Maheno Shipwreck

The Maheno Shipwreck sits starkly rusting against the pristine sands of Cathedral Beach, a majestic and haunting site. The S.S Maheno was built in 1904 in Scotland and was originally a world-class luxury liner.  She became a hospital ship in the Mediterranean during WW1 after which she was purchased for the run between New Zealand and Australia.

In 1935, while being towed to Japan for scrap metal, a cyclone blew her ashore onto Fraser Island. Luckily, there were only a few crew members on board, who tried unsuccessfully to free her. Since then,  three and a half stories of the ship have been buried below the sand.

After being used for bombing practice during WW2, the Maheno was in pretty bad shape and has since rusted away. Still, she is an impressive site and is occasionally used as a kooky, lopsided wedding venue.

Practical Info

Visitors are not allowed to touch the wreck but it is possible to get a very good close-up look.

The wreck sits on the beach north of Happy Valley. It’s accessible only by 4WD, just find the beach on the west coast and keep heading north, the Maheno will be on your right.