Australian Customs - Deterrent to Visiting Oz ?

[captain58sailin]

I spent 3 months in Port Maquarie, and enjoyed it immensely. Not a bit of trouble with the customs folks, everyone I met was friendly, the weather was fantastic. I also spent a month in Tas and loved it there as well. The only trouble I had was the immigration people noticed that I had over stayed my visa by one day, and I asked them if that meant I had to stay longer?

[ozskipper]

Originally Posted by hoppy

After living in London, Dublin and Stockholm I can tell you Melbourne's weather is not so bad. I miss the mild winters.

Even a Banana Bender friend I worked with in Dublin realised that Melbourne's weather was not so bad and then went to live there a couple of yeras.

Lol.. My post is based on an ongong Aussie joke that is perhaps not understood by all and sundry here. There is a competitive spirit of people who live in NSW and those in VIC. To the point that NSW folk call Victorians "mexicans" and we constantly sledge their weather amougst other things. They, on the other hand sledge us northerners over things like football codes and so on. Its all in good Aussie playful spirit.

[Jd1]

Originally Posted by donradcliffe

The one that upsets me most is their introduction of the 96 hr advance notice rule. Read Australian Customs versus American Sailors

In this case, the yacht tried to comply with the regulations, and did comply with the instructions they were given by the Australian consulate in Noumea. They ran afoul of a new regulation which they were unaware of. A reasonable man would have cut them some slack, but they were treated like terrorists, not tourists, and given a huge fine. If that's the way things are in Oz, I will be giving the country a miss in the future.

IMHO, following instructions obtained from an official government source that could reasonably be believed to be knowledgeable on the subject matter should be the ultimate 'get out of jail free' pass. There is simply no way to trust a government that says one thing and then follows completely different rules.

I for one will not be visiting Australia via boat until they get their act together. Maybe if enough of us vote with our wallets they get the hint.

Question: How far off shore can I reasonably pass without getting 'pulled over' and fined/hauled to court ? Is it just a case of not setting foot on Australian soil or should one stay further out ?
A somewhat related question: If I needed provisions such as food/water/fuel, is there any way of getting that without officially checking in ? This is to say that I would only want life sustaining provisions and that I had no intention of setting foot on Australian soil. I am thinking of a scenario where I would pull up to a fuel dock, take on water, fuel and maybe provisions brought onto the dock by a third party.
Would I need to provide 96 hrs notice in such a case ? Would I need to check in ? Would I be required to pay the minimum $330 check in fee ?

This is really a hypothetical question but am curious .....

[downunder]

Originally Posted by Jd1

IMHO, following instructions obtained from an official government source that could reasonably be believed to be knowledgeable on the subject matter should be the ultimate 'get out of jail free' pass. There is simply no way to trust a government that says one thing and then follows completely different rules.

I for one will not be visiting Australia via boat until they get their act together. Maybe if enough of us vote with our wallets they get the hint.

Question: How far off shore can I reasonably pass without getting 'pulled over' and fined/hauled to court ? Is it just a case of not setting foot on Australian soil or should one stay further out ?
A somewhat related question: If I needed provisions such as food/water/fuel, is there any way of getting that without officially checking in ? This is to say that I would only want life sustaining provisions and that I had no intention of setting foot on Australian soil. I am thinking of a scenario where I would pull up to a fuel dock, take on water, fuel and maybe provisions brought onto the dock by a third party.
Would I need to provide 96 hrs notice in such a case ? Would I need to check in ? Would I be required to pay the minimum $330 check in fee ?

This is really a hypothetical question but am curious .....

Guess it is similar to all countries and particually USA. Can't just drop into any country just for fuel/provisions. If you are transiting north of Aus I guess you might be overflown if you come into Aus waters and could be visited by a Customs vessel. If yust transiting by water should not be an issue.

[ozskipper]

Originally Posted by Jd1

IMHO, following instructions obtained from an official government source that could reasonably be believed to be knowledgeable on the subject matter should be the ultimate 'get out of jail free' pass. There is simply no way to trust a government that says one thing and then follows completely different rules.

I for one will not be visiting Australia via boat until they get their act together. Maybe if enough of us vote with our wallets they get the hint.

Question: How far off shore can I reasonably pass without getting 'pulled over' and fined/hauled to court ? Is it just a case of not setting foot on Australian soil or should one stay further out ?
A somewhat related question: If I needed provisions such as food/water/fuel, is there any way of getting that without officially checking in ? This is to say that I would only want life sustaining provisions and that I had no intention of setting foot on Australian soil. I am thinking of a scenario where I would pull up to a fuel dock, take on water, fuel and maybe provisions brought onto the dock by a third party.
Would I need to provide 96 hrs notice in such a case ? Would I need to check in ? Would I be required to pay the minimum $330 check in fee ?

This is really a hypothetical question but am curious .....

Ok I will bite lol.

Common sense should tell you that you should check in and go through Pratique as is customary in any county. By not doing so you leave yourself open to suspicion, the searches, impoundment, fines blah blah.

One would be best to read the customs website in some detail as Australian territorial waters change in distance at different locations along the varied coastlines.

Customs officers wont really give a rats if your just popping in for water and bread. I can only imagine the guns in my face now, if I tried to sneak into US coastal waters.

By stopping to fuel up a dock, you could also be sneaking drugs ashore or sneaking fauna on board. Two of the major crimes customs are on the lookout for. There is nothing casual about border protection of any nation.

To do a sail past ( where you cut through aus waters without a landing) may be a different thing. You may have to lodge some sort of float plan. Dont really know the answer to that one.

The only other option to your question about getting supplies might be to get someone to dump them at sea from another boat-- home delivery style. But that probably opens up another can of worms lol.

Sadly, I dont think that voting with a wallet will make much difference. Most aussies understand that we have tough customs and aqis to protect our flora, fauna and of course the people. While I am on the side of cruising yachties, this sort of tourism represents a minute amount of tourism revenue and understandably gets the same amount of political attention in Canberra.

One thing I should mention is that it is well documented that most (not all) cruising boats enter aus via qld, then leave via darwin. With the continent being so large it is easy to see how it would be a dissapointment to some yachties. They have just travelled accross the pacific, filled with palm tree islands and not much changes in FNQ. Its not till you get off the boat and travel inland that you get to really experience the heart and soul of the country. I guess a comparison would be only going to Cali and saying the US was all pretty much the same.

[David_Old_Jersey]

Wouldn't put me off (and Oz well worth a visit ). Just a matter of tongue biting and a look of bored resignation (you've been through this stuff a hundred times before).

Although a few of the stories in this thread sound classic shakedown looking for a bung - probably more about giving folk a stripe who should really have been kept simply on the deep fat fryer And that ain't only an Aussie thing

Originally Posted by hoppy

Every time I fly home for a visit I get sent to the "search" queue which alloys the **** out of me, especially last time as it meant I missed two connecting flights to Melbourne (was in Sydney) due to the horrendous queue.

Lol! - i used to travel through Heathrow a lot, the immigration / customs desks were always well manned..........for non UK / EU passport holders. Whereas the locals had to put up with 1 or 2 desks....and the Queues to match . I did think about getting a Somali passport to speed up entry But after having difficulty a couple of times understanding the official (to be fair, probably was some form of English?) decided to fly mainly out of Europe.

Oh, and Heathrow looked like the 3rd world.......used to (although I beleive parts have had a revamp - but not been back since).

[John Webb]

It astounds me to read some of the articles surrounding visitors to our shores and the so called reasons that other don't want to sail here because of so called jack boot attitude of our officials.

I have sailed into Australia on many occasions, Skippering my own Australian registered vessel as well as foreign flagged vessels and have never met an official yet that has been anything but polite and helpful.
I have no doubt that if you want to be rude to them, the next time you clear in to Australia you will be met with less than friendly attitude, but at the end of the day I have never had to pay bribes to get an official to do their job.
Follow the rules and you will clear into Australia so fast it's incredible and we will welcome you with open arms.
Have a great Day..John

[TassieBloke]

Originally Posted by ozskipper

Lol.. My post is based on an ongong Aussie joke that is perhaps not understood by all and sundry here. There is a competitive spirit of people who live in NSW and those in VIC. To the point that NSW folk call Victorians "mexicans" and we constantly sledge their weather amougst other things. They, on the other hand sledge us northerners over things like football codes and so on. Its all in good Aussie playful spirit.

Then there are Tasmanians that regard anyone that comes from the Northern Island with great suspicion. They all whinge about why our weather always changes, and how sometimes there is snow on the mountain in summer, so they have put a jumper on...both states are worse than the Poms

[hoppy]

Originally Posted by David_Old_Jersey

Lol! - i used to travel through Heathrow a lot, the immigration / customs desks were always well manned..........for non UK / EU passport holders. Whereas the locals had to put up with 1 or 2 desks....and the Queues to match . I did think about getting a Somali passport to speed up entry But after having difficulty a couple of times understanding the official (to be fair, probably was some form of English?) decided to fly mainly out of Europe.

Oh, and Heathrow looked like the 3rd world.......used to (although I beleive parts have had a revamp - but not been back since).

LOL

Too many times I have travelled to Aus from Sweden via Heathrow. I always use my Swedish passport in the EU, so I have got caught in the horrible EU queue whilst the non-eu just breeze through. In the past, before I got my EU passport I have gotten stuck behind flights from africa or middle East and of course someone in front of me results in a supervisor been called over and then I wait and wait and wait LHR is a poorly "designed" airport (3rd world sounds appropriate) and should be shut down, not expanded. Of course every attempt to create a new airport is scuppered by a badger or something like that.

[hoppy]

Originally Posted by TassieBloke

Then there are Tasmanians that regard anyone that comes from the Northern Island with great suspicion. They all whinge about why our weather always changes, and how sometimes there is snow on the mountain in summer, so they have put a jumper on...both states are worse than the Poms

It reminds me of the joke about how the Tasmainian mother knew her daughter had her first period.... sorry but I can't finish it

[hoppy]

Originally Posted by Jd1

IMHO, following instructions obtained from an official government source that could reasonably be believed to be knowledgeable on the subject matter should be the ultimate 'get out of jail free' pass. There is simply no way to trust a government that says one thing and then follows completely different rules.

I for one will not be visiting Australia via boat until they get their act together. Maybe if enough of us vote with our wallets they get the hint.

Question: How far off shore can I reasonably pass without getting 'pulled over' and fined/hauled to court ? Is it just a case of not setting foot on Australian soil or should one stay further out ?
A somewhat related question: If I needed provisions such as food/water/fuel, is there any way of getting that without officially checking in ? This is to say that I would only want life sustaining provisions and that I had no intention of setting foot on Australian soil. I am thinking of a scenario where I would pull up to a fuel dock, take on water, fuel and maybe provisions brought onto the dock by a third party.
Would I need to provide 96 hrs notice in such a case ? Would I need to check in ? Would I be required to pay the minimum $330 check in fee ?

This is really a hypothetical question but am curious .....

You could always pay someone to deliver you supplies whist you wait off shore outside of the Aus economic zone. However when coast watch/customs/navy spots your offshore rendezvous it may give them justification to board you in international waters

[David_Old_Jersey]

Originally Posted by hoppy

In the past, before I got my EU passport I have gotten stuck behind flights from africa

I suppose nowadays the Officials are not allowed to say "Dr Livingston I presume"

[savoir]

Originally Posted by DeepFrz

I don't think so. Gov't systems have changed a lot since 911 under the direct pressure from the US gov't.

Back again. Binbizzy trying to make some buck$ plus trying to close the deal on the new savboat.

Anyway DeepFrz I'll correct you first because I said I would. I hate to tell you this but 9/11 doesnt mean two beans for any of the old British colonies apart from Canada. For places like South Africa, NZ and Australia 9/11 had zippo affect on the customs boat boarding laws.

It is not possible for anyone to provide evidence of a negative but I can assure you that 9/11 meant nothing to Australia's customs laws. If you think there was a positive change to those laws please tell me what it was.

[sailorboy1]

I bet most countries that hear cruisers crying and saying they wouldn't stop there because of they are enforcing their countries rules and laws; don't care and if they do they are happy that the cruiser isn't stopping in THIER country.

I for one would not consider passing by a large safe country just because it was a hassle to check-in. Are we cruisers or something else (was going to use a word that would have just caused me to get grief)

[DeepFrz]

savoir, if you read my post carefully you will see I did not mention laws. I said systems. And it is a well known fact that the US has put pressure on many countries around the world to tighten up their Immigration/Customs systems. Note the fact that some Australians here have referred to the Immigration Force, rather than Immigration Service.