Beware of Entering Australia

[starfish62]

Been hell for us! Think my husband already posted under my name. I was just there for a few weeks and met the broker and buyer. They all are up in arms over the regulations. Still trying to prove our boat , which has never left the US until we sailed it, is US made. It is a Pierson, for god's sake!! Great Barrier Reef was great! As usual I am sure. My husband is still there trying to get through the red tape. I am back taking care of business....

[GMac]

HSailor That is good one, I'll remember that. I have had the odd 'issue' with Aussie customs over the years. Things to remember when dealing with them;

They have no sense of humour at all. If one smiles at you a rubber glove is not far behind (excuse the pun). They only seem to smile for the same reasons as the bad guys in James Bond movies.
Don't tick the 'Do you have a criminal record' box and say "I did not realise you still needed one." They are well over it and a tad touchy regarding their history.
Last arrival when asked reason for visit I replied "Resucing a political prisoner from the Dark Side". Don't do that either.
No matter what you say when carrying in 3 window wiper blades (6ft long each made of carbon worth 1000 euro each) for Kocomo (170ft superyacht) they will still not believe a car is that big or boats have windows. Did believe they were worth only NZ$250 each ($750 limit before taxes) though.... Ha ha.. suckers!
When saying "How's your day been" to an customs person all they seem to hear is "I have a bomb and are going to blow Australia up".
Don't bother being to polite, they seem to struggle with the concept.
Never mention Rugby when carrying a NZ passport.
Notice how you never hear "Welcome to Australia".
"What is the reson for your visit?" is about as big a sentance they can string togeather in one go.
If all goes real real bad bring up cricket. You'll have to listen to then bang on about their hero, the druged up kiddy bashing porn txter, Shane Warn for an hour or 2 but your bottom will not be violated. Try not to fall asleep and look interested.

Otherwise have fun.

[Alchemist]

NZ customs
I got a written warning from NZ customs for not giving 48 hr notice of arrival
Thier regs state that this notice must be given enroute ,I do not wish to send details requsted over the radio ie passport no personal details etc. dont have sat phone or e mail onboard . Its a joke ,got hasseled more by govt offshore than in land life navy twice and customs four times in one return cruise to Fiji New Zealand cat 1 only apllies to new zealand reg ships at present
they repealed section 21 which apllied to foreign vessels but I belive they are going to re instate it in july 2007
please dont metion criket

[cat man do]

Originally Posted by Alchemist

please dont metion criket

Small thing's like grasshoppers are'nt they

Dave

[southernman]

come on alchemist - what about filling out a pre arrival form? It takes no time at all and saves the problems. You've got to expect something and I think it's good that the NZ customs take some effort to keep out the drug dealers and the likes. I've always found them very resonable to deal with if you follow the very very basic rules. The old thing is if you have nothing to hide you won't mind a few rules.

As for the Australian rules they are tough but again if you follow the basics they are fine. It's rubbish to suggest customs are not contactable via HF radio - just this year did it myself.

Our customers departments are far better than dealing with corrupt officials in many of the countries I have travelled in. At least their are clear rules and no bribes involved!

[Alchemist]

Pre arrival form sent enroute How? did fill out forms when I left same details
2 hours notice when you fly 48 hr in the boat why the differance? are we easy to pick on. Should be notice on vhf when in range
arrived in Fiji on sunday cost 300Fiji over time to clear
others just sat till monday I will next time

[tdw]

Originally Posted by GMac

As for bringing no nasties to Aussie, what a bloody joke. In what country apart from OZ do you have so many nasty bitey things already? Seems if everything that moves wants to have a bite, string, jab or whatever at you, includes a few of the women as well . Mate.... they have mozzies that can carry off small children

Do the words "cane toad" or "japanese starfish" mean anything to you ? Just two examples of non indigenous critters that have been imported into Australia, knowingly or unknowingly, and are decimating local species.
Regarding the paperwork and other bureaurocratic nasties are concerned I agree with the knockers. Petty bloody public service officials and their rules are a pain in the arse but when it comes to keeping out unwanted marine (or otherwise) organisms are concerned I am all for the controls. If that means having our hulls checked when we enter or re enter Oz waters then so be it.

[cat man do]

Originally Posted by tdw

Petty bloody public service officials and their rules are a pain in the arse but when it comes to keeping out unwanted marine (or otherwise) organisms are concerned I am all for the controls. If that means having our hulls checked when we enter or re enter Oz waters then so be it.

I do believe I read somwhere recently about a couple of vessels coming into Brisbane recently that arrived on Saturday to the top end of Moreton Island, and wnted to wait until Monday to avoid the overtime fee's.

This was OK with Custom's as long as they did'nt actually go ashore or mix with anyone other than the other vessel occupant's.

I'm sure they said they gave the bottom a final tickleup before seeing custom's and custom's was OK with that.

Of course I cant find the article now, may have even been in someones log on the net.

Dave

[dana-tenacity]

Anybody know how these idiot rules are supposed to actually achieve anything?

[cat man do]

Originally Posted by dana-tenacity

Anybody know how these idiot rules are supposed to actually achieve anything?

They keep the rule makers in a job.

Dave

[GordMay]

The most severe ecological damage caused by invasive non-indigenous species occurs on islands. The flora and fauna of islands can evolve in almost complete isolation, which often results in species that are endemic (only found in that place). The introduction of a foreign predator into such specialized ecosystems can wreak havoc.

The introduction of the Brown Tree Snake into Guam has caused the direct extinction of 10 of 13 forest bird species and 9 of 12 native species of lizards.

Since the arrival of humans on Hawaii, approximately 2000 years ago, 70 of the 140 known species of birds have become extinct, and invasive species are a major culprit.

Responsible for the reduction of many species of Australian wildlife, cane toads have proven themselves to be one of Australia's worst environmental disasters.
The introduction of Japanese starfish (north pacific sea star), a predator on oysters, into the coastal areas of Tasmania, resulted in major problems for a valuable the shellfish industry.
I understand that imported animals now make up more than 10% of the population of land mammals in Australia. The European rabbit, which was introduced to Australia, is claimed to cost at least $600 million in lost agricultural production each year. Likewise, the introduction of the fox, cat, pig, dog, goats, rats, and other creatures are also having a major impact.

[swagman]

C'mon Dave - get real.

I've built a yacht in Oz and on day one admit I knew nix about laying up GRP, welding stainless, installing engine etc.

By day 365+ when we dropped her in the water, I personally felt confident enough to call myself competent.

If anyone builds a boat and does not feel he's competent enough to add a plate of info about who / when / what to the vessel, then surely they can't be competently confident to go sailing on her............

I know it's easy to slip into making mountains out of little old molehills, but personally find that such a waste of time and energy.

There's better info to share, and better things to do - like sailing!

Cheers
JOHN

[44'cruisingcat]

Originally Posted by mudnut

The customs stuff was all I was talking about.All that red tape s**t is found in every application,so I guess ya just suck it up and deal with what ya have to,It's not just confined to boating.Don't get me wrong,deep down I'm ant-establishment allways have been,It's just not the first time the powers that be see revenue and go for it,and it wont be the last.But then again this thread wasn't started on that summise, if I recall rightly,It was about a warning if you are comming to Australia,or leaving, that some things have changed in regards to check in/out proccedures.So maybe if we heard from the people who have got "Criminal records against them" for a lapse in proccedure on their behalf might be more enlightning to the thread.Whether you fly in or sail in to OZ,it is your responsability to abide by the rules and moreso to have up to date infomation supplied by the appropriate departments.And that is somthing that is allways being voiced on this site and others to sailors.Happy newyear everywhere.Mudnut.

We seem to have rules here just for their own sake though. Aus isn't really that much of a terrorist target is it? Why is it more difficult (and expensive) to enter Aus than for instance, Israel? Surely Israel has more reason to worry about border protection than we do? Even the US has easier regulations than us. And our customs officers could certainly learn a few things about customer relations from the US coast guard.

[44'cruisingcat]

Originally Posted by swagman

C'mon Dave - get real.

I've built a yacht in Oz and on day one admit I knew nix about laying up GRP, welding stainless, installing engine etc.

By day 365+ when we dropped her in the water, I personally felt confident enough to call myself competent.

If anyone builds a boat and does not feel he's competent enough to add a plate of info about who / when / what to the vessel, then surely they can't be competently confident to go sailing on her............

JOHN

The thing is, while you might feel you are competent (and you probably would be) to affix a builders plate to the boat you have built, the QLD government wouldn't recognise you as being so. It has to be a professional boat builder, with a recognised business.

[hellosailor]

c'cat:
Easy answer, Israel has always invited all comers, while Oz has a reputation for being rather selective about who is invited in. Both the tourist and immigration policies are different, and Israel has also cultivated a frequent tourist industry (return visitors and family relations, much shorter flights and more affordable from the EU and US than flights to Oz) to an extent Oz doesn't.

On the bright side, cuisine and wine are much better in Oz.<G>