Sent to noonsite by Steve Allen, SY Seren

Here is a quick round-up of how we found the facilities in Brisbane.

East Coast Marina, Manly (south of the Brisbane river)

– Good public transport links to Brisbane city and shopping

– Lots of marine services

– Friendly staff

– Marina fees are ok

– Plenty of healthy competition for your business

– Berths are a long walk from the showers

– Easy access to Moreton Bay

Scarborough Marina and boatyard (north of the Brisbane River in Moreton Bay)

– No public transport to anywhere and you are in the middle of nowhere in a rough area

– Marina staff unfriendly and unhelpful

– Shallow entrance and a lot of shallow berths

– Very expensive to haul out

– The yard’s repair company are the only people authorized to spray paint. Their fees (and those of the other businesses in the complex) are (in my opinion) astronomical.

Newport Waterways Marina (200m north west of Scarborough)

– Shallow entrance and shallow marina

– No facilities and no transport

Rivergate Marina

– This is the clearance port of entry for Brisbane. They are ok with you staying on the pontoon for a few hours after you clear in

– Then it gets very expensive

– Public transport is non-existent and you are miles from anywhere

– There are a travel lift and boatyard

– There is a planned development

Note: If quarantine takes wood or other organic goods off your boat to be irradiated for insects or fungi, then it will generally only cost you 80aud and they will post it back to you.

Brisbane City

– You can anchor or if you’re very lucky, get onto the pile moorings off the botanical gardens

– It’s very cheap

– Easy access to the City

– Public transport everywhere

– City cats (50ft high-speed catamarans) are passenger ferries that run the Brisbane river. The swell from these is annoying but at least it stops at 11 pm

Dockside Marina (just south of the story bridge and the city)

– Friendly staff

– Easy access to public transport

– Ferry wash is annoying but liveable

– Not too expensive

– Docks are falling apart

– As with the city, it’s a long sail up the river

Hope you enjoy your stay in Brisbane!