Cost for yacht visiting Australia

[john_morris_uk]

I think I might be missing Oz off the round the world trip itinerary. Having been following some of the remarks on the thread from Vicki doing her thesis on yacht hull cleaning I have found that you need to pay $330 AUD which is just over £200 for an inspection. Just mind you don't arrive at night or ask for an inspection and let it run into overtime. Only payable by credit card and it will be authorised while you wait!

I have cruised many countries and there have often been fees to pay for a 'crusing permit' or some similar money making scheme. The only figure that gets anywhere near that is the fee for visiting the Bahamas.

 

[FullCircle]

Try sending a PM to Phanakapan, they have just arrived in Oz with their Moody 33 after crossing Pac.

 

[sarabande]

it's the same if you import a container of household goods, or a car into OZ. EVERYTHING has to be immaculately clean before being loaded; any trace of mud or grime, and the whole lot has to be either destroyed if it's wood, or sterilised. And that is minimum £2000 per container. Meanwhile aircraft and birds come and go ad lib, and invasive species crawl out of the benthic layers and die on the beaches ...

 

[Phoenix of Hamble]

While it's a lot of money, its not enough to stop me wanting to visit one of the most diverse and fascinating countries/continents on the planet!

 

[maby]

While it's a lot of money, its not enough to stop me wanting to visit one of the most diverse and fascinating countries/continents on the planet!

Also, I believe, the place on earth with the largest number of different things all wanting to kill you! The price wouldn't stop me - I simply don't want to go there!

 

[john_morris_uk]

Also, I believe, the place on earth with the largest number of different things all wanting to kill you! The price wouldn't stop me - I simply don't want to go there!

Can you please NOT tell Mrs M about the snakes as I have decided that I do want to got there and the £200 is less than an air fare... I also get a travelling home called our boat to live on while I enjoy the visit

 

[photodog]

Can you please NOT tell Mrs M about the snakes as I have decided that I do want to got there and the £200 is less than an air fare... I also get a travelling home called our boat to live on while I enjoy the visit

Snakes????

That's just the start.... Big alligator things... Spiders... Tasmanian devil dogs, bush fires, Sharks, phsyco mass mirdering truck drivers.... And don't think those koalas are all cuddles either... The list goes on and on.

My mate.. ( who bizarrley raises goats as a hobby...) Has to go out and check the garden for funnel web spiders and other assorted bitey things before letting his children out of the house...

No thanks. At least in Canada its just Bears, mountain lions, rattlesnakes and wolverines...

 

[Twister_Ken]

Snakes????

That's just the start.... Big alligator things... Spiders... Tasmanian devil dogs, bush fires, Sharks, phsyco mass mirdering truck drivers.... And don't think those koalas are all cuddles either... The list goes on and on.

My mate.. ( who bizarrley raises goats as a hobby...) Has to go out and check the garden for funnel web spiders and other assorted bitey things before letting his children out of the house...

No thanks. At least in Canada its just Bears, mountain lions, rattlesnakes and wolverines...

Even the delightful duck-billed platypus can kill you, if Patrick O'Brien is to be believed.

 

[Neeves]

No wonder they call us whingeing Poms!

Jonathan

 

[short-handed]

Snakes????

That's just the start.... Big alligator things... Spiders... Tasmanian devil dogs, bush fires, Sharks, phsyco mass mirdering truck drivers.... And don't think those koalas are all cuddles either... The list goes on and on.

My mate.. ( who bizarrley raises goats as a hobby...) Has to go out and check the garden for funnel web spiders and other assorted bitey things before letting his children out of the house...

No thanks. At least in Canada its just Bears, mountain lions, rattlesnakes and wolverines...

I think you all ought not believe everything everyone tells you. I'm certain more people in Australia die from boating accidents each year than from snakes, spiders and crocodiles combined!

My family and I live in north east Victoria, on the edge of a state forest, and Brown Eastern and Red Belly Black snakes are quite common. Yet they are far more afraid of us than we are of them

Australia is a wonderful country, with great cruising grounds. Come on over!

 

[kunyang]

Ah yes, the guide picked up a green bellied black snake, and advised us against picking up the red bellied kind. How to find out which is which - pick it up and have a look!!!!

 

[AndrewB]

A great many long-distance cruising yachts arrive in Australia at Bundaberg, Queensland, as part of the annual Point2point Rally, http://www.bcyc.net.au/P2P_Arrival_info.html. For the rally admission fee of $A220, the rally pays your $A330 Australian quarantine fee, as well as providing various beanos and goodies. Not really a rally in the usual sense as yachts have not necessarily travelled together beforehand, but good value and a much appreciated warm welcome!

Don't forget that EU citizens need a tourist visa to visit Australia (which also costs), plus you must email Customs & Border Protection at least 4 days before arrival. Details here: http://www.customs.gov.au/site/page4260.asp.

 

[DanTribe]

Ah yes, the guide picked up a green bellied black snake, and advised us against picking up the red bellied kind. How to find out which is which - pick it up and have a look!!!!

I was given some good advice when meeting a snake;
"LEAVE IT ALONE"
During a 3 month trip to Australia, much of which was spent camping, I managed to see 3 snakes, one of which may have been dangerous, but I was in a 4WD so wasn't worried.
Did get bitten though, by sand-flies and a leach.
The most dangerous thing in Australia seems to be the sun, there are continually warnings to Slip Slap, Slop.

 

[john_morris_uk]

A great many long-distance cruising yachts arrive in Australia at Bundaberg, Queensland, as part of the annual Point2point Rally, http://www.bcyc.net.au/P2P_Arrival_info.html. For the rally admission fee of $A220, the rally pays your $A330 Australian quarantine fee, as well as providing various beanos and goodies. Not really a rally in the usual sense as yachts have not necessarily travelled together beforehand, but good value and a much appreciated warm welcome!

Don't forget that EU citizens need a tourist visa to visit Australia (which also costs), plus you must email Customs & Border Protection at least 4 days before arrival. Details here: http://www.customs.gov.au/site/page4260.asp.

I hope that by the time we set off round the world we might have email available from at sea, but if we don't, I am fascinated to know how the authorities expect us to e-mail 4 days in advance of our arrival. The only thing I could do would be to e-mail them saying I hope to arrive somewhere sometime before we leave the previous port. Given the vagaries of wind and weather, there is no way one could guarantee an arrival time or date so I rather hope that they would be flexible.

 

[AndrewB]

I hope that by the time we set off round the world we might have email available from at sea, but if we don't, I am fascinated to know how the authorities expect us to e-mail 4 days in advance of our arrival. The only thing I could do would be to e-mail them saying I hope to arrive somewhere sometime before we leave the previous port. Given the vagaries of wind and weather, there is no way one could guarantee an arrival time or date so I rather hope that they would be flexible.

It's OK, they aren't quite that stupid. You email from New Caledonia, Fiji, or wherever else is your jumping off point, once you have decided the place and time of likely arrival. A few days out won't cause a problem, the important thing is that they get a minimum of four days notice. If you are part of the Point2Point rally, they will notify customs for you.

Incidentally, similar rules about advance notification apply also to Fiji and New Zealand.

 

[phanakapan]

Hi- some up to date info-

Visas...we got 1 year multiple entry visas for Australia when we were in Fiji, (multiple entry so we could a) travel back home if we wanted and b) go to Indonesia then 'back in' to Christmas Island and/or Cocos Keeling Island.) Can't remember the cost, tbh, but certainly not prohibitive.

Quarantine/ customs etc. I emailed them from New Caledonia, with a very rough arrival date/time. As another poster said, you don't have to do it exactly 96 hours in advance, just do it before you leave the previous port. As we were entering the Brisbane river, we were called up on VHF 16 by Customs (they see you coming in from a 'control tower' at the river mouth!) and were asked for our ETA at the customs dock: they were there to meet us and everything was done and dusted including quarantine inspection a couple of hours later. They did take our fruit ,veg, eggs etc- not that we had a lot left, and you can always eat it for lunch while waiting, like we did...
Ok, so they are hot on fresh food/ mud/ bio-fouling. BUT they are not the only country to be like that, IIRC New Caledonia, Tonga Fiji, certainly Galapagos were equally hot on foodstuffs- or at least enough for me to throw away mouldy apples etc before tying up at the dock. No problem, just don't overstock on fresh stuff. Re bio-fouling- I did dive and scrape visible fouling off as much as I could in New Caledonia before entering Oz waters- I think they aren't too bothered as long as you don't look like you are arriving with a hull full of weed/barnacles etc etc. The thing the quarantine guys seemed to be most concerned about (and poked through the whole boat looking for) was termites.

We have spent 6 months here and have absolutely loved the countryside and wildlife- yeah we've seen snakes and spiders but also possums, wallabies, koalas, sea eagles, pelicans, well the list goes on and on but you get the idea.

Anyway, point is, Australia is not the only country to have quarantine laws, or entry fees of some form or other whether it be cruising permits, quarantine inspection fees, custom fees or visas or whatever- it's all part of the cruising life; sorting out the entry requirements, including getting hold of the courtesy flags, is just as important as looking at the weather, passage planning, provisioning, mending broken things...

ps a money saving tip- plan your circumnavigation in such a way to only arrive in countries approx 2 weeks after their national holidays; ' flags on sticks' of the right size to turn into courtesy flags will be on sale at 50cents each instead of paying $20 for a proper courtesy flag! Might make your route round the world a bit wiggly though.

pps Full Circle, we nearly went in our Moody 33 but have now got a Van de Stadt 'Seal', 36 foot of steel- and rust....

ppps Lenseman I WILL put together that list of costs associated with visas, cruising permits, agents fees, marina fees where unavoidable, etc etc that I promised you.

blog www.sailblogs.com/member/wanderings

 

[john_morris_uk]

ppps Lenseman I WILL put together that list of costs associated with visas, cruising permits, agents fees, marina fees where unavoidable, etc etc that I promised you.

blog www.sailblogs.com/member/wanderings

Really helpful post: Thank you.

I would also be very interested in a summary of costs of Visa's entry fees etc. I know they have to be paid, but it would be interesting and it helps to know how to budget for what and not have a sudden shock.

eg I avoided checking into Bahamas recently because the costs were prohibitive for the overnight stay we had planned. I'll go there another time, but when we have time to enjoy the place for a few weeks/months.

Thanks John

 

[AndrewB]

A 12 month, multiple-entry visa (Tourist 676) cost us $A110 (approx. £70) each in 2011. We got this en-route at the embassy in Suva, Fiji, because the clock starts ticking on the 12 months when it is issued. I believe it is also possible to apply on-line for a short-term visa or ETA without charge, but this was not suitable for us.

 

[phanakapan]

A 12 month, multiple-entry visa (Tourist 676) cost us $A110 (approx. £70) each in 2011. We got this en-route at the embassy in Suva, Fiji, because the clock starts ticking on the 12 months when it is issued. I believe it is also possible to apply on-line for a short-term visa or ETA without charge, but this was not suitable for us.

Not quite right, if I have understood my 'Grant of Visa Notice' correctly.... You have 12 months from the date of issue to ARRIVE in Australia, the 12 months IN Australia then starts from when you arrive. IE (and I'm quoting from my actual grant of visa notice) 'Grant date 17 October 2012; Stay for 12 months; Entries Multiple; Last date to ARRIVE 17 October 2013'

When we did it last October, you no longer went to the actual High Commission in Suva, but an agency in town; cost was 222 Fiji $ for the visa and 40 Fiji $ for the agency fee.

 

[AndrewB]

Not quite right, if I have understood my 'Grant of Visa Notice' correctly.... You have 12 months from the date of issue to ARRIVE in Australia, the 12 months IN Australia then starts from when you arrive. IE (and I'm quoting from my actual grant of visa notice) 'Grant date 17 October 2012; Stay for 12 months; Entries Multiple; Last date to ARRIVE 17 October 2013'

Just double-checked mine: it says 'Granted 22JUL11. Multiple travel. Holder(s) permitted to REMAIN in Australia until 22JUL12.' [Caps mine.] We actually arrived in mid-October, as many blue-water yachts do. The timing would have been very tight if, as we planned, we'd waited until the next July for favourable conditions to head north through Indonesia.

Clearly, the rules change. It would be a good idea to check the current ones shortly before applying for a visa. They are available at: http://www.immi.gov.au/immigration/.