Cairns & Trinity Inlet

Cairns is the big city port of the far north. Ships, cruise liners, reef boats and naval patrol boats share a single dredged channel, only 90 m wide for about 7 miles, into Trinity Inlet (NGA). Marlin Marina is the first berthing area inside and is built for recreational boats. Further up the inlet are the small-craft anchorages and Smiths Creek. The harbour's own rules are short and firm: listen on VHF 16 and 12, stay on the edge of the channel, and anchor only where it's allowed.

At a glance

Getting in

Radio and the channel. The MSQ Cairns port procedures say a recreational vessel with VHF keeps a listening watch on VHF 16 and 12 before entering the shipping channel, if it intends to navigate in or along it. This applies from the pilot boarding ground to the main wharves in Trinity Inlet, including Smiths Creek. If you're tuned to the volunteer marine rescue channels, switch to VHF 12 as you approach the channel. In the channel, keep to its outer edge.

Speed. NGA and MSQ list 12 kn seaward of beacon C15 and 8 kn (no wash) in Trinity Inlet inside C15, for vessels drawing more than 3 m. Smiths Creek is 6 kn (no wash). For all vessels, 6 kn within 30 m of a wharf, ramp, pontoon or a vessel at anchor or moored.

Tides and streams. NGA says springs rise 1.8 to 2.9 m, the tide is affected by the wind, and streams reach 2 kn at springs. In the wet season, and after heavy rain, the ebb in the harbour can reach 5 to 6 kn, and flood water from the Barron River sets strongly east towards False Cape.

Marlin Marina. The marina keeps 4.2 m alongside (NGA). The MSQ declared depth is 4.2 m in the marina and 2.6 m on the marina's inner pilotage approach (NtM 568(T)-2026).

Current notices

• Channel dredging. The dredge Brisbane is doing maintenance dredging in Cairns Harbour and the channel until about 3 November 2026, with Pacific Titan bed levelling. Both keep a watch on VHF 16 and 12 and are restricted in their ability to manoeuvre (MSQ NtM 504(T)-2026).
• Sunken and partly submerged vessels. An 11 m vessel at 16°55.617'S 145°47.106'E, marked Fl Y 2s (NtM 512(T)-2026). Another 11 m vessel at 16°57.670'S 145°47.598'E, marked Fl Y 3s (NtM 496(T)-2026). A 12 m yacht in the East Admiralty anchorage between Seelee and Falls creeks at 16°58.054'S 145°47.718'E, in 3 to 5 m with only its two masts showing at high water. Its mast carries a Fl Y 4s light (NtM 218(T)-2026).
• Half Moon Bay, Yorkeys Knob. Maintenance dredging from 27 October 2026 to 31 March 2027, 7 am to 6 pm on weekdays and some Saturdays. A floating and submerged pipeline runs to the spoil ground, marked with yellow and pink buoys every 100 m (MSQ NtM 573(T)-2026).
• Green Island jetty. Upgrade works began on 25 October 2026 and are expected to take about four weeks. Go slow and keep your wash down near the jetty (MSQ advice, 24 October 2026).

Anchorages

• Area Foxtrot (outer). Recommended for transient vessels and vessels awaiting Australian Border Force. It lies on the eastern side of the inlet between beacon C20 and the line of beacons T2 and T4 (MSQ port procedures).
• Area Golf (Magazine Creek) and Area Hotel (Admiralty Island). Further up the inlet. The holding is mud over a hard base; keep at least 0.3 m under the keel at all times (MSQ).
• Admiralty Arm and Smiths Creek. You can anchor east and south of Admiralty Island south of 16°56.75'S, and in Smiths Creek south of the mouth of Rifle Range Creek, without obstructing navigation. Depths run from 12 m to nothing (MSQ).
• Prohibited. No anchoring in the entrance channel, Trinity Inlet, the swing basins, Smiths Creek north of Rifle Range Creek, or between beacon T1 and Marlin Marina, without the Regional Harbour Master's approval (MSQ).
• Outside the port. The offshore ship anchorages (CA and CPS) need permission from Cairns VTS (MSQ).

Ramps

• Fearnley Street, Portsmith. Ramp and floating walkway (TMR CN21, CN27).
• Tingira Street, Smiths Creek. Ramp with pontoon (TMR CN22 to CN24).
• Yorkeys Knob and Bluewater, north of the city. Ramps at Half Moon Bay and Trinity Park (TMR MG80, MG91); Half Moon Bay is tide-limited.

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 Marlin Marina (marina)

From Fearnley Street ramp (boat ramp / dinghy landing)

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: Cairns
• MSQ Cairns port procedures (August 2026)
• Reef Authority zoning Map 5: Cairns (PDF)
• Reef Authority: Cairns Area Plan of 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.