The Omeo is an historically significant and federally protected iron steamship that was built in 1858 in Newcastle (England) and later converted to a sailing ship. It was used to lay the Bass Strait Telegraph cable, and the Overland Telegraph linking Australia to Britain via Singapore.
This vessel was involved in international trade and participated in inter-colonial passenger networks. It traded for many years between Adelaide, Melbourne and New Zealand, and famously collided with, and wrecked, the Swan Spit pile lighthouse in Port Phillip in 1881, before becoming a coal hulk. The Omeo was driven ashore and wrecked in 1905.
The Omeo is a historically significant and federally protected iron steamship, and standing on or taking parts of the wreck without a permit is an offence under the Commonwealth Underwater Cultural Heritage Act 2018.
For more information on the Omeo visit the Western Australian Museum - Shipwreck Galleries the Shipwreck Databases or Maritime Archaeology Association of Western Australia.
You can experience a large variety of marine life on the trail including a variety of fish, starfish, cuttlefish, crayfish, molluscs, nudibranchs, sea squirts and corals.
Some of the more commonly seen fish include:
- Old Wife
- Rough Bullseye
- Western Smooth Boxfish
- Skipjack Trevally
- Western Butterfish
- Stripey
- Western Talma
- Magpie Morwong
- Pink Snapper
- Tarwhine
- Weeping Toadfish
- Australian Herring
- Shaw's Cowfish.
For a comprehensive list of fish you can download the Fishes of Omeo poster to help identify any fish you spot while visiting. This poster was created by Ruchira Somaweera and Philip Good with help from the Coogee Maritime Trail snorkeling community.
You can also view the Coogee Maritime Trail Dive Card which includes a map of the trail and the top 30 most common fish. A class set of these cards can be borrowed by school or dive groups on request.
The underwater art gallery includes:
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The Stella Maris giant sea star which divers can swim through
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An old railway wheel and anchor recovered during the development of Elizabeth Quay and relocated to the dive trail
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A Dutch inspired replica cannon and a sea lion near the shore.
The purpose-built reef consists of nearly 70 reef modules, ranging in height from 1m to 5m tall. The unique sections create a complex reef that includes lots of cave-like spaces to support fish, crays and molluscs and are great for snorkelling and scuba diving.
The City of Cockburn developed the Coogee Maritime Trail in 2016. The artificial reef modules were fabricated and installed by MMA Offshore (previously Subcon) based in Henderson, Australia’s leading artificial reef company. The reef weighs over 30 tonnes in total.
- The first set of 33 reef modules installed in July 2016 are made from fibre-reinforced concrete
- The second set (October 2019) included 2 reef pyramids, 7 Bomboras, 1 Abitat, 4 reef matts (fibre-reinforced concrete), and 7 Apollos (ultra-low carbon geopolymer concrete). Marine life recruitment has been very good
- The third set of 12 bomboras (November 2020) are made from standard concrete
- There are also 5 art pieces (various materials).
Frasers Property Australia developed Omeo Park which forms part of the universally-accessible land-based trail along the pathways at Port Coogee, in collaboration with project partners.
The land-based trail features maritime artefacts, including two restored anchors from the Omeo (provided from the WA Museum Collection) as well as a viewing area overlooking the shipwreck.
There are signs along the trail, offering information about the Omeo shipwreck, artefacts, maritime history and aquatic life in the area.