Bowen

Bowen is the first town north of the Whitsundays, on the south side of Edgecumbe Bay. NGA says the Port of Bowen is no longer used by commercial ships: its wharves serve fishing vessels and the tugs that work Abbot Point. For small craft there's a state boat harbour with a ramp and pontoon, and anchorages around the bay. West along the coast is the Abbot Point coal terminal and, since 2025, a space-launch site.

At a glance

Getting in

The boat harbour. The Queensland Government's recreational boating facilities list shows a ramp, floating walkway and pontoon in Bowen State Boat Harbour, off Starboard Drive, with a public entrance channel and breakwaters managed by Transport and Main Roads. The Abbot Point port procedures describe the Bowen pilotage area boundary running to the port entrance beacon of the boat harbour.

Gloucester Passage. NGA says this passage between Gloucester Island and the mainland has a least depth of 1.8 m. It's for small vessels with recent local knowledge only, and should never be used at night.

Current notices. A special mark buoy, Fl Y 2.5s, marks a submerged water quality device in the Gregory River, Edgecumbe Bay (MSQ NtM 489/2023). Special marks TS618 and TS619, Fl Y 4s, are laid in Abbot Bay (MSQ NtM 491/2023).

Anchorages

• Bona Bay. 7 to 13 m, sheltered from south and east (NGA).
• Holbourne Island. A temporary anchorage in 16 m on the west side (NGA). MRQ Bowen has its VHF 21 repeater here.
• Abbot Point. Small vessels with local knowledge can anchor in 5 m, 0.3 to 0.4 mile west of Mount Luce, but it rolls (NGA). The ship anchorage is 4.2 miles NNE of the point.
• Historic wreck. NGA notes a historic wreck with a restricted area about 9 miles NNE of Cape Edgecumbe. The Reef Authority lists a Maritime Cultural Heritage Special Management Area offshore of Bowen.

Abbot Point and the space-launch zone

Abbot Point is a coal terminal with deep-water berths. Since July 2025, launches from the Bowen Orbital Spaceport have a safety exclusion area in the Abbot Point pilotage waters. Abbot Point VTS broadcasts on VHF 12 and 16 when it's activated and again when it's cancelled. While it's active, you must not anchor, berth, moor or operate a vessel inside it. It starts one hour before a launch and runs until 30 minutes after (MSQ NtM 321/2025). Listen on VHF 12 or 16 before passing Abbot Point.

Ramps

• Bowen State Boat Harbour, Starboard Drive. Ramp, pontoon and floating walkway (TMR BW80 to BW82).
• Yasso Point, Queens Beach. Ramp (TMR BW12).
• Greys Bay, Horseshoe Bay Road. Ramp, tide-limited (TMR BW11).

Tropical North Queensland in brief

• Marine park. Almost all of this water is in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and the matching Queensland marine park. Check the zone on the Reef Authority zoning map before you fish or anchor.
• No-anchoring areas. These are mostly marked by white pyramid buoys with a blue label. Don't anchor inside them; use the public moorings (blue buoys), which have time limits and vessel-size classes (Reef Authority).
• Crocodiles. The Queensland Government says crocodile habitat starts near Gladstone and runs north, and no waterway in their range is crocodile-free. Keep arms and legs inside the boat, use the boat or trailer as a barrier at ramps, avoid small craft like kayaks, never clean fish at ramps, and stay more than 10 m from any crocodile. They're more active at night and in the September to April breeding season (Be Crocwise).
• Stingers. Marine stingers are present all year, with higher risk from November to May. Swim at patrolled beaches and in stinger nets and wear a full-body lycra suit. If someone is stung, call Triple Zero (000) and pour vinegar on the sting; Irukandji symptoms can take 20 to 40 minutes to show (Queensland Government, page updated 2 October 2019).
• Cyclones. The official season runs from 1 November to 30 April, though cyclones can form outside it (Bureau of Meteorology). On 30 October 2026 the Bureau had not yet published its 2026–27 tropical cyclone outlook. Have a cyclone plan before you leave a boat here in summer.

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 30 October 2026; check opening hours before you walk.

From Bowen boat harbour ramp / Small Ships Harbour (boat ramp / dinghy landing, marina)

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

Places, types, addresses and walking distances: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), fetched 30 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 MSQ notices to mariners, 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.

• MSQ notices to mariners: Abbot Point pilotage area (incl. Bowen)
• MSQ Abbot Point port procedures (May 2026)
• Reef Authority zoning Map 9: Offshore Bowen
• Reef Authority: Townsville and Whitsundays site-specific management
• Queensland notices to mariners, all areas (subscribe)
• Bureau of Meteorology: Queensland coastal waters forecasts
• Bureau of Meteorology: Queensland warnings (incl. marine wind warnings)
• Bureau of Meteorology: tide predictions
• Bureau of Meteorology: tropical cyclones in Australia
• Reef Authority (GBRMPA): zoning maps, all areas
• Queensland Government: boating in crocodile habitat
• Queensland Government: dangerous marine life (stingers)
• Marine Rescue Queensland: rescue units

Sources & credits

Need a delivery skipper for this coast? Get a quote from Garry Hartshorne, AMSA Master <45.