Australia yacht charter
Australia has two different cruising grounds: the Whitsundays and the Great Barrier Reef, and the remote Kimberley. The Whitsundays are most comfortable from April to October, the Kimberley in its dry season. The Whitsundays suit families best.
Australia has two great cruising grounds, and they are very different. The Whitsundays and the Great Barrier Reef off Queensland have white-sand islands and the reef, with short passages and easy logistics. The Kimberley in the far north-west is one of the most remote coasts on earth, with gorges, waterfalls, huge tides and almost nobody. Sydney Harbour is a destination of its own for a few days, above all at New Year.
Why go, and whom it suits
Families do best in the Whitsundays. The passages are short, the beaches are safe, there is reef snorkelling, and Hamilton Island has its own airport, with direct flights from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Cairns. Stinger suits are needed in the warmer months (see below).
Couples and honeymoons
Whitehaven Beach at low tide and a night at anchor in a quiet bay are hard to beat. The Kimberley suits a couple who want adventure.
Friends and celebrations
Sydney Harbour on New Year's Eve, the Whitsundays for a week of water and beach. The Kimberley suits a group that fishes, flies by helicopter and hikes.
Less suited to anyone who wants to swim anywhere at any time in the far north. Estuarine crocodiles and marine stingers decide where and how you swim there.
The areas
Australia and New Zealand are the Australasian half of our South Pacific and Australasia.
The Whitsundays and the Great Barrier Reef
(page to follow). There are 74 islands, from Airlie Beach or Hamilton Island, with Whitehaven Beach and Hill Inlet, the coral of Hook Island, and day trips to the outer reef.
The Kimberley
(page to follow). From Broome or Wyndham, usually on longer, expedition-style voyages. It has the Horizontal Falls, waterfalls and gorges, and Aboriginal rock art.
Sydney Harbour
Usually days rather than a week. New Year's Eve is the event, and it is planned long ahead.
Tasmania and Far North Queensland
ask us about a voyage there.
When to go
- The Whitsundays and the Reef can be visited all year, and are most comfortable from about April to October, with milder temperatures and lower humidity. From November to March it is warmer and wetter, with tropical showers. Marine stingers may be present all year, with the higher risk from November to May, so a full-body stinger suit is worn for swimming. The official tropical cyclone season runs from 1 November to 30 April.
- The Kimberley has a short season, in the dry season, roughly April to September. In the wet season most yachts leave.
- Sydney works all year. Summer, from December to February, is the busiest, with New Year's Eve at its peak.
Months | The Whitsundays and the Reef | The Kimberley | Sydney |
|---|---|---|---|
April to October | Most comfortable: milder, lower humidity | The dry season, roughly April to September: the season | Works all year |
November to March | Warmer and wetter, with tropical showers; the cyclone season runs from 1 November to 30 April | The wet season: most yachts leave | Summer, December to February, is the busiest, with New Year's Eve at its peak |
All year | Marine stingers may be present, the higher risk from November to May: swim in a full-body stinger suit |
What it costs
The charter fee is each yacht's own weekly rate. Her page shows it "from", which is her lowest season. Each yacht's rate is in its own currency, often US dollars outside Europe. Our guide sets out what a crewed charter costs, line by line.
- GST, Australia's goods and services tax, is 10%. Ask us how it applies to the yacht you are considering.
- Rules. We check that the yacht you are considering may charter in Australian waters.
- Permits and fees. Any marine park permits or fees, on the Reef or in the Kimberley, are set out in the quote.
- APA, the Advance Provisioning Allowance, is paid with the balance. It is money held by the captain for fuel, food, drinks, permits and similar costs, spent on your instructions and accounted for at the end; anything unspent is returned. Budget up to 40% of the charter fee; long or remote passages, such as in the Kimberley, can need more.
The weekly rate on each yacht’s page. "From" is her lowest season.
An advance for fuel, food, drinks and berths, spent on your instructions and settled at the end.
Set by the country the charter starts in, added to the fee.
The Whitsundays from Hamilton Island
This is a round trip. The yacht, the tide and the trade wind decide the real order. Whitehaven Beach and Hill Inlet are best timed for low tide.
Board in the afternoon at the marina, close to the island's airport. Anchor off Whitsunday Island for the night.
The lookout over the swirling sand at Hill Inlet, then the beach at low tide.
Snorkelling in the bays on its northern side.
A day on the Great Barrier Reef proper, at a reef the crew chooses, for snorkelling or diving. Heart Reef, in Hardy Reef, is protected and best seen from the air, and a scenic flight by helicopter or seaplane can be arranged.
The northernmost island resort in the group, with reef-fringed water, and lunch ashore.
The quieter, eastern side of the group.
A last swim and disembarkation.
The yachts that cruise here
The yachts we show in Australia are motor yachts, most of them over 40 metres. Many cruise the Pacific and Australia for a season, and several also appear on our New Zealand page. We arrange crewed yachts here and look across the market for each enquiry, among yachts based in Australia and those passing through. The yachts on this site are a selection, not the limit of what we arrange: ask about any yacht, of any size.
Practical questions
Rene GaspersicYour broker
Can we swim on the Reef?
Yes. Marine stingers may be present all year, with the higher risk from November to May, so swim in a full-body stinger suit.
Are there crocodiles?
Yes, in the tropical north. In Queensland, estuarine crocodiles are found from Gladstone northwards, which takes in the Whitsundays. The crew chooses where you swim.
How do we get to the Whitsundays?
Fly to Hamilton Island or to Proserpine (Whitsunday Coast Airport), near Airlie Beach. Both have flights from Australia's main cities, and Brisbane has the widest choice of connections.
How do we get to the Kimberley?
Fly to Broome, or to Kununurra for Wyndham. Voyages there are usually longer than a week.
Can we charter for New Year's Eve in Sydney?
Yes, though it is planned long in advance. Tell us early.
Is Australia good for children?
The Whitsundays are. The passages are short, the beaches are easy, and the reef can be seen with a mask. The Kimberley suits older children.
Do we need a visa?
Visitors need a visa before they travel. For holders of eligible passports that can be an Electronic Travel Authority (ETA), applied for in the ETA app.
How do the tides matter?
In the Whitsundays they set the time for Whitehaven and Hill Inlet. In the Kimberley they are very large, and they shape every day.
If you are also weighing New Zealand
New Zealand is green and cooler, with wine, walking and fjords, and the same austral summer. Australia has the Reef, the warm water and the Kimberley's wilderness. Some voyages do both. See New Zealand.
Talk to a broker
Tell us roughly when, how many of you there are, and what the trip is for: a family holiday, a honeymoon, New Year with friends. Dates and budget can stay loose. We come back with a short list of yachts that fit, say plainly what each one is like, and stay your contact from the first email to the last day on board.
Rene Gaspersic
charter broker
Email info@soretoyachting.com · Phone +44 7342 933198 · WhatsApp +44 7342 933198
Plan
Australia.
Two short steps. Dates and budget can stay loose. We reply personally, by email, phone or WhatsApp.