Birdon environmentally sanitised, prepared and sunk the decommissioned the ex-HMAS Canberra as an artificial reef and dive site.

The project was undertaken in compliance with stringent environmental regulations and diver safety standards.

Birdon towed the ship 1686 Nm from Rockingham, Western Australia to Geelong, Victoria in June 2008. Between July 2008 – October 2009 the ship was cleaned and prepared in accordance with the guidelines used by the Commonwealth Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts (DEWHA).

The ship was confirmed ready in October 2009 and on October 4, 2009 Birdon towed the vessel to the selected site near Point Lonsdale where it was orientated prior to being sunk.

The ship was sunk without incident and now lies in approximately 28 metres of water, resting upright on its keel, with the top of the mast 5 metres below the surface at low tide.