About
Coorong Quays at a glance
Canal-estate marina on Hindmarsh Island offering protected wet berths, dry standing and undercover storage, and welcoming liveaboards. Features a 24/7 fully automated fuel dock (two unleaded, two diesel pumps), slipping and boat ramp, secure electronic access, toilets, showers, laundromat and on-site marine maintenance.
Service area: Fleurieu Peninsula - Murray Mouth
- Marina type
- full-service marina
- Operator
- Aspen Group
- Region
- Fleurieu Peninsula - Murray Mouth
- Water body
- Murray River / Coorong
- Dry storage
- dry standing
- Berth types
- permanent berthing, casual berthing, liveaboard
Facilities and services
- fuel
- pump-out
- slipway
- hardstand
- dry stack storage
- repairs & maintenance
- showers & laundry
- boat ramp
- 24/7 security
- chandlery/boat brokerage on site (Goolwa Boat Sales)
- tavern
- communal galley
- caravan/trailer/jetski storage
- undercover storage
About Coorong Quays
Coorong Quays occupies a dug-out canal estate on the northern side of Hindmarsh Island, close to where the Murray River finally meets the sea. It is frequently described as the largest freshwater marina development in the southern hemisphere, and the claim is plausible: the estate combines waterfront housing, retirement villages, a caravan park and a marina basin fed by the lower Murray, all behind the bridge that has linked the island to Goolwa since 2001. The project was approved by the Governor in 1990 after a full environmental impact statement, and its masterplan has been varied repeatedly since, most recently under the Aspen Group, which acquired the estate in 2022 and runs the marina berthing operation from an office on the island. The character is unhurried and residential rather than touristy. Berth holders include retirees living aboard, Goolwa and Adelaide owners keeping cruisers and trailer boats on the dry stands, and houseboat owners using the protected canals. A tavern, known as the Islander, trades inside the complex alongside a boutique wine outlet, and Goolwa Boat Sales operates from the marina, giving the place a working brokerage presence. Birdlife from the adjoining Coorong fringe drifts across the waterways, and on still evenings the canals carry almost no wash, which is precisely why owners of timber and older fibreglass boats favour berthing here over the exposed river bank. The estate also runs long-term caravan and boat storage for owners who treat the marina as a base rather than a home, and the on-site caravan park feeds a steady stream of casual ramp users through summer. Taken together, it is less a marina with houses attached than a small township organised around freshwater boating at the very end of Australia's longest river.
Marina facilities
Berthing at Coorong Quays spans three formats: protected wet berths inside the canal system, dry standing on sealed ground, and undercover storage in sheds, the latter popular for caravans, trailers and jetskis as well as boats. Liveaboards are explicitly welcomed, a rarity among South Australian marinas, and berth enquiries run through the Aspen office on (08) 8555 7300. The fuel dock operates around the clock on a fully automated card-payment basis, taking Visa and Mastercard, with two unleaded pumps and two diesel pumps, one diesel pump fitted with a high-flow nozzle for larger tanks. Unusually, vessels can fill from the water side or vehicles from the land side, so jerry cans are unnecessary. A slipway handles haul-outs for hull work, and a boat ramp serves trailer craft, while on-site marine maintenance covers routine mechanical and hull repairs; slipping bookings are arranged through the office. Car and trailer parking sits near the berths. The amenities block provides toilets, hot showers and a laundromat, and a communal galley gives liveaboards and visiting crews somewhere to cook ashore. Access to the marina facilities is controlled by secure electronic gates, and private bathroom facilities are available to berth holders. Fresh water is laid on at the wet berths. The marina office doubles as the point of contact for casual berthing, long-term storage quotes and berth inspections. For bigger jobs, the marine precinct within the estate was planned for boat repair and construction businesses, and Goolwa, five minutes over the bridge, supplies chandlery, engineering and sail services. Rates are quoted on application rather than published, and casual visitors should ring ahead during the summer peak when the basin fills with holiday traffic.
Local sailing knowledge
Approaching Coorong Quays by water means navigating the lower Murray system. From the sea, the Murray Mouth is shallow, shifting and frequently impassable; virtually all traffic arrives via the Goolwa Channel through the barrages, or overland by trailer. Inside the canals, depths are forgiving and there is no tide to speak of, though river levels rise and fall with lock flows upstream and wind can push water around the lower lakes. The Hindmarsh Island bridge carries all road access, and the nearest supplies are at Goolwa, about four kilometres away, with supermarkets, bakeries, a hardware store and several pubs. The cruising on the doorstep is distinctive. Downstream lie the Goolwa barrages, where a lock allows passage into the Coorong proper, a long, shallow lagoon system inside the national park that rewards small, shoal-draft boats and kayaks rather than deep-keel yachts. Upstream, the lower lakes and the Murray offer sheltered motoring toward Clayton Bay and Wellington. Pelicans, cormorants and migratory waders are constant company; the island sits within the Coorong National Park's sphere and bird watching is a stated selling point of the estate. Ashore, the estate has boardwalks, tennis courts and a playground, and the Islander Tavern provides a meal without leaving the marina. The lookout near the Murray Mouth gives a view of the river's end that most berth holders take visiting family to at least once. Fishing is the other constant: mulloway and bream are taken around the barrages, and the lower lakes hold callop and redfin. Summer northerlies can make the lakes choppy and unpleasant, so most canal-based skippers watch the forecast and choose the sheltered reaches on blowy days.