Darwin - Clearance
This is a Port of Entry and a Biosecurity First Point of Entry for Australia.
All vessels arriving into Darwin must have provided Advance notice of arrival to the Australian Border Force (ABF) as well as to the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF).
For full details of Clearance requirements, see the Noonsite Australia Formalities page.
Pre-Arrival
Prior to entering Australian territorial waters to the north of the country, you will probably receive a “fly over’ and be contacted by an Australian Border Force aircraft. Likely questions you will be asked include confirming the name of your boat, number of persons on board, your last port, your next port, your home port and if you have any pets on board. You will be read a statement on what you need to do before entering Australian waters.
General Clearance for Darwin:
On approach, contact Darwin Port Authority on VHF Channel 16 with the name of the yacht, number of crew and your ETA into Darwin There are relay stations around all of Australia’s coasts, making it possible to use VHF radio over much longer distances than normal.
Quarantine anchorage:
Department of Agriculture Buoy 12°28.5’S 130°49.95’E, inside Fannie Bay or on the northern side of sandbar outside of Cullen Bay / Emery Point. It is possible to shelter in Doctor’s Gully if sea conditions are not suitable in Fannie Bay.
Clearance pontoon:
Cullen Bay pontoon outside of lock 12°27.112’S 130°49.233’E. Contact Cullen Bay Lockmaster (CH 11) or the Australian Border Force prior to coming alongside pontoon. Stay clear of the left side of the pontoon which is used by ferries.
Biosecurity:
Australia has strict laws relating to the importation and/or possession of certain goods to minimise the risk of the introduction of exotic pests and diseases. Recent reports from cruisers who have cleared into Australia in Darwin indicate that no meat or meat products either canned or frozen are allowed into Australia and that Biosecurity officers here are operating strictly “by the book”. It is recommended to consume as much organic provisions as possible prior to arriving in Australia and declare all food/provisions that you have on board.
Biosecurity operates on a cost-recovery basis and there are charges for the Biosecurity inspection, assessments and any analysis of samples they may collect from your vessel.
Read the following report for the latest information.
Marine pests and hull inspection:
Prior to entering a Darwin marina, all yachts, Australian and others, may have to be inspected to prevent the spread of several marine pests (various species of mussel). If a boat has not recently been hauled out/antifouled in Australia (within 14 days and has the paperwork to prove it) it will have to have the hull inspected.
Yachts should call Aquatic Biosecurity on 0413 381 094 or email aquaticbiosecurity@nt.gov.au to obtain clearance. The Northern Territory Governments pays for this service, which includes the hull inspection and internal treatment. Yachts must not stop anywhere along the coastline in the Northern Territory and clean their hull. The process takes place at the Cullen Bay ponton and can take up 10 hours during which time you must stay on board in case of emergency.
Please see this link for further information: Hull Pest Inspections for Visiting Boats
Clearing Out:
Darwin is a very busy port for small craft clearance, commercial and military vessel activity and cruise ships visits.
To efficiently manage the volume of clearances required, ABF in Darwin ask for five days notice of an intended departure date to allow time to processes the vessel and crew through their systems. This is a local requirement. You will need to confirm your appointment with Customs and ABF to clear out, which will take place at the Cullen Bay Marina pontoon.
While ABF endeavour to facilitate all requests whether they fall inside or outside of the five days prior notice, this is determined based on their schedule at the time of the clearance request.
Their email address is darwin.shipping@abf.gov.au
Last updated: July 2024
Ashmore Reef:
If heading for Indonesia, it is possible to stop at Ashmore Reef in the Timor Sea. According to the National Maritime Centre, because the reef is outside the 12NM limit of the Australian border, reporting into MARS is not required for visiting locations outside of the 12NM when the vessel has departed Australia heading for an international location. Yachts therefore do not need to seek permission to stop here. Australian Border Force keeps a large patrol boat moored at the reef and officers are reported to be friendly.
The lagoon is quite long with depths from less than 15m to 500m. To prevent anchor damage to the coral reefs, there are several moorings available in the West Island lagoon in the Recreational Use Zone. The moorings are available on a first come first served basis and if there are no moorings available, anchoring should be confined to sandy areas of West Island lagoon, or outside the marine park to prevent damage to the reef.
Ashmore Reef is a sanctuary for seabirds, shorebirds, marine turtles, dugongs and many other marine species and provides an interesting stopover for yachts travelling between north Western Australia and Indonesia. Find out more at https://parksaustralia.gov.au/marine/parks/north-west/ashmore-reef/.
Previous reports on Ashmore Reef can be found here.
Last updated: July 2024
If you have information for this section, or feedback on businesses used, please let us know at editor@noonsite.com. We also welcome new information about businesses you have used (see Related Businesses).
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Related to following destinations: Australia, Darwin, Northern Territory (Australia)
Port Navigation
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From Eric Sponberg on SY Corroboree
My wife and I are Americans on a 35’ monohull sailboat, Corroboree, having just sailed from Darwin, NT, Australia, where we left on 16 May 2022, to Bali, Indonesia, where we arrived on 29 May 2022. We stopped at Ashmore Reef in the Timor sea for 2 days along the way.
First, there are supposed to be public moorings for small craft at Ashmore Reef. Australia Border Force keeps a large patrol boat moored there, and they are quite friendly to talk to and deal with. However, their literature regarding the moorings at Ashmore Reef is incorrect and out of date. There are no small craft moorings anywhere at Ashmore Reef, there are only large vessel moorings with very heavy hawsers. Visiting yachts are allowed to use these moorings—check with the Border Force vessel first—but there are no small craft moorings. Apparently, they have been washed away. We reported this situation to Border Force, and they were quite surprised that none of the smaller moorings were there. I guess they had not inspected the anchorage there in a long time. The lagoon is a few miles long.
Eric Sponberg
SY Corroboree
Naval Architect, retired
Member, Noonsite
14th Oct 2019
Hi just found a great place for boat oil and diesel filters .
Cummins diesel sell a very wide range of filters .
They are in East Arm About 15 mins from Darwin central.
When clearing out, make sure to contact Border Security at least 24 hours before you wish to attend the office to get an appointment. We tried to turn up and clear out but were told to leave some paperwork and come back the next day.
The Darwin office has made this a local requirement so they can have your paperwork ready. Their email address is darwin.shipping@border.gov.au
The clearance by Aquatic Biosecurity is now down to 10 hours. May be completed at Cullen Bay pontoon or at anchorage in Fannie Bay.