

Enter from the beach near the old loader pylons, work along the pylon bases and the scattered coal-loader debris field, then locate and examine the low-lying remains of the SS Wallarah (chains, cables, boiler fragments) closer to the jetty before returning the same way.

Aqua Zero Dive Centre (Swansea) runs air fills, gear hire and guided shore dives for visiting divers; Grey Nurse Charters (Newcastle) occasionally includes these sites on shore-dive days. Mostly self-guided club and personal diving.