The Great Barrier Reef has recently opened up to larger superyachts, while the marinas and refit facilities of South East Queensland have become a superb base for yachts visiting Australia on a world cruise.

Clearance and biosecurity

For yachts arriving into Australia via Queensland, you can do so in Brisbane, Bundaberg, Cairns, Gladstone, Gold Coast (Southport), Mackay, Thursday Island, Townsville and Weipa. Cairns, Brisbane and the Gold Coast are the most popular and well-equipped destinations for yachts.

Australian authorities are very strict about the importation of food and animal products. It’s best to take on an agent who will work with your crew to indicate which provisions can remain and which will need to be consumed prior to arrival. Generally, any food products that are in cyrovac packaging and clearly labelled as Australian in origin will be fine, however an agent is your best source of information.

I am finding the arrival process to be easier and easier each time as the authorities and crew begin to understand each other.

Regulations

As Queensland and Australia are the custodians of the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Great Barrier Reef, they take their role in its protection very seriously. In doing so, they defend the marine habitat for us to enjoy, yet this defence comes with its share of regulation.

For yachts, the regulations depend on the length of the yacht and your cruising purpose. It is best to review the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority’s website and discuss your planned itinerary with your agent.

Our yacht supports Ocean Alliance’s Sea-Through: Superyacht Beach Clean-up initiative, in which crew dedicate time and resources to collecting plastic and rubbish on beaches before it ends up in the ocean.

Logistics

Australia is not the cheapest when operating a yacht. We have a contract with a fuel supplier and would recommend you organise the same, as well as bunkering, just prior to departing Australia, which will allow you to avoid the GST (tax).

For day workers, we rely on local crew agents as it is not like the Mediterranean where crew are out walking the docks.

We use agents with established relationships when entering a new port of clearance. On balance, the benefits outweigh the costs.

Weather

As for the best time to cruise Queensland, it’s always said that the cooler months of April to November are recommended. Yet for me, the optimum cruising season depends on what you wish to achieve.

The southeasterly trade winds blow from April to November on average 15 to 25 knots. As the outer reef has no above-water protection to speak of, this can be a very exposed time of year to cruise. Having said that, the sea is teeming with life, the minke and humpback whales are migrating, and the diving is superb.

November to April is more humid but very still. It is more pleasant, calm cruising in many ways and the water is warmer, yet the sea life is not as vibrant. It’s also tropical storm season, yet with proper planning this can be avoided by cruising further south. Guests will also need to wear stinger suits when swimming.

Cruising the Great Barrier Reef

As the owner of Beluga is a keen fisherman and diver, we spend most time cruising the reef and particularly Ribbon Reef 5, the bottom of Ribbon Reef 10, and Cod Hole.

Lizard Island is a favourite anchorage for visiting yachts, both for the vivid coral gardens and the game fishing during marlin season.

Lizard Island is also home to one of Australia’s finest resorts, and we always get great feedback from guests about Opal Reef, and in particular, Steve’s Bommie, one of the best dive sites on the reef (15 30.091 S, 145 47.304 E).

Further south are the 74 tropical islands of the Whitsunday group. This archipelago is very popular as there are plenty of beautiful coves, bays and anchorages to enjoy, including one of the best beaches in the world at Whitehaven Beach.

There’s also Hamilton Island, where you can dock at Hamilton Island Marina and guests can fly into the island’s airport. If your yacht is 35 to 70 metres, there are designated anchorages for you in the Whitsundays, while yachts under 35 metres have more options.

Even further south is the Bunker Group encompassing Lady Elliot, Lady Musgrave, and Heron islands. These islands mark the start of the Great Barrier Reef and offer reasonable cruising, especially if your base is in South East Queensland.

The Coral Sea

For more adventurous and remote cruising, some of the lesser-known cruising grounds lie beyond the reef in the Coral Sea, such as Kenn Reef and Fredericks Reef. These reefs lie roughly 290 nautical miles north-east of Bundaberg and are the site of many wrecks from Australia’s colonial past. Some of the best fishing and scuba diving is found in the Coral Sea, with up to 40 metres of visibility.

Ports

Our home port is Port Douglas, which is ideal for yachts up to 40 metres. Cairns, 73 nautical miles to the south, has berthing for yachts up to 140 metres. In the south, Brisbane and the Gold Coast have berthing options for yachts up to 80 metres. Additionally, these three ports are the service, maintenance and refit centres in Queensland and offer high-quality services to yachts – particularly in South East Queensland.

As a home port, the crew and I love Port Douglas.

We are an adventurous bunch and enjoy the diving, fishing, bushwalking and water sports, as well as the restaurants, bars and night clubs in Cairns and Palm Cove. Our guests are impressed by it as well.

As Cairns has an international and domestic airport, many of our guests fly straight into North Queensland and we arrange a helicopter to transfer them to the yacht. It a fantastic way to start a trip as the aerial view of the reef, the Daintree rainforest and a little detour over Cape Tribulation is unlike any other view in the world.

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