The SS Maheno is a beautiful old wreck on the coast of Fraser Island, Australia. The sandy Fraser island lies off the coast of Queensland and is a short ferry ride from Rainbow beach or Noosa.
The SS Maheno was built in Scotland in 1905 and started as a luxury passanger ship and made many trans-Atlantic crossings. During World War 1 it became a hospital ship for the Royal Navy.
After the war ended it was purchased by a Sydney shipping company who used it between Sydney and New Zealand. After several years of operation across the Tasman Sea, the Maheno was sold to a Japanese shipping company.
The Japanese shipping company had a few financial problems and decided to sell Maheno's huge brass propellers which would fund the towing to Osaka, Japan. At that time the Maheno was still operational and once in Japan it was to be dismantled and melted down and sold as scrap metal.
On it's journey up the coast of Queensland the SS Maheno was hit by an unseasonal cyclone of the coast of Fraser Island. Attempts were made to refloat the ship unsuccessfully and it was left abandoned on the 75 Mile Beach on Fraser Island.
The wreck is a stunning sight on the beach and quite a lot of the shipwreck still remains on the beach today. It is a popular tourist site on Fraser Island and if you ever get to visit Fraser Island you must make the long track along the coast of Fraser Island's sandy highway to visit and see it for yourself. To get there you need a 4WD vehicle or you can take a tour with one of the tourist companies, as there are no roads on Fraser island, only sandy tracks and off course the beach to drive on with speed limit signs that must be obyed. Fraser Island is a World Heritage listed and a unique and stunning place to visit. So put it on your 'bucket list' as must see places.
Name - SS Maheno
Launched - 19 June 1905
Out of Service - 1935
Fate - Wrecked July 1935
Type - Ocean Liner
Capacity - 420 passangers
Information about the ship's history sourced from - Shipwreck State Government -
