HMAS Kara Kara paid off into reserve at Darwin. After five years in reserve she departed Darwin on 6 December 1950, arriving at Sydney on 22 December 1950. Without further sea going service she was transferred to unmaintained reserve at Waverton Depot on 30 December 1960 and was later used as a Reserve Amenities Ship at Sydney. Kara Kara was sold on 15 February 1972 to Marrickville Metals, Marrickville, NSW, for breaking up. After being stripped of useful material the hulk was handed back to the RAN for use as a target. On 31 January 1973 Kara Kara was sunk, forty miles east of Jervis Bay, as a target for RAN ships and aircraft