After the end of the First World War and the court martial of the five mutineers in Sydney Harbour in June 1919, HMAS Australia I had no clear role.
Australia I participated in the celebrations and naval activities associated with the visit of the Prince of Wales between July to November 1920.
And in 1920, the battlecruiser also participated in seaplane trials but post-war budget cuts took Australia I out of active service.
In 1921, the battlecruiser was used as a gunnery and torpedo-training vessel at Flinders Naval Depot in Western Port Bay in Victoria.
But her days were numbered and Australia I returned to Sydney in November 1921 to be paid off into reserve.
The Washington Naval Treaty in 1922 between the five major naval powers (including Australia as part of Great Britain) put limits on the size of warships.
As Australia I was now obsolete, the Royal Navy nominated the battlecruiser for disposal to help meet British obligations under the Treaty.
Under the Treaty, the battlecruiser had to be made unusable for warlike activities and she was progressively stripped of all armaments and equipment.
It was eventually decided to scuttle Australia I 25 nautical miles off Sydney Harbour on 12 April 1924.
The battlecruiser was towed to sea accompanied by HMAS Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, ANZAC and Stalwart.
Ships of the Royal Navy Special Service Squadron attended the scuttling and several ferries used to transport the official party sailed behind the warships.
Sailors who had served on Australia I were selected to take part in the scuttling operation.
At 14:30 the scuttling parties set the charges, opened all seacocks and left the ship.
After the charges blew, it took 20 minutes before the ship inverted and began to sink stern first until it completely disappeared from view at 14:51.
A RAAF plane flew overhead and dropped a wrath on the sea above where Australia I sank and Brisbane fired a 21-gun salute.
Australia I finally settled 1,300 feet below the surface. Her final resting place is protected under the Historic Shipwrecks Act 1976.
The battlecruiser’s outer port propeller is on display at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.