From Australian warship to reef

A decommissioned Australian warship to be scuttled off the coast of South Australia is set to become a major underwater tourist attraction.

Tourism Minister Joan Hall says the Federal Department of Defence gifted the HMAS Hobart to South Australia ahead of several other states as a reflection of the success of its booming tourism industry.

The ship will be towed from Sydney and scuttled four nautical miles off the Fleurieu Peninsula coast at Wirrina Cove, where it will become an artificial reef, tapping into the growing popularity of dive tourism.

A similar project was carried out in Western Australia in 1997 with the establishment of the HMAS Swan artificial reef in Dunsborough, which has proven to be a popular tourist attraction.

It is expected that by its third year, the project could attract about 16,000 divers to the peninsula.

The HMAS Hobart will lie in 30m of water, with 6m of clearance provided for small vessels to pass over the top.