Burnett Heads & Bundaberg Port Marina
Burnett Heads is the front door to Bundaberg and the end of this section of the coast. It's a proper port entrance: a dredged ship channel with leading lights between training walls, the sugar and bulk-liquid wharves, and just inside, Bundaberg Port Marina and the Burnett Heads Boat Harbour. For yachts it's a well-used stop, the last big marina before the Bunker and Capricorn groups, and a common first port for boats arriving from overseas. It's also strong tidal water with ships, so respect the streams and the port rules.
- 1South Head light · OSM.
- 2Burnett Heads entrance channel · TMR WO81.
- 3Burnett Heads Boat Harbour ramp · TMR WO71.
- 4MRQ Bundaberg · MRQ.
- 5Burnett Heads, Harbour Esplanade ramp · TMR WO51.
- 6Bundaberg Port Marina · OSM.
At a glance
| What it is | Burnett River entrance and the Port of Bundaberg |
| Channel | Sea, Middle and Inner reaches on leading lights. Design depth 9.5 m; actual 8.3 m Sea Reach, 8.5 m Middle and Inner reaches, swing basin 5.3 m (LAT, as of 8 May 2026, MSQ 252(T)/2026) |
| Streams | 2.5 to nearly 4 knots in the entrance, more in the channel; a strong northerly set off South Head (NGA) |
| Ships | Pilotage area. Monitor VHF 13 and 16 in the ship navigation area (MSQ HB-6, HB-7) |
| Marinas | Bundaberg Port Marina; Burnett Heads Boat Harbour (5-lane ramp, pontoons) |
| Map age | MSQ HB-4 to HB-6 current to 31 May 2023 |
Getting here
- Log on/off: VHF 81 or phone (07) 4159 4349 (radio 6 am to 6 pm)
- Emergency: VHF 16 or Triple Zero (000)
This is a working port entrance with strong streams, not a surf bar, but MRQ Bundaberg still wants to hear from you before you head out past the heads.
Contacts checked on the unit's official website on 18 October 2026.Approach. NGA says the light on South Head, the pilot station and the white tower to the south, together with the sugar sheds, are excellent marks for the port. From the north, NGA advises keeping at least 7 miles offshore until South Head light bears about 245°. From the south, pass east of Sloping Hummock and keep more than 2 miles off until you can join the entrance leads. Sand flats under 3 m run up to 2 miles NE from Barubbra Island, which sits in the mouth. ⚠ 207(T)/2026 (17 April 2026): a hazard to navigation off Barubbra Island.
The channel. NGA gives Sea Reach leading lights on 270°, approach lights on 252° through Middle Reach and Inner Reach lights on 229°. The main entrance runs between the south-east end of Barubbra Island and South Head, inside the training walls. MSQ's HB-6 and HB-7 sheets warn that large ships make severe turbulence passing the pilot boarding ground to the wharves, and ask small craft to monitor VHF 13 and 16 in the ship navigation area. Ships report to Bundaberg Harbour Control before moving, so listen in and keep clear.
Current depths. MSQ notice 252(T)/2026 (issued 8 May 2026, read 19 October 2026) gives these actual depths below LAT as of 8 May 2026, against a design depth of 9.5 m: Sea Reach 8.3 m, Middle Reach 8.5 m, Inner Reach 8.5 m, Deep Draft Departure 8.4 m. The swing basin is 5.3 m (design 8.0 m), the oil berth 6.0 m and the bulk sugar terminal berth 10.5 m. That's plenty for a yacht in the channel, but check the Bundaberg notices list for anything newer.
Anchoring and berths
- Outside. NGA's ship anchorages lie about 1.5 to 2 miles ENE of South Head light in 7.3 m, and in 12 m about 5 miles east, with a spoil ground 2 miles ESE. These are for ships, but they tell you where the room is if you're waiting for light or tide.
- Inside. Most visitors berth at Bundaberg Port Marina. Our sources don't give current visitor berth numbers or depths alongside.
Skipper's notes
Garry's own observations from deliveries through Burnett Heads & Bundaberg Port Marina. First-hand notes, dated, and no substitute for the chart.
- Depth
- [Garry to add: depths seen, state of tide and date.]
- Holding
- [Garry to add: bottom type and how the anchor held.]
- Shelter
- [Garry to add: wind directions it is good or bad in.]
- Other notes
- [Garry to add: anything else worth knowing, with date.]
- To check
- [Garry to add: Preferred marina, fuel dock and haul-out, and any entrance quirks in a south-easterly.]
- To check
- [Garry to add: How clearance in actually works for overseas arrivals here.]
- To check
- [Garry to add: Is Elliott Heads worth a mention for visitors?]
Notes last updated: [date]
Facilities
- Bundaberg Port Marina (OSM) is on the south bank just inside the heads.
- Burnett Heads Boat Harbour has a 5-lane ramp, pontoons, a jetty and toilets (TMR, managed by Gladstone Ports Corporation). ⚠ 467(T)/2026 (24 August 2026): piling works in the boat harbour.
- MRQ Bundaberg is at 51 Harbour Esplanade.
- Arrivals from overseas need to clear in with Australian Border Force. See the official link below.
Boat ramps
From the TMR list: Burnett Heads Boat Harbour (5 lanes, pontoon, toilets, not tide-limited) and Harbour Esplanade (1 lane, tide-limited). South along the coast are Bargara, Innes Park and Elliott Heads (Riverview).
Rules in brief
- Port. Bundaberg pilotage area. Port limits are a 4-mile circle centred on South Head (NGA).
- Speed. NGA gives 10 knots in the river from the entrance to Bundaberg Creek and 4 knots above that. Check MSQ's schedule.
- Notices. ⚠ 107(T)/2026 (9 March 2026): marine warnings in place on the Burnett River and Port of Bundaberg. Check the Bundaberg list for what's current.
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. ⚠ As at 18 October 2026: we haven't confirmed each place is still trading, so check before you walk.
From Burnett Heads Boat Harbour ramp / Burnett Heads, Harbour Esplanade ramp (boat ramp / dinghy landing)
| Name | Type | Walk | Street address (OSM) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bars, pubs and clubs | |||
| Lighthouse Hotel Motel | Pub | 1.1 km | 66 Zunker Street, Burnett Heads QLD 4670 |
| Lighthouse Hotel | Pub | 1.1 km | – |
| Restaurants and cafes | |||
| Sports Club | Restaurant | 570 m | – |
| Burnett Heads Takeaway | Takeaway | 1.1 km | – |
| Supermarkets and provisioning | |||
| Burnett Heads Bakery | Bakery | 1.0 km | – |
| Burnett Heads Store | Supermarket | 1.0 km | – |
| IGA | Supermarket | 1.1 km | – |
| Burnett Heads Shopping Complex | Shopping centre | 1.1 km | – |
From Bundaberg Port Marina (marina)
| Name | Type | Walk | Street address (OSM) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bars, pubs and clubs | |||
| Bluewater Sports Club | Club | 330 m | – |
No marine stores or chandlers are mapped in OpenStreetMap within the walk; see the Facilities section above for marine businesses we know of.
Places, types, addresses and walking distances: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), fetched 18 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, Bundaberg pilotage area
- Gladstone Ports Corporation: Port of Bundaberg
- Biosecurity: non-commercial vessel pre-arrival report
- Australian Border Force: arriving by private vessel
- MSQ: crossing a coastal bar (safety advice)
- Queensland notices to mariners, all areas (subscribe)
- MSQ Queensland tide tables
- Bureau of Meteorology: tide predictions
- Bureau of Meteorology: Queensland warnings (incl. marine wind warnings)
- Bureau of Meteorology: Queensland coastal waters forecasts
Sources & credits
Written in our own words from MSQ Beacon to Beacon Hervey Bay sheets HB-4, HB-5 and HB-6 (with enlargements A Burnett Heads Boat Harbour and B Bundaberg Port Marina) (read 19 October 2026; each sheet carries its own 'information current to' date, quoted on the page), NGA Pub. 127 Sailing Directions (Enroute) East Coast of Australia and New Zealand (2025), Sector 5, the MSQ notices-to-mariners listings on publications.qld.gov.au (titles and dates checked 19 October 2026), the Queensland Government (TMR) recreational boating facilities list (fetched 19 October 2026), Marine Rescue Queensland unit pages (checked 19 October 2026) and OpenStreetMap. NGA Pub. 127 para 5.40. MSQ notice 252(T)/2026 (amended port navigation depths, 8 May 2026, cancels 203(T)/2026) read in full from publications.qld.gov.au on 19 October 2026; notices 107(T), 207(T) and 467(T) of 2026 identified by title and date.
Maritime Safety Queensland. Contains Maritime Safety Queensland data (Beacon to Beacon guide, notices to mariners, nav-aid open data, pump-out map C2-335, speed-limit schedule, tide information) © State of Queensland (Department of Transport and Main Roads), licensed under CC BY 4.0. Facts restated and summarised in our own words. Not endorsed by MSQ or TMR.
Queensland legislation. Transport Operations (Marine Safety) Regulation 2016 and Transport Infrastructure (Waterways Management) Regulation 2012 © State of Queensland, CC BY 4.0. Summarised; the authorised versions at legislation.qld.gov.au prevail.
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 out of date; where a page leans on it, we say so. Not endorsed by NGA.
OpenStreetMap. Map tiles and some facility positions © OpenStreetMap contributors, data available under the Open Database Licence (ODbL).
Others. Facts from local authority pages and notices (for example the Gold Coast Waterways Authority), volunteer marine rescue sites and businesses' own websites are cited for fact only and restated in our own words. Listing a business is not an endorsement.
Last checked: 19 October 2026.
Need a boat moved in or out of Bundaberg?
Get a delivery quote