The HMAS Gayundah was a gunboat with the Royal Australian Navy, originally serving with the Queensland Maritime Defence Force as the HMQS Gayundah before the Federation of Australia.
Built during 1884 at Newcastle upon Tyne in the United Kingdom, it left for Australia late in 1884 via the Suez, finally arriving in Brisbane in March 1885.
Gayundah was a steam powered twin screw vessel, carried up to 75 tonnes of coal with a range of up to 1,300 kilometres.
Gayundah holds the honour of a couple of firsts. In 1886 it was granted privilege or wearing the White Ensign and Pendant of her Majesty’s fleet, a first for any colonial ship. It was also the first warship in Australia to successfully operate wireless telegraphy.
After its military service, including acting as a guardship and patrol vessel during World War I, Gayundah was sold in 1921 and used as a sand and gravel barge on the Brisbane River.
In 1958, the Gayundah was bought by the Redcliffe Town Council and beached to become a breakwater for the Woody Point cliffs, where the remains of it sits now.
Large parts of Gayundah were scrapped before being beached, however, it has deteriorated further after more than 65 years. There have been bids to preserve or slow down the rusting away of the wreck, but nothing has been done that I’m aware of.
It was only in a few years before the first time we listed Gayundah Wreck on Brown Signs that the top part of the bow has broken from the hull, sitting precariously on the rest of the bow. Visiting again in 2024, it has deteriorated further, with the top of the bow has completely fallen off.
There are two main spots to look at the wreck from. The brown sign leads to a spot above the wreck along Gayundah Esplanade, giving the highest viewpoint at the wreck unless you are in one of the high-rise apartments above it.
From here there is a path leading down into the park of Gayundah Coastal Arboretum 
which has a path leading back to the Gayundah wreck below the cliffs.
Climbing on the wreck is prohibited with signs warning of penalties of doing so. It appears the signs used to mention going near the wreck is prohibited also but this part has been covered. Coming from the other side of the cliffs scrambling over the rocks during low tide doesn’t have the same warning signs, but with the deterioration of the wreck it is wise to stay a distance away from it all the same.
