Australia - Facts
Australia FAQs
Pre-Arrival Boat: Australian Border Force require an Advance Notice of Arrival (see Clearance for details) and Biosecurity a Pre-Arrival Report (see Biosecurity for details). Australia has very strict Biosecurity regulations so any banned foodstuffs including meat and meat products should be consumed or disposed of prior to your arrival.
Pre-Arrival Crew: All nationalities, with the sole exception of New Zealanders, must obtain a visa in advance or be registered as an eVisitor. See Immigration for details.
Where can I enter? All international non-commercial vessels must only arrive at specific Australian ports, known as First Points of Entry (FPOE). You must also ensure that your FPOE is also a Biosecurity First Point of Entry. If you want to arrive at a Port that is a Non-First Point of Entry, you must apply for permission at least 10 days before arriving into Australia territory. See Clearance for details of Australia’s First Ports of Entry (FPOE).
Are fees high to enter by yacht? The Australian Border Force does not levy any charge for clearance. However, the Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry operates on a full cost recovery basis. See Fees for more information.
What security and safety concerns should I know about? Australia is generally a safe country. However, Australia is also home to some of the deadliest creatures on Earth including snakes, spiders, jellyfish and crocodiles, so do not be tempted to go swimming in remote locations. See Security for more information.
Australia Facts for Sailors
- In spite of a large number of yachts in Australia, the number of Australian yachts cruising overseas is surprisingly small and the only explanation for this is that Australia possesses such beautiful and varied cruising grounds that they do not need to go and look for variety elsewhere. From the wind-swept coasts of Victoria and Tasmania to the picturesque harbours of New South Wales, the tropical islands and Great Barrier Reef of Queensland to the huge shallow bays of the Northern Territory, Australia has it all.
- The island of Tasmania and the Torres Strait Islands are also part of Australia and there are the overseas territories of Norfolk Island, Cocos Keeling and Christmas Island.
- Getting work done: Facilities in Australia are generally good and anywhere near a yachting centre are excellent. For yachts arriving from the Pacific, it is a great relief to find a country where everything is available and virtually anything can be fixed. If in need of a major overhaul or repairs, it is advisable to head for the main centre, such as Sydney, Brisbane, Townsville, Cairns or Darwin, where repair facilities are of a high standard and spare readily available. Prices are high, however.
- Due to the large fishing fleet based in Darwin, there are excellent repair facilities of all types and chandlers in the area around the Mooring Basin. Boats bound for Darwin should join the annual “Over the Top Cruise” organised by the Gove Yacht Club as it includes stops in several places that are normally closed to visitors
- Provisioning: You will find everything you want here, but food shopping in Australia is expensive.
- Yacht clubs everywhere are welcoming and are also a valuable source of advice concerning repairs or provisioning. Australian charts are excellent and are continually kept up to date. They are available in any port of significant size.
- Most marinas in Australia now require any visiting vessel to have public liability insurance for AUD$10 million. See the formalities section for more details.
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Hi I will be leaving the Philippines end of July and traveling back to Aus would like to stop in to song to fuel and water do I have to check into Indonesiaonly planing to stay for 12 hours
Hi Ian
We have checked with an agent in Indonesia and their response is that you must complete all the clearance formalities if you want to enter Indonesia, even if just to take on fuel, water and provisions. If you are planning to transit via Sorong, you might try contact Warwick Alliston at Helena Marina in Sorong.
Hi Ian
I have received information from contacts in Indonesia that even if you are planning to stay for such a short period of time, you have to clear in and out of the country. However, it is possible to get a visa on arrival in Sorong, – cost is 500,000 rupiah, get your fuel and then clear out. You can also apply for a e-VOA online, print it and show it to immigration on arrival. Hope this helps. The information was provided by Helena Marina in Sorong so I would suggest contacting them to see how they can help you.
I arrived to Fremantle from Durban last 17th Feb 2023, sailing solo 48 days. Had a gearbox problem and had to be toed the last meters into the Fremantle Sailing Club. Extreme kind people, very welcoming and helpful. Had to spend the night on the boat before the ABF and Biosecurity came for inspection (beware: the second one is payed by you, and is not cheap: UU$ 500, +o- ), but that was not a problem, I knew it from info collected on Noonsite. The problem was the 3rd part liability insurance for AU$10MM : different from what I read in many forums (and even from what people from the Club believed), having a foreign flag makes that no Australian company will sell you such an insurance. A South African company (my boat is registered in Durban) won’t cover that amount of money and they do not work 3rd part liability cover. So, I am now dealing with a bureaucracy nightmare: no marina or deposit will accept me, I can not just sail away from Australia without making some maintenance and repair and in the cyclone period… The best solution seems to be importing the boat. It’s apparently doable in a 3/8 weeks time period for a reasonable cost and I am going this way -providing I find somewhere to stay. And I thought that the challenge would come from the Roaring Forties… to be continued
Important update: Edward William ( https://www.edwardwilliam.com/ ) provided me with the required 3rd party insurance at a very reasonable price
The Down Under Rally have a free webinar on Monday March 13th from 2-3pm AEST (GMT +10) covering route options and formalities when sailing from Australia to Indonesia. The webinar will be recorded for those who cannot join the live event. To register go to [https://www.downunderrally.com/sailing-to-indonesia]
Be aware that the ABF website and Noonsite are a little misleading about ports of entry and notice for biosecurity inspections. not all listed Ports of Entry are actually approved for noncommercial vessels, we checked in with the ABF at Eden after giving email notice, then learned late the next day that Eden was not an approved FPOE for noncommercial vessels. We had to sail directly to Hobart to get a biosecurity inspection and pratique.
This link has additional biosecurity requirements that do not show up on the ABV visiting yachts web page:
https://www.agriculture.gov.au/biosecurity-trade/aircraft-vessels-military/vessels/non-commercial-vessels#thinking-about-coming-to-australian-territory
Karl
SV Mabel Rose
Posted by Robert K. Balch – November 30, 2022 at 11:03 PM
I am buying a boat in Albany. I have an Australian address established – however am a US citizen. Trying to get an understanding for need for registration processes.
Hi Robert
See this link on the Australian Maritime Safety Authority Website which may help; – https://www.amsa.gov.au/vessels-operators/ship-registration/registration-pleasure-craft-and-fishing-boats
For visiting Australia by yacht, don’t miss the Down Under Rally’s “Ahoy Sailing Magazine” [https://www.downunderrally.com/ahoy] with great articles on cruising local waters. Now that entry procedures for small craft are back to normal in Australia their Go West Rally [https://www.downunderrally.com/about-go-west] (from the SW Pacific to Australia) is going ahead and they also have a very useful free guide to cruising Australia [https://www.downunderrally.com/sailing-to-australia ].
Here’s a summary of our experience clearing into Cairns, Australia, in June 2022.
We applied for, and were instantly granted, an e-visa for three months in Australia (multiple entry). All done online at https://australiaonlinevisas.org/application/
Prior to leaving for Cairns, our point of entry into Australia, we also submitted a Maritime Travel Declaration (one per person), again online. https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/covid19/vaccinated-travellers/australian-citizens-pr/entering-transiting-australia/mtd
At least 96 hours prior to arrival, you have to inform the Australian Border Force that you are arriving: yachtreport@homeaffairs.gov.au (we cc-ed cairnsshipping@abf.gov.au).
Prior to arriving, contact Marlin Marina in Cairns for a berth (marina@portsnorth.com.au) or VHF 16. They will need some data to book you in, including full insurance (not just third party!). Communicate your berth number to ABF (cairnsshipping@abf.gov.au), so they know where to find you. They came shortly after our arrival and were very friendly and helpful.
We also contacted biosecurity (CairnsISG@agriculture.gov.au) and let them know our ETA and berth number. As it was the weekend, we were advised to call them after arrival (+61 74 241 78 86) for a biosecurity clearing of the crew (by answering some simple questions and confirming the answers by email). Following the interview, we were allowed off the boat (without taking anything off the boat).
The next day the Biosecurity Officer came to ask questions and inspect the boat. Again very friendly. The charges depend on how long the inspection took. It was AUD 310 for us.
We sent the Smallcraft Arrival Report (aka b333 form) to ABF a day after we arrived, as well as copies of our vaccination papers.
Cell phone / data: we found the best deal and easy setup to be “Boost”, which operates on the Telstra network. Buy a AUD 30 SIM card in the supermarket or the post office. It comes with 40 GB of data and you can register online, using the new SIM card.
Arrived home for the 23rd time to Cairns 6 October. Now it’s 2nd November and I’m still not cleared to be able to move freelance. ABF have not finalised importation, or it’s quarantine that’s holding it up. Nightmare has started.
Anyone familiar with sailing into AUS and selling your boat? I’m in French Polynesia and considering it but concerned abut all the red tape and taxes…
Hi Jonathan, found this article in Cruising World Mag from 2019 – https://www.cruisingworld.com/selling-your-boat-in-australia/ and this Yachting World article from 2020 – https://www.yachtingworld.com/practical-cruising/selling-your-boat-in-the-pacific-how-to-full-price-ocean-adventure-124803.
Stay away from Cairns. Yachts fly through in Townsville. Of course if you want to sell your yacht, you pay 5% of value and 10% GST, as far as I have read.
Below is information regarding the Raine Island Passage. We just completed this a few weeks ago (August 2021) followed by another boat.
All of the anchor locations in the book (Torres Strait Passage Guide by Kenn Hellewell) are okay, but not great. There is scattered coral on the bottom, and waves can come across the submerged reefs. In lighter winds, we expect the anchorages will be better. We had 20-25 knot winds.
Near York Island is all sandy bottom, if you go all the way around the west side of the island, and into what looks like a lagoon on the chart. We went in at low tide and saw a depth of 8 feet on the way in. Anchor in 20 feet and good holding. 10 41.320S 142 31.330E
While on the Great Barrier Reef, we stopped at night because our buddy boat wanted to stop and anchor for the night. In our opinion, there is absolutely no problem sailing through the night all the way across the Great Barrier Reef and thru the Torres Strait. By following the waypoints. Everything is much more spread-out, deeper and safer than you think.
Below are simplified waypoints we followed. I believe the shallowest spot we saw was 53 feet deep.
Point Latitude Longitude
TA01 11° 38.0′ S144° 06.0′ E
TA02 11° 38.0′ S144° 00.0′ E
T01 11° 39.1′ S143° 54.0′ E
T02 11° 38.3′ S143° 51.8′ E
T03 11° 15.3′ S143° 26.3′ E
T04 11° 07.3′ S143° 16.4′ E
T05 11° 02.2′ S143° 06.4′ E
T06 10° 46.8′ S142° 45.0′ E
T07 10° 42.6′ S142° 38.4′ E
The Thursday Island Harbormaster does not want boats to go near Thursday Island area. So, after T07 continue straight along the shipping lanes to the Prince of Whales Channel (POW), then turn left at Wednesday Island – Ince Point, and follow the POW channel west to the Arafura Sea.
Give Hammond Rock and Mecca Reef at least 1/4-mile room if the current is flowing fast westbound.
Current becomes an issue as you approach Albany Island. We were lucky with our timing. I’m not sure how to find good current information for Albany Island area. However, you can listen to VHF 68, and get good current information for the POW Channel. If “Nardana Stream” is flowing “west”, current might also be flowing northwest near Albany Island as well.
To sail in Australian waters send a message with your identifications and intentions to: Thursday Island District Office thursdayisland@abf.gov.au cc:copy RCU_NC@abf.gov.au They will politely reply allowing you to transit and anchor if you want.
See “Sailing Trance” on Facebook and/or http://www.sailingtrance.com
AT SEA TIME DOES NOT COUNT TOWARDS QUARNATINE TIME IN QUEENSLAND
I arrived as a solo Australian sailor directly from Tahiti on the 12th of July 2020 to River Gate as the port of entry. Despite doing 35 days at sea alone, I was ordered to do a mandatory, hotel confined, quarantine at my cost. At sea time is no longer is considered as acceptable quarantine time. This is despite a number of emails confirming that it would be acceptable with various officials before arrival. Very disappointed with how QLD maritime authorities have dealt with this situation. If clearing in to Australia, my recommendation would be to enter via NSW as your at sea time would be acceptable.
Queensland, 19th March 2020
TO THE AUSTRALIAN QUARANTINE INSPECTION SERVICE
We just arrived to Mackay from The Solomon Islands in our catamaran after 8 sailing days. As we know how restrictive the Australian Quarantine rules are and important to mention that we agree with that, we left The Solomons with just what was needed for the passage. After the last 2 days of rough sea and not good visibility we arrived safe on the 10th March.
On the same day Customs went onboard and on the 11th we had the AQIS inspection.
The AQIS Officer was very polite, efficient and also seemed to be happy on how the boat was clean and tidy. He removed any suspect item (in our case not more than 2 kg all together, flour, rice, onions and capsicum), collected the fee (AUD$ 285) and authorised us to remove the quarantine flag.
What was our surprise when we got into the Marina and they asked us to pay AUD$ 485.00 fee for the Quarantine rubbish! When did this fee start? Why was it implemented? How was it publicised?
As we do not have the answers for these questions neither from the AQIS’s Officer nor from the Marina’s workers we would like to state the following protest.
An official protest about the new cost retrieval process on taxpayer funded services.
Since the introduction of cost retrieval protocols by the Australian Government AQIS has covered the cost of disposal of potentially damaging biological items from yachts and ships. This cost has now been forced on Port Authorities and Marinas at Customs Clearance Ports. There has been no consultation with concerned authorities and no publication of the resultant fees.
At the contact point of AQIS clearing a vessel there is no mention of this fee.
AQIS Officers are polite and efficient. They remove any suspect item, collect the fee and authorise the client to remove the quarantine flag. It is not until entering the Marina Office that demand for fees are mentioned.
I protest that this fee is unjustified and ill-advised for the following reasons:
1. It encourages dumping at sea prior to arriving anything that might be removed by the AQIS inspector thus attempting to ensure zero removal of items and zero fees. This is not recommended practice as dumping at sea is illegal in Australian Waters and is not a desired outcome even in international waters.
2. Total lack of industry consultation.
3. No publicity of the new fees.
4. Total lack of control by AQIS of the waste disposal process.
5. Encouragement of dumping at sea.
6. Discouragement of ships and yachts entering Australian waters.
7. Discouragement of visiting vessels hence less spending in the marine and tourism industry.
Gavin Prescott,
Master and Owner of the Australian Registered Sailing Vessel Chemistry
All Aus yachts leaving Aus must now Export/import on return. Custom Broker charge $400 for import alone. I was not charged anything for quarantine removing some rice aan other rubbish
We see a number of vessels entering Australia for the first time, they have trouble contacting the designated radio station as they have their VHF on US and not International.
Could this be included in the formalities for clearance or the first contact section for Border Force/Customs procedures.
For any vessels that are looking to cruise to Australia then we highly recommend joining The Down Under Rally. It was a great experience and here is a link to our blog which reviews the Rally’s welcome week in Bundaberg. http://www.morpheusoflondon.co.uk/australia-rally-fun-in-bundaberg/
Hi Richard & Jan,
It was great to have you join the Down Under Rally for both the Loyalty Islands Rally & the Go West Rally this year and we very much appreciate your talking the time to share your experience.
Have any American flagged yachts cleared into Australia since 2018? If so could you tell me which agency you used for third party liability insurance? It seems like the local agencies aren’t insuring foreign flagged pleasure vessels anymore, so I’d appreciate any tips in this regard. Thanks!
We are a US flagged vessel and cleared into Bundaberg in early June 2019. We have $4 million US in liability coverage on a comprehensive policy which has an additional $1 million for enviornmental damage and lots of other specific coverages. We have been searching for a liability policy to either make up the difference between our US $4 million and AUS $10 million to no avail. My US broker says they can not increase my liability coverage because the liability markets are very different and the tort laws are also very different. Every AUS broker or company suggested to us by anyone has declined to provide liability only coverage, and a couple have said “maybe” after you have an out of water survey then we will see if we can underwrite a policy.
There does not seem to be any answer, if there is additional information I would appreciae hearing it.
Suggest you contact the marinas up north providing your insurance details with all those specific coverage’s; If declined, and not wanting to go through a full survey for a new policy, you will have to stay at anchor.
If not useful for Mgrebowicz maybe others… We have a USA flagged vessel and arrived in Australia at the end of October 2019 – We did *finally* manage to get liability insurance for $10 million on out boat through a company called Nautilus Marine (http://www.nautilusinsurance.com.au/). It wasn’t exactly straightforward and we got different answers from different members of staff (so persevere?) In particular we dealt with one particular guy in the office who seemed more ‘flexible’ than others so it may be worth asking for him by name: Malcolm Kincaid. We were asked to provided evidence/details of a recent survey (in our case it was a self survey we’d completed the year before). The cost for 1 year was just over $500 Australian. Note others tried the same path, some were successful, others were told their boat was too old. It is really tough to get insurance, it took me months of emails and chasing leads. We were so glad that we finally got something. (Note a quote from our USA insurance company would have cost us over $6,000 US extra over our standard coverage which we felt no marina stay was worth!) .
Also we got the eVisa/ETA visa as applicable (one of us is UK, the other USA) in advance practically instantly – so that was easy enough – however you MUST leave the country every 3 months – which can be expensive. We were hoping/assuming we could adjust the visa once we arrived in the country (get the required X-rays etc) but it is only possible to get the longer term tourist visa from outside the country – so now we must depart and pay flights/etc just to reset that 3 month limit. In hindsight we should have gone the extra mile before we arrived and got a 600 visa… Lesson learned so you don’t have to.
How long do you have to leave the country for after the first threee months?
Australian Immigration officials have confirmed to Noonsite that there is no minimum amount of time that you need to leave the country for. You just have to leave the country after the three months and then re-enter to re-set the visa.
The Western Australian Cruising Guide version 5.2 was issued in January 2019. It is downloadable for free at http://wacg.medimorphosis.com.au
Now in its fifth edition, Fremantle Sailing Club’s Western Australian Cruising Guide is regarded as the coastal cruising bible for WA, covering the coast from Darwin to Eucla, including the Christmas and Cocos Islands.
This book is a definite “must have”, especially for cruising the Kimberley, with over 600 pages, 220 chartlets and many interesting colour photos. This new edition is a major revision of the previous edition published in 2014.
The Guide is no longer available through Boat Books Australia
Paul, Regarding your comment about the Temporary Import of Goods for Smallcraft, we have posted an updated received from Australian Border Force which can be found here:
https://www.noonsite.com/Countries/Australia/Members/val/R2012-08-04-2
When leaving Australia, it is also possible to have the 10% GST refunded.
I tried following the Temporary Import for Smallcraft listed here on Noonsite to bring in a watermaker from the US via DHL. Brisbane customs was adamant that the process listed here was not applicable to a foreign vessel that is temporarily in the country under a Control Permit – the way non-megayachts are cleared in.
“As the vessel wasn’t originally imported under treatment code 352, (Section 162) AU Customs will not allow any parts to be imported using treatment code 352.”. They would not budge. I was able to file form AUSFTA Declaration that removes duty for US manufactured products, but 10% GST had to be paid.
The Telstra mobile network is the best by far and also one of the dearests. Try Boost which uses all of their networks at a much cheaper price.
Susie, Australia is a major gas supplier and exporter to the world market, and international tanks are able to be filled conveniently and inexpensively all across the country. If your tanks are out of date, which our USA ones were [maybe yours were too?] they are not to be filled until recertified – for $20 a tank, ours were tested, fitted with new valves [included in the price] and stamped for a further 10 years.
Who can argue with that value, These were USA bottles, and we fill them up all over the place. Camping stores and fishing stores are usually the go. And we know the tanks are certified safe. And that stamp works for other countries. Also if our tanks were still in USA certification date, we could just have them filled up.
Our UK Calor gas bottle which is in good condition was rejected here in Darwin for not having Australian certification. Basically, if it is not an Australian bottle you will not get it filled here. If cruising Australia on a foreign flagged vessel you will need to either purchase a local bottle or bring sufficient supplies of gas to see you to your next destination.
If you are looking for info about Australia wist the Down Under Rally website, http://www.downunderrally.com. There is a ton of up to date info covering everything you need to know.
You will also find testimonials from cruisers who are in Australia now (2015/2016) about their experience “down under” A FREE 64 page cruisers guide to Australia called GO WEST is also available for download via the website or at http://media.wix.com/ugd/b28e0b_654481b743184b6c873663d0cdce112e.pdf. Australia is not to be missed!
In years past yacht crews have reported upsetting experiences due to their treatment by Customs and Quarantine when clearing into Australian ports. Last night we joined the crews of 4 other yachts for a convivial Happy Hour. Three yachts and our motor vessel had entered Australia from SE Asia (one in Darwin and 3 in Gove) within the previous 2 weeks. All crews were unanimous in their praise of the treatment we had experienced.
The officers who dealt with us all were described as “professional, thorough but friendly, welcoming and fair”. To be fair to all the yacht crews too, all had abided by the Customs reporting requirements and all had made themselves aware of the Quarantine regulations and had their vessels ready for inspection.
We congratulate the Officers involved for their professional but friendly demeanour and hope that this will be the standard all yachts entering Australian Ports of Entry can routinely expect.
Regards
Janice and Nick Wooller
MV Yawarra II
HI good tip on the sim card, I’m thinking of bringing a yacht back from Perth to Nz, in February and wanted to know about various ports or shelters to drop into, has anyone done this trip before.
cheers
If, as many do, you buy a new SIM for your phone in each country, in Australia TELSTRA is the only real option. All others only cover densely populated areas as I found out the hard way.
The technical details about Bundaberg Port marina are shown elsewhere on this website but are always the case it is the people who provide the services and operate the machinery that makes or break a marina.
We came into Bundaberg in October 2013 in our Bruce Roberts 53 with a daunting job list involving everything from respraying the top sides, through mechanical work, canvas repair, sanding timber toe rails and galvanising the anchor chain. On the hardstand there is no restriction on doing your own work or if you prefer all the necessary skills are readily available.
We have lifted and worked on our boat in numerous yards in a whole variety of countries all over the world but never before have we received such skilled, helpful and friendly service right from the management through to the operatives on the ground.
The marina is to be complimented on their service, they deserve to do well.
Returning to Australia after a 9 1/2 year circumnavigation we were not looking forward to the alleged complications and expense clearing into Australia (Bundaberg). Nothing could have been further from the truth; we were attended to by very courteous and friendly officials, all done on board in about 1/2 hour and the total cost $330.
Needing groceries the marina then called the manager at the supermarket in nearby Burnett Heads who picked us up in his van, took us to his shop and after finished shopping took us back to the boat via the local liquor store to pick up some beer, how is that for Aussie hospitality! Can thoroughly recommend Bundaberg as a port of entry.