Port Officer's Information Geelong and Approaches

Port officers: none

Should any CCCA members decide to turn to starboard at Sydney Heads and sail south, here is some valuable information regarding sailing in Port Philip Bay.

General comments

Location

Geelong Lat 38* 09’S Long 144*22 E

Geelong is 25 nm from Port Philip Heads.

Port Philip Heads (Pt Lonsdale) Lat 38* 18’S Long 144*37 E

Access to Port Philip Bay is at Point Lonsdale. Geelong is situated in Corio Bay which is a westerly extension of Port Philip Bay.

 Entry Precautions

It is advisable to enter through Port Philip Heads during appropriate tidal flows. Enter from seaward at the start of the flood or exit at slack water at the start of the ebb tide. The tidal stream floods for 6 hours and ebbs for 6 hours which has a 3 hour overflow from high and low water. It is advisable to contact Point Lonsdale VTS (Vessel Transit System) prior to entering to identify your vessel and to ensure the entrance is clear of any incoming or outgoing shipping movements. A most recent Notice to Mariners regarding Point Lonsdale light is available on the website‘portofmelbourne/notices/mariner09”. This provides a photo of “The Rip”, a notorious name for the entrance to Port Philip Bay. Night time entry can be made easier by observing either Green or Red indicator lights on Point Lonsdale lighthouse. A red light indicates the flood tide and the green light indicates an ebb tide.

For weather forecasts monitor coast radio Melbourne on Ch 16 then to Ch 67. Coast Radio Melbourne will record vessel position information, however, a position monitoring or follow up service is not provided. Coast Radio Melbourne is manned by communication officers located at Point Lonsdale Lighthouse at the entrance to Port Philip Bay. They maintain a listening watch 24 hours a day 7 days a week.

 Berthing and Anchoring

After entering Port Philip Heads, vessels can choose many destinations. The first berthing option is Queenscliff Harbour which is still under development. There is a new marina complex with fuel available, showers and toilets. A heavy travel lift is available here if you need to work on your boat on the hard stand. The accompanying infrastructure is still under development at September 2009. There will be marine trades based at the harbour eventually; the office staff ought to be able to put you in contact with any trades as required...

After Queenscliff Harbour the options include:

St Leonard’s pier and the immediate area along the beach is an emergency stop that would provide protection from a westerly wind. Jessie Martin rested here when he entered the bay after his world circumnavigation.

Portarlington provides a safe anchorage when the wind is from the South. Portarlington has a Pub, cafes and supermarket. Anchor along the beach to west side of the pier. You can tie up inside the pier watch the depth and don’t upset the mussel farmers.

All anchorages in Port Philip Bay are exposed to winds so the West side of the bay is sheltered from strong Westerlies and the Eastern side is protected from Southerlies and South Easterlies. If there is a Northerly wind, protection must be found at marinas in Queenscliff, Melbourne or Geelong.

Blairgowrie on the East side of the bay has a marina with facilities that is exposed to the west and north winds. We have anchored off Blairgowrie when the wind is favorable. Mornington is also on the East side and provides shelter from South and South Easterlies. Anchoring is possible in close to the beach at Mornington. Showers and toilets are available at the Mornington yacht club. The town of Mornington has a cinema, supermarkets, hardware stores, restaurants and cafes plus other specialty shops.

Closer to Melbourne, Sandringham Yacht Club welcomes visitors and all amenities are available here including a chandlery with all trades on site in an industrial complex. Sandringham is 36.4NM from Port Philip Heads. There is a travel lift at Sandringham and fuel is available at the marina jetty. A walk up the street to Hampton Rd provides you with all the shopping that you need and many good cafes. You can catch the train into Melbourne city from here.

Royal Brighton Yacht Club welcomes visitors. Brighton is between Sandringham and the city of Melbourne. The yacht club has a marina and it would be advisable to phone ahead and make contact before entering the marina.

The Royal Victorian Yacht Squadron at Williamstown provides berthing for visiting yachts and travel lift if you need to get the boat out for maintenance. The co-ordinates for Williamstown are Lat 37*52’ S Long 144*55’ E and you must take care when entering the Yarra river as this is the main entry and exit point for all shipping at Melbourne. Steer clear of big ships. The Port of Melbourne Authority has control of port security and various security measures are in place. There is a chandlery a short walk away, as well as cafes, pubs and restaurants. The main shopping centre which would supply all your requirements is a ten minute walk away. Many trades are available to work on your boat as needed, enquire at the Yacht Club.

Savages boat yard, at Williamstown, provides all trades available as required for any repairs with a travel, lift and hardstand.

After Williamstown you can sail/ motor at 5 knots, up the Yarra River to Docklands which is in the centre of the city of Melbourne. There is Pier 35 along the river just under the Westgate Bridge where fuel is available at a floating fuel dock on the river side. Further up river are Docklands Marina and D’Albora Marina, both at Southbank and Yarra’s Edge under the Bolte Bridge on another arm of the river. These marinas all provide toilets, showers and laundry facilities, at a cost, within walking distance of Melbourne CBD, trams and Melbourne’s Southern Cross Railway station.

Once you have visited Melbourne you can then sail down to Geelong which is South West of Melbourne. The Royal Geelong Yacht Club welcomes visitors and provides shower and toilet facilities with fuel available. The laundry is a walk up the street a few blocks. The club has a bar with comfy couches to rest and talk about boats and things. The city of Geelong has all of the services that you need including railway station, within walking distance of the marina. Marine trades are available as needed. The Marina manager, Paul, is very helpful and will answer all your questions. Anchoring is possible on the south side of Corio Bay before entering the inner harbour at Point Henry through the Hopetoun Channel. There is a shallow sandbar at Point Henry so you must enter via the channel.