Live aboard in Australia

[simonpickard]

Hi,

Just wondering if there’s anyone out there living aboard in Oz? East coast. Just looking for tips on how regulated it is, prime areas. Costs, etc? Any blogs going into this or posts would be amazing.

Cheers,
Simon

[GILow]

Originally Posted by simonpickard

Hi,

Just wondering if there’s anyone out there living aboard in Oz? East coast. Just looking for tips on how regulated it is, prime areas. Costs, etc? Any blogs going into this or posts would be amazing.

Cheers,
Simon

Following because this subject is important to me too.

FWIW, you probably already know this, but the official line is that you cannot live aboard anywhere in NSW for more than something like 24 days in a year, or thereabouts.

I found a number of recommended places in QLD, and have personally visited some really lovely places in Tasmania that officially allow liveaboards.

I am the sort of person who would never relax if I felt I had to live under the radar, so NSW went off my list. Which is a pity because it has some truly spectacular waterways.

Here's a thread I started a while back when this became an issue for me...

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ia-190979.html

Might find some helpful advice in there.

Good luck with your investigation.

Matt

[Ambler]

There are a lot of things illegal in NSW like abseiling climbing in national parks. I have and know a fair number of liveaboards in NSW, just keep your obvious liveaboard signs * down.
* no clothes drying, lights on at night - fit black outs on all the ports, hoist dinghy alongside rather than tethered out the back. Choose your locations carefully.
No authorities will be around to see you unless there has been a complaint.

[44'cruisingcat]

We live aboard and cruise full time. We've never had any problems with the authorities, even though we often exceed the NSW "time limit ".

But we do actively cruise, not staying put in one place for months.

If you're looking to liveaboard in a marina, there are pretty short time limits in NSW. Marina operators aren't going to tell you they allow full time liveaboards, but some actually do.

It's much easier in Qld. It's legal for a start. Even so, some marinas don't allow it, and some marinas charge an extra liveaboard fee. Others may charge for electricity. Especially if you have aircon.

Alternatively in Qld you can live on the hook too.

[ahun]

The NT is pretty relaxed, there are lot of liveaboards in Darwin.

[simonpickard]

I guess a rough plan would be to keep moving up and down the coast. So hopefully never in one place for more than a few weeks.
If you’re doing that do the rules still apply in NSW? I guess I could coastal hop up into Queensland for a while so it resets?

[44'cruisingcat]

As I said, we've never had any problems in NSW. And we have stayed anchored in some places for maybe a couple of weeks. Most notably Roselle bay, right opposite Maritimes head office.

[GILow]

Originally Posted by simonpickard

I guess a rough plan would be to keep moving up and down the coast. So hopefully never in one place for more than a few weeks.
If you’re doing that do the rules still apply in NSW? I guess I could coastal hop up into Queensland for a while so it resets?

My UNDERSTANDING is that it is a maximum number of days in a year, so in theory at least, leaving and returning won't help.

Of course, that leads to the obvious question, who even keeps count?

I don't want to make a big thing of this. As 44CruisingCat points out, plenty of people don't have a problem.

To me it's one of those luck/personality things. And yep, you make your own luck to some degree.

My PERSONAL situation is that I want to be able to work in a professional placement at a fixed location (teaching at a school) while living aboard, so I don't want to trust to luck, not when I am in a middle of a six month or year long contract. Also, I am a bit of a stickler for rules, so I would feel uncomfortable breaking them.

But I totally concede that others have different needs and different outlooks that would make NSW perfectly workable.

[Bruce K]

There a a number of full time liveaboards in Pittwater, one in sight of my house, most boats are in very poor condition, but ignored by NSW Maritime because according to Maritime BSO's they would be homeless if they were moved on. Also a couple of families living on houseboats in McCarrs Creek.

[gwaynel]

I haven't heard of any restrictions about live aboards in Australia. There could be but I have never been made aware of these rules. My wife and I arrived in Oz last year and have no difficulties staying on the boat in Queensland (Southport) and in New South Wales (Coffs Harbour). At both places there numerous other live aboards; some who had been in residence for years.

[Mike Banks]

You will probably be OK as long as you keep moving, but there are some areas they will harass you unmercifully, and those areas are canal suburb areas close to Cities.

[44'cruisingcat]

Originally Posted by Mike Banks

You will probably be OK as long as you keep moving, but there are some areas they will harass you unmercifully, and those areas are canal suburb areas close to Cities.

True. Some places, notably Mooloolabah, seem to have local by laws prohibiting people from living aboard at anchor, or have short time limits, often 72 hours.

Strangely, there are several derelict looking boats anchored in Mooloolabah, dragging all over the anchorage, and have been for years. This is apparently acceptable because there's nobody on them.

[Paul L]

Originally Posted by gwaynel

I haven't heard of any restrictions about live aboards in Australia. There could be but I have never been made aware of these rules. My wife and I arrived in Oz last year and have no difficulties staying on the boat in Queensland (Southport) and in New South Wales (Coffs Harbour). At both places there numerous other live aboards; some who had been in residence for years.

You may not have heard about the restrictions, but they surely exist. Here's the rather restrictive limits for Southport, Bums Bay, etc.
https://gcwa.qld.gov.au/wp-content/u...Guidelines.pdf

[44'cruisingcat]

Yep, it needed to happen in bums bay. People were living there, fair enough, but they'd also surround their boat or houseboat with crab pot floats, preventing anyone from anchoring within about 60 metres of them.

It's not a big area, and that really reduced the number of boats that could use the place.

Also you have to ask what they were doing about toilet waste, given that many/most of them certainly never went out to sea or to pump out facilities. It's a very popular area for parents to take kids swimming.

But for most of Queensland there are very few restrictions on anchoring.

[simonpickard]

Thanks so much for all the replies. Sounds pretty much like the rest of the world when I sailed it. I.e. Don’t be an idiot. Keep your boat looking respectable, etc.

Regards,
Simon