⚠ NOT FOR NAVIGATION. Use official charts and tide tables. This page is a planning aid only. Navigate with the current official chart, Transport for NSW and Port Authority notices, official tide tables and local advice.

Botany Bay & Georges River

Official Transport for NSW boating mapsTfNSW map 9F: Botany Bay & lower Georges River (PDF)TfNSW coastal map 9: Broken Bay to Garie Beach (PDF)Free official PDFs from Transport for NSW. Not for navigation: TfNSW says so on every sheet, and so do we.
Shipping port · airport runways · seagrass no-anchor zone · Georges RiverLast checked: 27 October 2026Report a correction

Botany Bay is a working port with an airport down one side, so it's not the place to potter about without a plan. Ships come and go from Port Botany, the runways run out into the bay, and there are security zones, a seagrass no-anchoring zone at Kurnell and wildlife areas to steer around. Get past all that and the Georges River runs off to the west, with marinas and ramps in sheltered water.

Map of Botany Bay with markers for the Kyeemagh, Port Botany and Hawkesbury Park boat ramps, Marine Rescue Botany Port Hacking and Kurnell.
Botany Bay. Green: ramps; orange: Marine Rescue; purple: Kurnell. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Positions are approximate and for orientation only. Not a chart. Not for navigation.
  1. 1Kyeemagh Boat Ramp · OSM.
  2. 2Port Botany Boat Ramp · OSM.
  3. 3Hawkesbury Park Boat Ramp · OSM.
  4. 4Marine Rescue Botany Port Hacking (Solander) · OSM.
  5. 5Kurnell · Nominatim.

At a glance
What it is Large bay south of Sydney, entered between Cape Banks and Cape Solander (NGA)
Radio Listen on VHF 12 in Botany Bay; Sydney harbour control works VHF 13 (Port Authority)
Weather Southerly busters and south-easterly swell (NGA)
Hazards Shipping, airport zones, waterside security zones, seagrass no-anchoring zone
Maps TfNSW map 9F (Botany Bay sheet) and coastal map 9

Getting in

The entrance. NGA says the entrance lies between Cape Banks and Cape Solander. Vessels passing the bay and not going in must keep at least 1 mile east of a line between Cape Banks and Cape Baily. NGA gives tidal currents of up to about 1.5 knots.

Weather. NGA warns of southerly busters and south-easterly swell. This bay is wide open to the south-east, so plan your arrival around the forecast.

Shipping. The Port Authority asks recreational boats to listen on VHF 12 in Botany Bay and keep clear of ships. NGA says anchoring is prohibited within the port limits except in an emergency or with permission, so don't expect to anchor in the ship areas.

The airport

  • Runways. Map 9F says no vessels may go within 80 m of the airport runways.
  • Height limits. Marine notice SY1412 sets height restriction zones near the runways of 40 ft and 60 ft. If you've got a mast, check the notice map before you go anywhere near the airport.

Anchoring and moorings

  • Kurnell. Marine notice SY2311 has made a no-anchoring zone over the seagrass off Kurnell since 23 June 2023. It's marked by yellow buoys.
  • Seahorse habitat. Map 9F marks seahorse habitat with no anchoring. Check the sheet for the boundary.
  • Security zones. The map shows waterside security zones around the port with no recreational entry.

Rules in brief

  • Cooks River. Map 9F shows a reduce-wash zone on the Cooks River.
  • Artificial reefs. The map marks artificial reefs in the bay.
  • Port works. Port Authority notice LMN 029-2026 covers dredging at Brotherson Dock. Check the notices before you go.

Facilities

  • Marinas and ramps. OpenStreetMap shows marinas and ramps around the bay and up the Georges River; see the map above.
  • Rescue. Marine Rescue NSW answers 24/7 on VHF 16 or (02) 9471 8300, or use the Marine Rescue NSW app to log on.

Ashore

What's within about a 15-minute walk (1.2 km) of each marina, ramp or landing on this page, measured along streets and footpaths in OpenStreetMap. Addresses are from OpenStreetMap where it has one; where it doesn't, we show the name and distance only. Listings as fetched from OpenStreetMap on 27 October 2026; check opening hours before you walk.

From Hawkesbury Park Boat Ramp (boat ramp / dinghy landing)

NameTypeWalkStreet address (OSM)
Bars, pubs and clubs
Taren Point Bowling ClubBowls club820 m–
Restaurants and cafes
Bud CafeCafe1.0 km–
Supermarkets and provisioning
Corkscrew CellarsBottle shop750 m–
Sylvania Waters SeafoodSeafood shop780 m–
Ness's PatisserieBakery790 m–

From Kyeemagh Boat Ramp (boat ramp / dinghy landing)

NameTypeWalkStreet address (OSM)
Restaurants and cafes
Kyeemagh Kebabs & BurgersCafe930 m–
Entertainment
Foodies & Farmers Market BaysideMarket840 mCook Park General Holmes Drive

From Port Botany Boat Ramp (boat ramp / dinghy landing)

NameTypeWalkStreet address (OSM)
Restaurants and cafes
SubwayTakeaway1.2 km1657 Botany Road, Botany NSW 2019

No marine stores or chandlers are mapped in OpenStreetMap within the walk.

Places, types, addresses and walking distances: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), fetched 27 October 2026.

About this page

These are free planning notes written by a working delivery skipper from public sources. They are not for navigation. Use the official chart, current Transport for NSW marine notices, Port Authority notices, official tide tables and local advice. Spotted something out of date? Please use Report a correction below.

Official links

Check these before you go. They beat anything on this page.

Sources & credits

Written in our own words from Transport for NSW boating map 9F (Botany Bay and lower Georges River, produced 7 September 2026) (each sheet read with pdftotext or viewed on 27 October 2026; each carries its own 'produced' or 'printed' date, quoted on the page), NGA Pub. 127 Sailing Directions (Enroute) East Coast of Australia and New Zealand (2025), Transport for NSW boating pages and marine notices, Port Authority of NSW notices, Marine Rescue NSW unit pages (checked 27 October 2026) and OpenStreetMap. NGA Pub. 127 Sector 4 (4.22). TfNSW marine notices SY2311 (Kurnell, from 23 June 2023) and SY1412 (Botany Bay airport height restrictions), and Port Authority of NSW recreational boating advice, all read 27 October 2026.

Transport for NSW. Facts from the Transport for NSW boating maps (each sheet's 'produced' date is quoted where we rely on it), nsw.gov.au boating pages and TfNSW marine notices, restated and summarised in our own words. Maps are linked, not reproduced. The official maps, notices and the Marine Safety Regulation 2016 prevail. Not endorsed by Transport for NSW.

Port Authority of NSW. Local marine notices and recreational boating advice for Newcastle, Sydney Harbour, Botany Bay and Port Kembla, cited for fact only.

NGA. Background from NGA Pub. 127, Sailing Directions (Enroute) East Coast of Australia and New Zealand (2025), U.S. National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, a US Government work in the public domain. Parts of it are old; where a page leans on it, we say so. Not endorsed by NGA.

OpenStreetMap. Map tiles, facility positions and the Ashore lists © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

Marine Rescue NSW. Unit contacts and hours from each unit's own website, checked on the date shown in the rescue box.

Spotted something wrong or out of date? Port and airport rules change; tell us what you found. Report a correction and tell us what you saw and when.
Last checked: 27 October 2026.

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