VHB 54 is a steel hopper barge – the letters are usually read as Victorian Hopper Barge – about 46 m (150 ft) long with an 18.5 ft beam, brought from Holland in 1950 with her sister VHB 53 by Australian Dredging and General Works for the dredging programme at the entrance to the Yarra. Hopper barges carried the spoil from the dredges out to sea and dumped it through bottom doors; they were unglamorous, unpowered or lightly powered, and when the contract ended they had no value. VHB 54 was scuttled in the Graveyard on 17 December 1970, VHB 53 following in 1971; together they are the last two vessels dumped in the official ground.

The barge lies in 52–54 m at the western end of the field. The Scuba Doctor records that the bow and stern are in reasonable condition and that the centrepiece is a large cogged wheel in the midships area, part of the mechanism that opened the hopper doors to release the dredged material. Between the ends the open hopper gives the wreck a simple box-like plan that is easy to navigate even in modest visibility.

Growth is the usual western-Graveyard mix of sponges and zoanthids, with ling, bullseyes and crayfish in the structure. At 54 m this is a trimix dive with a substantial decompression obligation for a modest wreck, and it is dived only occasionally by Melbourne technical divers completing the Graveyard set. It suits those who want a straightforward, low-stress deep hull for gas-switch or rebreather practice at depth rather than anyone seeking spectacle.

Boat only. The western end of the Ships' Graveyard sits 8–12 km south of Barwon Heads and is normally reached from Queenscliff Harbour (Red Boats, Dive Victoria Group technical charters) – a 40–60 minute run out through The Rip and west along the Bellarine coast – or occasionally from the Barwon Heads river ramp in a small boat when the bar is flat. Drive Melbourne–Queenscliff via the Geelong Ring Road and Bellarine Highway (about 1 h 40 min).

Technical charters usually load at the harbour before dawn to get the wreck dived before the afternoon sea breeze. Private boats need a reliable sounder and the published GPS marks, as nothing shows on the surface.

Fully exposed Bass Strait. South-westerly swell is the killer: most charters will not run on a forecast over about 1.5 m, and anything from the south or west over 2 m makes the site undiveable and the passage through The Rip dangerous. Northerly and north-easterly winds flatten the sea; a calm morning after several settled days gives the best visibility (often 15–25 m in autumn and winter).

Surge is felt on the wreck in any swell over 1 m. Tidal streams outside The Heads are weaker than inside but still run; charters aim for slack water at Port Phillip Heads or a favourable tide for the transit. Winter westerlies close the site for weeks at a time.

The wreck sits in or near the shipping approach and pilot boarding ground, so a shot line, surface cover and a delayed SMB are mandatory.

Shot onto the midships. Inspect the large cogged wheel that operated the hopper doors, then run to the bow and back to the stern along the 46 m hull; both ends are in reasonable condition. Twenty minutes is ample.

Ascend the shot with 30–40 minutes of staged decompression.

Technical (decompression) dive. Trimix only (18/45 or 15/55) with EAN50 and oxygen deco; a 20 min bottom time typically needs 45–60 min of staged decompression. CCR-friendly with a bailout plan sized for the full ascent.

Drop a weighted shot on the wreck, use a delayed SMB from the wreck or a decompression trapeze under the boat; the site is in a shipping approach so free-drifting deco is discouraged.

No scheduled recreational charters. Red Boats (Queenscliff) and Dive Victoria Group run technical charters to the deep Graveyard wrecks on request or a few times a season for Melbourne technical clubs; otherwise private technical boats only. Expect the wreck to see only a handful of dives a year.