San Remo & Newhaven
San Remo and Newhaven face each other across The Narrows, the gap between Phillip Island and the mainland that forms Western Port's eastern entrance. The Phillip Island bridge crosses it, the tide runs hard underneath, and right now there are major works on the bridge. Most bigger boats use the Western Entrance instead.

- 1San Remo Bridge (works under way) · Parks Victoria NtM 485(T)-2026.
- 2San Remo Pier · OSM.
- 3Newhaven boat ramp jetty · OSM.
At a glance
| What it is | Tidal narrows under the Phillip Island bridge, the eastern way into Western Port |
| Air draught | 12 m under the bridge; 18 m under the overhead power cables (Parks Victoria) |
| Streams | Up to 6 kn in The Narrows |
| Works | Bridge works under way; only the middle spans open (Parks Victoria NtM 485(T)-2026) |
| Port manager | Parks Victoria (local port of Western Port) |
The Narrows and the bridge
- Marine Radio Victoria monitors VHF 16 (67 is the alternative) 24 hours a day, out to 20 nm off the Victorian coast
- Emergency: VHF 16 or Triple Zero (000)
Clearances. The Western Port Recreational Boating Guide gives a 12 m air draught under the Phillip Island bridge and 18 m under the overhead power cables. NGA gives the bridge's centre span as 61 m wide with 12.2 m clearance.
Streams. Tidal flows reach up to 6 knots in The Narrows (Parks Victoria; NGA gives 5 to 6 kn). Stay in the marked channels. Boats that stray onto the mud flats can be stuck for eight hours or more.
Bridge works (from 26 October 2026, until further notice). Parks Victoria NtM 485(T)-2026 says SRG Global is working under the San Remo bridge from scaffolds and pontoons. The works now affect spans on both the San Remo and Newhaven sides, starting at the shore ends and moving towards the middle. In this stage:
- Only the middle three spans are unaffected, and at least one of them will stay open throughout. Signs on the bridge show which.
- Any span outside the middle three is an exclusion zone under the Marine Safety Act 2010. Lit yellow special marks (Fl(4)Y.15s) mark the exclusion zones.
- Lit yellow special marks (Fl(4)Y.10s) mark no-wash zones round the works. Go through with no wash.
- Further notices will give the open spans and the air draught available, stage by stage. Check the latest Parks Victoria notice before you go through.
The Eastern Entrance
NGA says a boat can use the Eastern Entrance at the top of high water if it draws less than 3 m on an ordinary tide, or less than 3.7 m on a good spring tide, and that local knowledge is necessary. Streams in the Eastern Entrance usually run 2 to 3 kn. A deeper boat should wait at the inner anchorage until nearly slack high water before taking The Narrows. If you don't know it, use the Western Entrance between Phillip Island and Flinders.
Facilities
- Berths. The Western Port guide lists the San Remo and Newhaven jetties in its berthing table; check the signs for time limits.
- Fuel. The guide says diesel is available at the San Remo fishermen's co-op for members; Western Port Marina at Hastings and Yaringa Marina also sell fuel.
- Ramps. OpenStreetMap shows the Newhaven boat ramp jetty and San Remo Pier.
Victorian rules in brief
- Heightened risk. On vessels up to 12 m underway, the Victorian Recreational Boating Safety Handbook counts these among the times of heightened risk: crossing an ocean bar, boating in a Designated Hazardous Area (Port Phillip Heads is one), boating from an hour after sunset to an hour before sunrise, in restricted visibility, or where a gale, storm force or severe weather warning is current. Lifejacket rules are tighter then; check the handbook's tables for your boat.
- Warnings. The Bureau of Meteorology issues strong wind (26 to 33 kn), gale (34 to 47 kn) and storm force (48 kn and over) warnings. Safe Transport Victoria strongly advises small craft not to go out when one is current.
- Radio. Marine Radio Victoria monitors VHF 16 (67 alternative) 24/7 out to 20 nm, gives forecasts twice daily, and broadcasts current warnings on VHF 67 at 48 minutes past every even hour (the first at 00:47), eastern standard time (handbook).
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 28 October 2026; check opening hours before you walk.
From San Remo Pier (marina)
| Name | Type | Walk | Street address (OSM) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Restaurants and cafes | |||
| San Remo Fisherman's Co-Op | Restaurant | 120 m | 170 Marine Parade, San Remo VIC 3925 |
| Furphy | Restaurant | 250 m | – |
| Bean’d | Cafe | 260 m | – |
| Sweetly | Ice cream | 270 m | Shop 8/157-159 Marine Parade |
| The Little Pizza Shop | Restaurant | 370 m | 144 Marine Parade, San Remo VIC 3925 |
| San Remo Hotel Motel | Restaurant | 370 m | – |
| The Spicy Duck | Restaurant | 370 m | – |
| Sanny Side | Restaurant | 520 m | 127 Marine Parade |
| plus 2 more within the walk | |||
| Supermarkets and provisioning | |||
| San Remo Bakehouse | Bakery | 280 m | – |
| Thirsty Camel | Bottle shop | 400 m | – |
| IGA | Supermarket | 430 m | – |
| IGA Liquor | Bottle shop | 430 m | – |
| United | Convenience store | 1.0 km | – |
| Marine stores, chandlers and boat services | |||
| Jim's bait and tackle | Fishing tackle & bait | 290 m | – |
From Newhaven boat ramp jetty (boat ramp / dinghy landing)
| Name | Type | Walk | Street address (OSM) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Restaurants and cafes | |||
| Saltwater | Restaurant | 400 m | 2 Beach Crescent, Newhaven |
| Big Wave Cafe | Cafe | 710 m | – |
| Entertainment | |||
| The Big Wave | Attraction | 690 m | – |
| Supermarkets and provisioning | |||
| Island Pies | Bakery | 570 m | – |
Places, types, addresses and walking distances: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), fetched 28 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, the current notices to mariners from the Victorian port managers, 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.
- Parks Victoria notices to mariners (Port Phillip & Western Port)
- Parks Victoria Western Port Recreational Boating Guide (PDF)
- Ports Victoria notices to mariners (Melbourne, Geelong, Hastings)
- Victorian Recreational Boating Safety Handbook (Safe Transport Victoria, PDF)
- Bureau of Meteorology: coastal waters forecasts
- Bureau of Meteorology: warnings (incl. marine wind warnings)
- Bureau of Meteorology: tide predictions
- Marine Search and Rescue unit locations (vic.gov.au)
Sources & credits
Written in our own words from Parks Victoria notice to mariners 485(T)-2026 and the Parks Victoria Western Port Recreational Boating Guide (6th edition, January 2025), NGA Pub. 127 Sailing Directions (Enroute) South and East Coasts of Australia, 16th edition (2025, corrected to 30 July 2026), the Victorian Recreational Boating Safety Handbook (Safe Transport Victoria, 2024 edition), the vic.gov.au Marine Search and Rescue unit list and OpenStreetMap, all read on 28 October 2026. NGA Pub. 127 Sector 2 (2.3) for the Eastern Entrance and tidal streams.
Parks Victoria. Facts from the Parks Victoria notices to mariners, the Port Phillip and Western Port Recreational Boating Guides, the boating and swimming zones pages and the Gabo Island, Refuge Cove and Wilsons Promontory pages, restated and summarised in our own words. Parks Victoria web content is CC BY 4.0 unless marked otherwise; the boating guides and notices are linked, not reproduced. Not endorsed by Parks Victoria.
Gippsland Ports. Facts from Gippsland Ports notices to mariners, navigation warnings, local navigation notices and port pages, cited for fact only and linked, not reproduced. The current notices prevail.
Ports Victoria. Notices to mariners for the ports of Melbourne, Geelong and Hastings, cited for fact only.
Safe Transport Victoria. Facts from the Victorian Recreational Boating Safety Handbook (2024 edition), restated in our own words and linked, not reproduced. The handbook and the Marine Safety Act 2010 and its regulations prevail.
Bureau of Meteorology. Tide, tidal stream and forecast pages are linked, not reproduced; the Port Phillip Heads slack-water guidance is summarised.
NGA. Background from NGA Pub. 127, Sailing Directions (Enroute) South and East Coasts of Australia, 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.
Victorian Government. Marine search and rescue units from the vic.gov.au unit list, checked on the date shown in the rescue box.
Last checked: 28 October 2026.
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