Southern Queensland SUPERYACHT GUIDE

ARRIVING IN QUEENSLAND

WEATHER AND TIDES Southern Queensland coastal areas have a sub-tropical climate making this exciting region an all year-round cruising destination for visiting superyachts. Located below the cyclone belt, the Southern Queensland coast enjoys bright sunny warm days and balmy evenings with only small variations between the summer and winter months and definitely not the seasonal extremes felt in the northern hemisphere! Temperatures Summer Average 29C in the day with lows of 21C overnight. Winter Summer: December to February Hottest months of the year with some humidity and higher rainfall and thunderstorms at times. Autumn: March to May Remaining warm with cooler evenings with less humidity and rain Winter: June to August Generally dry and mild, low humidity, cooler at night Spring: September to November Warm sunny days with some cool sea breezes Prevailing winds The Southern Queensland coastal waters can experience tidal variances over four or more metres in places. For example, Gladstone can have a HAT of 4.83m. Consult the Maritime Safety Queensland website for all information including the Queensland Tide Tables and local information on tidal planes and king tides . msq.qld.gov.au/Tides Summer: Northeasterlies Winter: Southeasterlies Tides Average 22C during the day with lows of 14C overnight. Water temperatures Average range from 25C in the summer to 19C in the winter. Seasons

PILOTAGE REQUIREMENTS All vessels of 50m or more proceeding within a Queensland compulsory pilotage area must either carry a licensed marine pilot or be under the command of a master who holds a Pilotage Exemption Certificate for the area. Compulsory pilotage areas in Southern Queensland are the ports of Gladstone, Bundaberg, Brisbane and Southport (special conditions apply). msq.qld.gov.au/Shipping/Compulsory-pilotage- areas Pilotage areas also exist for the Maryborough / Hervey Bay area and Noosa. Local area chartlets are also available for reference. Refer to the Maritime Safety Queensland (MSQ) website for more details or contact the local Harbour Master directly to discuss specifics or exemptions from pilotage requirements. msq.qld.gov.au/Shipping/Pilotage-areas

MARINE RESCUE ORGANISATIONS

There are two marine rescue organisations in Queensland, and both are manned by trusted teams of experienced volunteers. They each cover different locations up and down the coast. They are Volunteer Marine Rescue (VMR) Queensland and the Australian Volunteer Coast Guard . marinerescueqld.org.au EMERGENCY CONTACTS For all emergencies in Australia where a life is in danger: call Triple-Zero (000) for police, fire or ambulance. For non-life-threatening emergencies at sea, call Volunteer Marine Rescue Queensland on 18 000 RESCUE (18 000 737 283). VMR Queensland also offers a log-in/ log-off service for cruising vessels. marinerescueqld.org.au coastguard.com.au/locations/queensland

Arriving in Queensland

msq.qld.gov.au/Shipping/Pilotage

msq.qld.gov.au/About-us/How-to-contact-us/ Regions

PROTECTING THE MARINE ENVIRONMENT The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) is Australia’s national regulatory body promoting the safety and protection of the Australian marine environment and combat ship-sourced pollution. AMSA also provides the infrastructure for safety of navigation in Australian waters and maintains a national search and rescue service for the maritime and aviation sectors.

Whale migration advice The Southeast Queensland coast is well known for its annual whale migration season, from June to November, as the humpback whales migrate north to warmer waters to calve and then return to the Antarctic later in the year. Whales can be present and sighted up and down the Queensland coast during this time. Whale Migration Advice on observed distances and reporting of any incidents is located under the Notice to Mariners / Southeast Queensland Outside Pilotage Areas . publications.qld.gov.au/dataset/south-east- queensland-outside-pilotage-areas-notices-to- mariners

Australia implements a range of standards and regulations to protect the marine environment from pollution. These regulations ensure Australia meets its international obligations. Visiting vessels to Australia must ensure they comply with these regulations and report marine pollution incidents. For more details or to report an incident, please visit the Australian Maritime Safety Authority website. For additional information specifically on Queensland marine pollution policies , please visit the Maritime Safety Queensland

marine pollution section. amsa.gov.au/marine-environment

msq.qld.gov.au/Marine-pollution

msq.qld.gov.au/Tides/Tide-Tables

msq.qld.gov.au/Tides/King-tides

SOUTHERN QUEENSLAND SUPERYACHT GUIDE

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