Marina service
Coffs Harbour International Marina
About
Coffs Harbour International Marina at a glance
One of only six international customs clearance marinas in NSW, midway between Sydney and Brisbane, with an Australian Border Force office on site. Redeveloped in 2025 with 143 new concrete-pontoon berths for monohulls and catamarans of 10-30m, fuel, pump-out, laundromat, courtesy car and a marina village of restaurants and cafes.
Service area: North Coast
- Marina type
- full-service marina
- Operator
- Coffs Harbour International Marina
- Region
- North Coast
- Water body
- Coffs Harbour (Tasman Sea)
- Wet berths
- 143
- Maximum vessel
- 30 m
- Berth types
- casual berthing, permanent berthing
Facilities and services
- fuel
- pump-out
- 24/7 security
- power & water
- showers & laundry
- restaurant/cafe
- courtesy car
- international customs/ABF clearance port
- tidal fenders on 18m+ berths
- marina village retail (hairdresser, dog grooming, ice creamery)
- chandlery
- fishing & whale-watching charters
About Coffs Harbour International Marina
Coffs Harbour International Marina holds a strategic position that no other NSW port north of Port Stephens can match: it is the only deep-water, all-weather port entrance between Port Stephens and Brisbane, sitting almost exactly midway on the Sydney-to-Southeast-Queensland coastal run. That geography has made it the default stopover for cruising boats moving up and down the coast, a place to break the passage, rest, refuel and restock without an overnight leg. The 'International' in the name is earned, not marketing: the marina is one of only six international customs clearance marinas in NSW, an official first port of entry with Australian Border Force processing, so overseas yachts clear in here before continuing south or north. The harbour itself is man-made, formed by breakwalls joining Muttonbird Island to the shore, with the timber jetty and the old deep-sea fishing fleet sharing the basin with the marina and its village. After years of ageing infrastructure, the marina completed a multi-million-dollar redevelopment in 2025: Marine Structures demolished the old arms and installed 143 new concrete-deck pontoon berths with GFRP reinforcement, new piling, fire services, service pedestals and secure gated gangways, a build the industry press described as a benchmark for regional marinas. The result transformed a tired but well-located marina into a modern facility sized for contemporary boats, including the catamarans that older berth layouts could not take. The marina village, refurbished alongside, mixes restaurants, cafes, a fish co-op and quirky retailers, and the foreshore, jetty strip and beaches of Coffs Harbour are all within walking distance. The operator's own summary is apt: a prime midway stopover where everything you need is at the dock or a short stroll away.
Marina facilities
The 143 new berths are purpose-built for monohulls and catamarans from 10 to 30 metres, on concrete pontoons fitted with marine-grade service pedestals delivering power at 15, 32 or 63 amps depending on berth size, plus fresh water at every berth; berths of 18 metres and over carry tidal fenders. Security runs on swipe-card access with 24-hour surveillance, and staff walk the docks daily. The fuel wharf sells diesel and unleaded, a pump-out facility is on site, and berth holders have use of private bathrooms, showers and a laundromat. A courtesy car is available for off-site trips through the Guest Services team, and reviewers confirm staff will help with grocery logistics, useful since Coles and the town centre are a short drive rather than a walk. Bookings require full contact and vessel details, insurance and registration before confirmation; both casual and long-term berthing are offered. The marina village tenants read like a small town: Latitude 30 Restaurant doing ocean-view dining seven days, Attitude Burgers with live music, The Green Galley for vegetarian and vegan food, a small-batch ice creamery trading since 1987, a hair and beauty salon, an award-winning dog groomer, and the Coffs Harbour Fisherman's Co-Op selling local catch straight off the trawlers; a chandlery, boat charters, whale-watching and deep-sea fishing operators also work from the precinct. For international arrivals, the marina is a designated first port of entry: arriving vessels must report to Australian Border Force and the Department of Agriculture before docking, with the boarding station at the Outer Harbour courtesy buoys on the northern side of the timber jetty, and an ABF presence in town. Rates are quoted on enquiry, and the marina actively markets reciprocal-style welcome to cruising clubs; the co-directors have engaged Zeal Marinas to promote the rebuilt facility to the passage-making community.
Local sailing knowledge
The entrance is the reason boats stop here. Coffs Harbour is an all-weather port with a straightforward run between the breakwalls, no bar and no significant tide constraint, a rarity on this coast; the guidance is to favour the northern side of the entrance in heavy weather and to call the marina before arrival. Inside, the basin is calm in anything, and the marina sits on the northern side, with the fishing fleet and timber jetty to the south. As a cruising hub it opens the Solitary Islands Marine Park, a scatter of islands and reefs starting a few miles offshore that offer day anchorages, diving and fishing, while South West Rocks, Trial Bay and Port Stephens lie to the south and Yamba, Iluka and the Clarence to the north, each a comfortable day hop. Whale watching is reliable from June to November, and humpbacks regularly pass close to the breakwall. Ashore, the Jetty strip, a five-minute walk over the railway line, has become Coffs' dining precinct, with restaurants, bars, the Pier Hotel and the Sunday Jetty markets; the yacht club beside the marina welcomes visiting crews, and the Fisherman's Co-Op supplies the best-value seafood on the mid-north coast. The Big Banana, the town's enduring tourist relic, and the beaches of Park Beach and Diggers are close, and the Dorrigo rainforest escarpment makes a worthwhile day trip by courtesy car. Practical notes: the timber jetty is a heritage structure and worth a walk, Muttonbird Island's walkway gives a view back over the whole harbour, and the breakwall is the town's evening promenade, where turtles, rays and big fish are routinely seen in the clear water. For passage-makers, the standard play is two nights here in each direction, enough to rest, provision at Coles, and wait out any northerly before tackling the next leg.