Australia

Australian regional autopilot guides

Every coastal state and territory, and fourteen boating regions within them. Each page covers local wind, tide, bars, traffic and season, the boats people own there, the systems that suit them, typical passages, hazards and where to get instruction.

State guides: 7
Regional guides: 14
Coastline: Cape York to Cape Grim
Reviewed: September 2026

NSW · State guideNew South Wales →New South Wales has the largest yacht fleet in the country, the longest continuous coastal cruising route, and the busiest shipping lane a recreational sailor is likely to cross. Sydney Harbour, Pittwater and Lake Macquarie are full of production cruisers and…Authority: Transport for NSW (NSW Maritime). A NSW boat driving licence is required to drive a powered recreational vessel at 10 knots or more.

Regional guideSydney and Pittwater →Sydney Harbour (Port Jackson) and Middle Harbour · Pittwater and Broken Bay · The Hawkesbury River Regional guideNewcastle, Lake Macquarie and Port Stephens →Newcastle Harbour and the Hunter River · Lake Macquarie and the Swansea channel · Port Stephens, Nelson Bay and the heads Regional guideNSW South Coast: Jervis Bay to Eden →Jervis Bay · Ulladulla Harbour · Batemans Bay and the Clyde River

VIC · State guideVictoria →Victoria's boating is defined by two extremes: the enclosed, shallow, short-chop waters of Port Phillip, Western Port and the Gippsland Lakes, and the open water of Bass Strait, which has a reputation among Australian sailors that it has earned. Between them…Authority: Safe Transport Victoria (Maritime Safety Victoria). A marine licence is required to operate any powered recreational vessel in Victoria.

Regional guideMelbourne and Port Phillip →Port Phillip · Port Phillip Heads and the Rip · Hobsons Bay and the Yarra Regional guideGippsland Lakes and Bass Strait →Lake King, Lake Victoria and Lake Wellington · Metung, Paynesville and the Mitchell River silt jetties · Lakes Entrance and the bar

QLD · State guideQueensland →Queensland is where the Australian cruising season goes and where the trailer-boat fleet is biggest. From the Gold Coast Seaway to the Torres Strait is more than 2,000 kilometres of coast, most of it inside the Great Barrier Reef, with trade winds that blow…Authority: Maritime Safety Queensland. A recreational marine driver licence is required to operate a vessel with an engine over 4.

Regional guideBrisbane and Moreton Bay →Moreton Bay and its channels · The Brisbane River · Manly Boat Harbour and the bay islands Regional guideGold Coast and Tweed →The Gold Coast Seaway and the sand pumping jetty · The Broadwater and the northern canals · The Coomera River and Sanctuary Cove Regional guideSunshine Coast and Fraser Coast →Mooloolaba harbour and the Sunshine Coast beaches · The Noosa River and its bar · The Wide Bay Bar and Tin Can Inlet Regional guideWhitsundays and Mackay →The Whitsunday Passage and the island group · Airlie Beach and Shute Harbour · Hamilton Island and the Molle group Regional guideCairns and Far North Queensland →Trinity Inlet and the Cairns marinas · Port Douglas and the Low Isles · The inner reef route north to Cooktown and Lizard Island

WA · State guideWestern Australia →Western Australia's boating is Indian Ocean boating: long fetch, real swell, the most reliable sea breeze in the country and a coast that runs 12,000 kilometres from Esperance to the Kimberley with very few harbours of refuge. Perth and Fremantle concentrate…Authority: Department of Transport WA. A recreational skipper's ticket is required to operate a vessel with an engine over 4.

Regional guidePerth, Fremantle and Rottnest →The Swan River · Fremantle, the Fishing Boat Harbour and Rous Head · Cockburn Sound and Garden Island

SA · State guideSouth Australia →South Australia's boating is gulf boating. Gulf St Vincent and Spencer Gulf are shallow, long and exposed to hot northerlies followed by south-westerly changes, with the wind-against-tide chop that gulfs produce. Kangaroo Island, Backstairs Passage and…Authority: Marine Safety SA (Department for Infrastructure and Transport). A boat licence is required to operate any powered recreational vessel in South Australia.

Regional guideAdelaide and the Gulfs →Gulf St Vincent · Port Adelaide, Outer Harbor and North Haven · Backstairs Passage and Kangaroo Island

TAS · State guideTasmania →Tasmania has the most beautiful cruising water in Australia and the coldest. The Derwent, the D'Entrecasteaux Channel and the Huon are sheltered and full of classic timber yachts; Storm Bay and the Tasman Peninsula are exposed to the Southern Ocean; the east…Authority: Marine and Safety Tasmania (MAST). A motor boat licence is required to operate a vessel with an engine of 4 hp or more.

Regional guideHobart and the D’Entrecasteaux Channel →The Derwent River · The D’Entrecasteaux Channel and Bruny Island · The Huon River

NT · State guideNorthern Territory →The Top End is tidal boating in the tropics. Darwin Harbour has tides to seven or eight metres and streams that run like rivers; Beagle Gulf, Van Diemen Gulf and the Arafura Sea are shallow, warm and remote; and the water is home to crocodiles and, in the…Authority: NT Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Logistics (Marine Safety). The Northern Territory does not require a recreational boat licence.

Regional guideDarwin and the Top End →Darwin Harbour and Frances Bay · Cullen Bay marina and its lock · Fannie Bay and Beagle Gulf

Find an autopilot for your boat

Frequently asked

Why does location matter for an autopilot?

Because the sea state, tidal streams, traffic and bars decide which modes you use, how much drive margin you need and when the pilot must be off. A pilot tuned for Pittwater is not tuned for the Whitsunday Passage.

Do the rules differ by state?

The lookout duty is national. Licensing, safety equipment and local rules differ; each state page names the authority and the licence threshold.

Are businesses listed?

No. The pages describe the local training landscape and what to ask. Providers change too often for a static list to stay honest.