The Betsey Island graveyard, west of Little Betsey Island at the mouth of the Derwent, is Hobart's ships' graveyard: from the 1930s to the 1980s obsolete vessels, barges and sections of the old floating bridge were towed here and scuttled in about 20-34 m. The Marine Life Network guide calls it a huge concentration of wreck dives very close to Hobart, with a pebble-and-mud bottom that stirs up easily, poor visibility after bad weather or decaying Storm Bay swell, and massive yellow and white jewel anemones and, at times, hordes of school fish on the wrecks. The Boyer was a steam turbine-driven tug and, according to the guide, the last working steam vessel on the Derwent.

She was 60 tons and was scuttled close to the Macquarie in the 1980s. Her hull is intact, although most of the superstructure was removed before scuttling, leaving a compact, tug-shaped hull sitting on the bottom in about 20 m. Its small size makes it easy to circle in a few minutes, and its intact shape makes it one of the more satisfying wrecks in the graveyard despite the low visibility.

Jewel anemones and encrusting growth cover the hull, and schools of small fish hang over it. The tug is named after Boyer, the site of the Australian Newsprint Mills paper mill up the Derwent, whose paper was carried downriver by barges – some of which now lie scuttled nearby. The Boyer, the barges and the Macquarie together form a cluster that can be explored on one dive in reasonable visibility.

Because the superstructure is gone, there is little to penetrate, and divers should stay outside the hull. The wreck is a tangible piece of Hobart's working-harbour history, from the era when steam tugs handled the river's shipping.

South Arm is about 35 km (40 minutes) south-east of Hobart: cross the Tasman Bridge, follow the South Arm Highway (B33) through Rokeby and Lauderdale to South Arm. The main boat ramp is at South Arm (Blessington Street/Harbour area) with trailer parking and toilets; Lauderdale (Doran's Road) is an alternative ramp further north. From South Arm the Betsey Island graveyard lies about 5-6 km south-east across the mouth of the Derwent, west of Little Betsey Island, roughly 15-20 minutes by boat.

The Marine Life Network guide recommends an echo sounder to locate the individual wrecks, which are low on the bottom; there are no public moorings, so anchor carefully in the pebble-mud bottom off the wreck and leave a boat attendant.

Betsey Island lies at the mouth of the Derwent where it meets Storm Bay, so decaying southerly swell and strong southerly or south-westerly winds make the ride rough and stir up the pebble-and-mud bottom. The Marine Life Network notes the graveyard is not renowned for visibility and recommends calm, dry weather and an ebb tide, when clearer water sits over the wrecks. After Derwent floods the water can be very dark.

Northerly and light westerly winds give the best conditions; late summer and autumn are most reliable. Expect 3-8 m visibility at best, often less.

Visit from the Macquarie or shot the Boyer directly; circle the intact hull, look into the open deck areas without entering, and return to the shot.

No scheduled operator trips; Hobart clubs (Tasmanian Scuba Diving Club and others) and private boats from South Arm and Lauderdale. The Dive Shop Hobart and Go Dive Tasmania can advise.