Maheno Wreck

The Maheno Wreck is the rusted remains of the former ocean liner and World War I hospital ship SS Maheno on 75 Mile Beach on the eastern shore of K'gari (Fraser Island) in Queensland, Australia. Beached in 1935 after being swept ashore by a cyclone while under tow, the wreck is one of the island's most photographed landmarks within Great Sandy National Park and is accessible only by four-wheel-drive vehicle along the beach at low tide.

Visitors can expect to see the large, rusted steel hull of the SS Maheno lying on the wide sandy expanse of 75 Mile Beach facing the Pacific Ocean. The three-storey wreck is heavily corroded and partially collapsed, set against dunes and surf. Access is on foot from the beach after arriving by 4WD. There are no structures or shade at the site; visitors view and photograph the wreck from the sand at a safe distance.

Built in 1905 by William Denny and Brothers in Dumbarton, Scotland, as a luxury trans-Tasman ocean liner for the Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand. Requisitioned as a hospital ship (HMNZHS Maheno) during World War I in the Mediterranean and English Channel. Sold for scrap in 1935, she was under tow from Melbourne to Osaka when a cyclone severed the towline off the Queensland coast on 9 July 1935, driving her ashore on K'gari where she has remained. Used for target practice by the Royal Australian Air Force during World War II.

The wreck is an iconic visitor landmark and symbol of K'gari (Fraser Island), which is World Heritage-listed and part of Great Sandy National Park. The island is the traditional land of the Butchulla people, and the wreck is interpreted as part of the island's layered maritime and tourism history.