Omega

Wreck Dive | Boat access

Two-Masted Wooden Schooner | Max Depth: 6 m (20 ft)

Omega Dive
Source: Heritage Victoria

Level: Open Water and beyond.

The Omega shipwreck lies at the south-western end of Port Phillip. Ran aground near number 12 buoy in West Channel.

The Omega is archaeologically significant as the well preserved remains of a small Australian-built coastal trading vessel typical of the fleet that sailed around south-eastern Australia, i.e.: representative of a type.

Omega Shipwreck History — Built in 1893

The Omega was a two masted wooden schooner of 72 l-ton (73 t), built in 1893, by Peter Callan, at Stockton, NSW, on a length of 97 ft (30 m), a breadth of 16 ft (4.88 m), and a depth of 9.3 ft (2.83 m). The vessel was carvel built, with a rounded stern, and was owned at the time of its loss by John Cohen and others of Melbourne.

Omega Sinking — 1 October 1897

On its final voyage, the Omega was outward bound from Melbourne to Devonport, with a cargo of 1330 bags, and 14 tonnes of bone dust, with a crew of four under the command of Captain John Carr. The vessel left Melbourne at midnight and all seemed well as the Omega headed down Port Phillip, but things turned for the worse.

The schooner Omega entered the West Channel on 1 October 1897, in foggy weather too far to the east of the West Channel Pile Light. Despite steering the correct course the vessel went aground on the eastern bank of the West Channel. The captain could not see the buoys at the time due to the foggy weather.

The tug Rescue attempted tow the vessel free but the Omega filled with water. The remains were sold for six pounds. The Omega had recently had a thorough overhaul before its last voyage.

Vessel and cargo insured (sum not known). Register closed 30 Nov. 1897 Charge of misconduct preferred against Captain Carr not sustained by Court of Marine Inquiry but cautioned him to be more careful in future. Error of judgement.

Heritage Warning: Any shipwreck or shipwreck relic that is 75 years or older is protected by legislation. Other items of maritime heritage 75 years or older are also protected by legislation. Activities such as digging for bottles, coins or other artefacts that involve the disturbance of archaeological sites may be in breach of the legislation, and penalties may apply. The legislation requires the mandatory reporting to Heritage Victoria as soon as practicable of any archaeological site that is identified. See Maritime heritage. Anyone with information about looting or stolen artefacts should call Heritage Victoria on (03) 7022 6390, or send an email to heritage.victoria@delwp.vic.gov.au.

Wathaurong (Wadda-Warrung) country

Traditional Owners — This dive site is in the traditional Country of the Wathaurong (Wadda-Warrung) people of the Kulin Nation. This truly ancient Country includes the coastline of Port Phillip, from the Werribee River in the north-east, the Bellarine Peninsula, and down to Cape Otway in the south-west. We wish to acknowledge the Wathaurong as Traditional Owners. We pay respect to their Ancestors and their Elders, past, present and emerging. We acknowledge Bunjil the Creator Spirit of this beautiful land, who travels as an eagle, and Waarn, who protects the waterways and travels as a crow, and thank them for continuing to watch over this Country today and beyond.

Omega Location Map

Latitude: 38° 13.473′ S (38.22455° S / 38° 13′ 28.38″ S)
Longitude: 144° 44.118′ E (144.7353° E / 144° 44′ 7.08″ E)
Datum: WGS84 | Google Map
Added: 2012-07-22 09:00:00 GMT, Last updated: 2022-04-27 20:23:46 GMT
Source: GPS
Nearest Neighbour: Swallow, 1,869 m, bearing 189°, S
Two-Masted Wooden Schooner.
Built: 1893.
Sunk: 1 October 1887.
West Channel, Port Phillip.
Depth: 6 m.

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DISCLAIMER: No claim is made by The Scuba Doctor as to the accuracy of the dive site coordinates listed here. Should anyone decide to use these GPS marks to locate and dive on a site, they do so entirely at their own risk. Always verify against other sources.

The marks come from numerous sources including commercial operators, independent dive clubs, reference works, and active divers. Some are known to be accurate, while others may not be. Some GPS marks may even have come from maps using the AGD66 datum, and thus may need be converted to the WGS84 datum. To distinguish between the possible accuracy of the dive site marks, we've tried to give each mark a source of GPS, Google Earth, or unknown.