Townsville: Breakwater Marina & Ross Creek

Townsville is the biggest port in northern Queensland, and it's a working one: ships, tugs and pilots use Platypus Channel and the harbour. Small craft have two main bases. Breakwater Marina is beside the harbour entrance, and Ross Creek, reached through the port's swing basin, has the yacht club and the ramps. The Ross River, just south, has the big public boating park.

At a glance

Getting in

Radio. The MSQ port procedures say every vessel, commercial or recreational, keeps a listening watch on VHF 12 and 16 inside the Townsville VTS and pilotage area. NGA says the VTS is mandatory for vessels 35 m and over.

Breakwater Marina. The marina beside the harbour entrance has 280 berths for vessels up to 43 m. Its channel is marked by the white sector of the Breakwater Marina sector light, with lit beacons No 1 to No 6 (MSQ port procedures).

Ross Creek. You reach the creek and the Townsville Yacht Club marina through the port's swing basin. Comply with the port busy signal and don't transit while it's lit. Vessels over 35 m need permission from the Regional Harbour Master through VTS (MSQ port procedures). The busy signal is three red lights in a vertical line, occulting every 5 seconds, on Platypus Channel beacon P16 and the arrival front lead. It shows when a large ship is approaching or leaving a berth, and the ship and tugs throw a lot of wash in all directions (MSQ NtM 426/2025).

Ross River. The declared channel has a design depth of 2.5 m and is 30 m wide (MSQ NtM 144/2024). It silts after rain (NGA). The latest declared depth is 1.2 m from the entrance to beacon No 6 (MSQ NtM 549(T)-2026). Beacon No 9 has been replaced by a buoy (MSQ NtM 047/2026).

Approaches. NGA notes an unexploded ordnance area east of the entrance channel and a strong westerly set off the eastern breakwater on the flood. West Channel, between Magnetic Island and the mainland, has 3.6 to 6.1 m and pipelines and restricted areas. It's for shallow-draft vessels, and not at night without local knowledge.

Port closed. NGA says the answering pennant by day, or an occulting red light at night, means the port is closed.

Works in November and December 2026

• Ross River channel dredging. The dredge Port Frederick is working the Ross River channel in daylight from 10 October to 18 December 2026 (MSQ NtM 536(T)-2026).
• Harbour and channel dredging. The dredge Brisbane is working Platypus Channel, Sea Channel and the harbour around the clock from 4 to 17 November 2026 (MSQ NtM 576(T)-2026).
• Victoria Bridge, Ross Creek. Inspections in daylight from 2 to 7 November 2026. Stay clear of the work and keep your wash down (MSQ NtM 581(T)-2026).

Anchorages

• Off Cape Pallarenda. Small vessels using West Channel get good shelter from north-easterlies in 5 m, 1.2 miles NNE of Cape Pallarenda (NGA).
• Off Magnetic Island. 9.1 m, good holding, 0.7 mile SSW of Bremner Point (NGA). See the Magnetic Island guide.

Ramps

• Ross Creek, Sir Leslie Thiess Drive. Two ramps with floating walkways (TMR TV71 to TV74).
• Townsville Recreational Boating Park, Ross River. Three ramps (A, B and C) with pontoons (TMR TV30 to TV39).
• Barnicle Street, Railway Estate. Ramps and pontoon on the Ross River (TMR TV11 to TV15).

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 Breakwater Marina / Ross Creek ramps, Sir Leslie Thiess Drive (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: Townsville
• MSQ Townsville port procedures (May 2026)
• Reef Authority zoning Map 7: Townsville
• 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.