Cruising down under - shipping off to Oz

[David52]

Looking for any info or anecdotes about cruising etc in Oz/NZ

Thinking of freighting the boat down there and wanted to know if anyone has any experience of this, and also info about regs regarding visiting yachts etc. I don't have a Oz Passport and the boat is Part 1 and I would like to keep it that way!

Any observation welcome.

Cheers,

GB

 

[Talbot]

If you are wanting to take her there, I have to assume that the plan is for extended sailing in the area. If you are not careful, you will find yourself liable for Aus tax on the boat (abt 15% less transport costs) Cheaper to hire/buy out there!

Also make sure the boat travels with fresh antifoul and suitable pictures of prep before applying. apparently leisure boats are the ones that bring the wrong sort of mollusc into aus waters and thus they have draconian measures to ensure that the offending boat owners are hung drawn and quartered - strange that this doesnt apply to merchant shipping!

 

[Sea Devil]

I have only done Sydney to Darwin via the Great Barrier Reef.... All mainly downwind so Ok... hate to go the other way.. As far as Cairns pretty straight forward... Can be dodgy - 60 knots in Lady with two boats on the reef out of the 5 on anchorage...

Great Barrier Reef enjoyable except for the crocks, sharks, sea snakes and stingers,, well marked and buoyed - as the UK RN!!! The Whitsundays are a sort of solent.. vastly expensive and a major sailing holiday resort - same as Virgin Islands sort of..

I enjoyed it.. Australia is not a very pretty country.. you sail past endless deserts and scrub and the G B R islands are a bit naked -- fun - I enjoyed it but nothing compared to the Pacific.

 

[snowleopard]

And, so I'm told by offspring, the reef is far less colourful than the Caribbean.

 

[Gypsy]

I live in Sydney and have recently shipped a yacht from Italy to Sydney and formally imported it. There is 5% duty and 10% GST for a full import but if you plan to stay only 12 mths or less, or longer and have a valid visa there are provisions for the boat to be allowed in duty free so long as it is exported afterwards. See the Aust Customs website AUST CUSTOMS

You must also consider the quarantine obligations which will require an inspection and may require a fumigation process. Also as another reply has noted a clean hull is the best way to start if arriving by ship. See here
for information AQIS is the quarantine department.

The fumigation is primarily for boats with wood in their construction, exterior or interior because they are looking for borers. If your boat has only been in Europe for the last x yrs they may just require an inspection. If it has spent any time in Asia, USA and some other places listed on the website (somewhere its there, I've seen it) then fumigation is mandatory and will cost about A$1500-2500.

I imported a 5yr old AWB which had only been in the Med. I only needed an inspection and was OK. The hull was clean even though it had been in use for 6mths prior to shipment so I had no problems.

I used Yacht Shipping Ltd for the shipping and was disappointed in the end because they offered mast up shipping then switched to mast down on a container vessel. My self and 3 other owners had to fight hard to get costs covered and even then they refused to pay for the re-step of the mast at the Sydney end - so beware.

As far as cruising goes, it depends where you will be based. The Great Barrier Reef area in Nth Queensland is arguably the best concentrated cruising area, particularly the Whitsunday Islands, but you have to consider cyclones for the Dec-May period.

In the end it will depend upon how long you expect to stay and where you want to go afterwards as well as how "married" you are to your own boat. You might find it better to buy in Aus and resell when you leave.

Ray