DESCRIPTION
One of Queensland’s most significant historic shipwrecks, the Aahrus
lies not far from Smith Rock. It was a 640 tonne sailing barque grounded hard
on the Rock in 1894 and she sank in 12
minutes. Lying approximately 2 nautical miles off shore from Moreton
Island, Smith’s Rock has three pinnacles the highest rises to about 6m
below the surface; their jagged granite beauty belies their treachery to
the shipping fraternity. Not as pretty as Flinders Reef but it has
a rugged honeycombed terrain and plenty of structure that attracts a profusion
of fish. With a maximum depth of around 20m the most interesting
features sit around 15m. Good visibility will reveal large schools of batfish
and butter bream and a large range of coral species like cod, angelfish,
beaked coralfish, clownfish, and damsels. If you like the big stuff
then wobbegong sharks, turtles and spotted rays frequent the area. And of
course during the migration season you will hear the whale song.
