The ship was almost constantly deployed on survey operations in the waters of Australia and New Guinea for the next three years. In 1947, "Barcoo" conveyed Australian officials to Timor for visits to the governor of Portuguese (East) Timor and the Dutch colonial administrative centre in West Timor. During April 1948, "Barcoo" and the sloop were deployed together for surveying operations off South Australia. On 11 April 1948, "Barcoo" ran aground at West Beach, South Australia, having been driven ashore by a violent storm. Despite attempts to lighten the frigate by removing munitions and stores, the combined efforts of three tugboats were unable to pull "Barcoo" off the beach. A dredger was brought from Adelaide, which cleared a channel behind the stranded frigate. On the evening of 20 April, over a week after the initial beaching, "Barcoo" was able to be refloated. "Warrego" towed "Barcoo" to Port Adelaide for inspection and repairs.