The fairest-weather route to Australia from the South Pacific islands arcs north of New Caledonia, through the Coral Sea, across deep, wide open Hervey Bay, directly into the “runway” of lead lights guiding you into the all weather access of the Port of Bundaberg – no problem day or night. 

Why get spanked in the Northern Tasman Sea when you could be flying your spinnaker in balmy conditions.

Just inside the mouth of the Burnett River nestles our beautiful marina complex and modern boat yard which we take great pride in the presentation of the facilities. The Bundaberg Port Marina has gained a flood of support from international visitors who have found the marina gives “everything a cruising yacht would need”. 

The marina is also the official “Port of Entry” for Bundaberg and has allocated the Quarantine clearance berth as Red 15/16, which is now located on the fourth set of berthing arms as you approach the marina, on the up-stream side of the end tee. 

Bundaberg has a great reputation for having pleasant, professional Customs and Quarantine officers. To clear into Australia you will need to notify Australian Customs at least 96 hours before arriving into Port. You should email:
yachtreport@customs.gov.au 

The GPS waypoint for the middle of the outer entrance to the Burnett River is: South 24 45.4 East 152 26.27

When you are approximately 10 nautical miles out from the Port of Bundaberg, you should call VMR 488 (Volunteer Marine Rescue Bundaberg) on VHF Channel 81. They have been instructed by Customs and Quarantine to request the following information:

(1) Vessel Name
(2) Full names of master of vessel and crew onboard
(3) Nationality of master of vessel and any crew onboard
(4) Your last port of call
(5) If there is any sickness or injury onboard the vessel
(6) If you have any pets or animals onboard

From here, you will be instructed to contact the Bundaberg Port Marina for berthing details on the Quarantine dock. It would also be a good idea if you have any food that you were planning to enjoy later, to eat it now! As you will probably find that Quarantine will remove the majority of your eatable supplies from your vessel on arrival. 

There have been rumours about Quarantine expecting every vessel to be lifted out of the water and pressure cleaned, as part of their “new” Bio-Fouling Policy. THIS IS NOT CORRECT. If you have a clean hull as 95% of the visiting yachts do have when they arrive in Australia, then you don’t have a problem! (The majority of yachts, have their hull cleaned before departing for Australia to minimise the drag through the water). 

If you have significant growth on your hull when you arrive, Quarantine will inspect the hull with an underwater camera and then decide if the growth on the hull is a threat to the marine environment of Australia. They will then advise you if you need to haul out and have the growth removed.

Finally, once you have entered the “runway” or shipping leads, proceed up the deepwater channel (10 meters LOA) and turn to port past Channel Marker 16. You have arrived at the “Land of OZ” and soon you will be assisted by myself or one of my staff at the marina, who will help with tying up at the Quarantine berth and greet you with a friendly “Welcome to OZ!“ 

The Bundaberg Port Marina has 160 floating berths ranging from 8 meters to 40 meters in length. Power, water and security lighting are available from the service pedestals located at each slip. The amenities are clean and the landscaped grounds of the complex are a reflection of the high level of presentation that the marina prides itself on. 

The marina provides guests with a courtesy bus for transport into the city of Bundaberg and to the local growers markets on Sundays. Every Friday lunch, the marina provides a “Free BBQ” for guests and Monday night is “Pot Luck Night”. 

The complex has a fully stocked chandlery, licensed café/ restaurant, seafood shop with takeaway meals, boat brokerage, ATM Cash Machine, convenience store, DVD hire, car rentals and wireless internet available onboard your vessel. 

The Hardstand has a 70 tonne shiplift with the latest shiny new supports and props available to boat owners. The yard has installed a treatment station, to comply with Environmental Standards. The system treats any waste water from the yard activities and separates the pollutants, before releasing clean water into the stormwater drains. 

The hardstand facilities offer pressure cleaning services, shipwrights and boat builders, a fully enclosed paint shed and work bays, concrete dry storage with tie down points and service pedestals available at each site. 

The hardstand recently extended another area for dry storage that offers basic storage with no access to power or water but a reduced price for long term storage. The trade complex is accessible from the working yard and has associated tradesman available for on-site repairs. 

There are transport options from Bundaberg: Plane, train, bus or hire car. Bundaberg has a domestic airport with flights departing daily for Brisbane. Transfers are available to the airport from the marina and vice versa. A high speed tilt train departs daily from the centre of town, the marina courtesy bus connects you with this service and drops you of at the doorsteps to the station. 

Buses depart from the coach terminal and depending on the departure times, the courtesy bus is available to drop you at the terminal. Hire cars are another alternative, the marina has a number of cars available from the marina office for local travel and can assist with organising one way drop offs to Brisbane if required. 

Car Rental starts from as low as $35/day and is a great way to get out and explore the area.

If you are heading this way, how about considering the Port 2 Port Fun Ocean Passage from Port Vila, Vanuatu to Port Bundaberg, Australia. The rally departs the last week in October and has great fun and prices on offer for all involved. A week of fun, food and entertainment make it well worth participating in. Visit www.bcyc.net.au.

It’s little wonder that many boats end up staying at the Bundaberg Port Marina much longer then they’d originally planned. The weather is idyllic – sunny and pleasantly warm, with a clean ocean breeze. The location is only 15 minutes from the CBD of Bundaberg. 

The marina provides easy access to explore both offshore and onshore activities, such as fishing, camping, bird watching, the turtle rookery, whale watching in Hervey Bay, incredible flora and fauna that surrounds the region. So if you are looking for an alternative to the hustle and bustle of a big city, why not consider the Bundaberg Port Marina!