Register of Historic Shipwrecks

DEW maintains a register of all historic shipwrecks and relics located within South Australia, including those in Commonwealth waters, as required by the Historic Shipwrecks and Underwater Cultural Heritage Acts.

In practice, the register, known as the South Australian Register of Historic Shipwrecks (SARHS), includes all known shipwrecks in SA waters and details about whether or not they are currently protected. It also includes shipwrecks that are only known from historical records and have not yet been physically located. Currently there are more than 800 shipwrecks listed in SARHS, of which more than 450 are protected as 'historic shipwrecks'.

SARHS also includes records of all historic relics associated with historic shipwrecks.The shipwrecks listed in SAHRS can be viewed publicly in the South Australian component of the Australasian Underwater Cultural Heritage Database (AUCHD).

The AUCHD is a register of recorded shipwrecks from all Australian States and Territories, as well as New Zealand and Papua New Guinea, and is maintained by the Federal government.

• Guide to using the AUCHD for research (search capability)

NatureMaps and Location SA

You can search the location of SA's registered shipwrecks using interactive online mapping tools:

• NatureMaps
• Location SA

The mapping tools visually show whether a shipwreck is protected and whether or not it has been found:

• Pink = Protected
• Black = Not protected
• Circled = Found
• Un-circled = Not yet found