Scuba Diving at McKenzie Jetty, Australia

A Unique Scuba Dive Site in Hervey Bay, South East Queensland

Aug 22, 2009

Mackenzie Jetty is a unique scuba dive site located on the western side of Fraser Island in South East Queensland, Australia.

The jetty was originally built in the early 1900s to facilitate taking timber off the island to the mainland. A timber mill was built on the island near the jetty and a small railway brought the trees to the mill to be processed and then onto the wooden jetty to be loaded onto ships.

The timber felling ceased in the early 1990s when Fraser Island was declared a World Heritage Area; and Mackenzie Jetty fell into disrepair.

Location of McKenzie Jetty Dive Site

Mackenzie Jetty is an interesting and unusual scuba dive site. The remains of the jetty now are just the solid wooden piles.

The jetty is about 2.5 kilometres south of the Kingfisher Bay Resort on the shores of Hervey Bay.

What’s to See at McKenzie Jetty Dive Site

There is not a great deal of interesting fish life to see at the McKenzie Jetty dive site. The main attraction is for scuba divers who like to fossick around old structures looking for interesting memorabilia. There is the possibility of turning up some old bottles, maybe some decayed pieces of machinery, and lots of pieces of old timer. According to John Wright in “Diving Southern Queensland”, in 1988 a scuba found a chamber pot dating back to the turn of the century. As this was once a popular fishing spot, there is always the possibility of getting a bunch of sinkers for making into scuba dive weights.

When To Dive at McKenzie Jetty Dive Site

The waters around the McKenzie Jetty dive site are subjected to large tidal movements. The dive site is also just across Hervey Bay from the mouth of the Mary River. This results in two main problems for scuba divers; poor visibility and strong currents. Therefore, the optimum time to go scuba diving at McKenzie Jetty dive site is just before the high tide. This means the flow will start easing and may improve the visibility.

The wind must be from the east, so that the large landmass of Fraser Island protects the McKenzie Jetty dive site from the wind. If the wind is from the west or north, the visibility plummets and it just isn’t worth getting in the water.

Details on McKenzie Jetty Dive Site

McKenzie Jetty dive site can be accessed by boat from Hervey Bay. Or it can be accessed from Fraser Island. If diving from a boat, the optimum location is about 20 metres south of the last piles poking out of the water. The jetty curved to the south and these remains are in the deepest water, of around 20 metres maximum.

Doing a shore scuba dive takes a bit more organisation, as tanks and scuba gear must be transported along Fraser Island’s rough sand tracks. However, the advantage in diving from the shore is the ease of walking off the beach into the water and following the old piles of the jetty into deeper water.

After diving at McKenzie Jetty from the shore, another unique site is to scuba dive in Fraser Island’s most famous freshwater lake: Lake McKenzie. This is a short drive from the jetty, and provides an opportunity to rinse the salt water off the scuba gear.

For scuba diving in Hervey Bay, McKenzie Jetty dive site provides a unique and interesting experience. It is different from the other scuba dive sites found in South East Queensland and may even provide a glimpse back into a time capsule of the early logging days.

The copyright of the article Scuba Diving at McKenzie Jetty, Australia in Scuba Diving is owned by Bruce Iliff. Permission to republish Scuba Diving at McKenzie Jetty, Australia in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.