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Divers Den

ELIZA RAMSDEN (1875)

Port Phillip Heads, Victoria

Three-masted iron barque

VESSEL DETAILS
Type:                         
Glasgow, Scotland 1874
Launched:
Plymouth, England 1916
Sank:                          
Ran aground & sank 1875
Length:
46 metres (152’)
Beam:
8.2 metres (27’)
Displacement:
415 tons
Speed:
Unknown
Crew:
14
Passengers:            
1, the owner’s son

WARNING: Wrecks should not be penetrated without proper training & equipment!

NOTE: All wrecks and related artifacts older than 75 years in Australian waters are protected by the Australian Historic Shipwrecks Act 1976. Nothing can be taken!

INFORMATION
Eliza Ramsden, named after the owner’s wife, ran aground on Corsair Rock on the eastern side of Port Phillip Heads, “The Rip” in 1875.

After floating free on a rising tide, she sank on the flood tide in Port Phillip Bay’s South Channel.

It was the vessel’s first voyage from Melbourne, Victoria to Newcastle, New South Wales.

Fortunately, there was no loss of life and one of the survivors, crewman Tom Pearce, went on to survive another two shipwrecks!

Tom was one of two survivors of the 1878 Loch Ard disaster and was awarded the Victorian Humane Society’s Gold Medal for rescuing the only other survivor, Eve Carmichael. He also survived the Loch Sunart incident in 1879.

Eliza Ramsden sits on her keel on a broken bottom in 21 metres (70’) of water where the top of the wreck is in 14 metres (45’).

In the 1960’s, the wreck was blasted to clear the way for shipping and whilst most of the wreck sustained damage, the bow survived and sat upright.

Even though the bow has now collapsed, it is still a highlight of a dive on the Ramsden.

Along the starboard side of the wreck there are the remains of iron plating, deck support stanchions, winches, the odd hard to spot porthole and a boiler near the bow.

The fish life supported by the wreck includes spectacular blue devil fish, long-snouted boarfish, schools of old wives, wrasse and various leather jacket species.

Divers will often encounter memorising cuttlefish too.

Trying to get a dive on the Ramsden can be frustrating. The wreck sits on the edge of the shipping channel and requires no shipping movements at the time of the planned dive, as well as slack water which occurs every six hours.

In this case, patience is certainly a virtue that will eventually offer great reward!

Copyright © 2025 Steve Sinclair

DIVE DETAILS
Scuba:                                      
Open Water
Snorkelling:                           
Too deep for snorkelling but freediving allowed
Access:                                     
Boat only (30 minutes)
Depth:                                      
14 – 21 metres (45-70’)
Visibility:                                
8 – 30 metres (25-100’)
Water temperature:           
13 – 18°C (55-64°F)
Seasonal:                                
No, but November to May best

OTHER GREAT DIVES WHILE IN THE AREA
Ex-HMAS Canberra, J-Class submarines, Coogee, Lonsdale Wall, Portsea Hole & many more.

2026 GREAT AUSTRALIAN DIVE CHALLENGE
Dive Registration
To register this dive for validation, go to: www.50greatdives.com.
NOTE: Entrants should do this dive with one of the following preferred dive services.

DIVE SERVICES

OTHER SERVICES

DIVE TRAVEL SERVICES