Marina service
d'Albora Marinas Akuna Bay
About
d'Albora Marinas Akuna Bay at a glance
Marina inside Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park at the head of Coal and Candle Creek with 204 wet berths to 40 m, 167-space dry stack storage, 24/7 fuel, waterfront dining and complimentary swing moorings in America Bay.
Service area: Broken Bay / Cowan Creek
- Marina type
- full-service marina
- Operator
- d'Albora Marinas
- Region
- Broken Bay / Cowan Creek
- Water body
- Cowan Creek (Coal and Candle Creek)
- Wet berths
- 204
- Dry storage
- 167 dry storage spaces
- Maximum vessel
- 40 m
- Berth types
- permanent berthing, casual berthing, swing moorings
Facilities and services
- fuel
- pump-out
- dry stack storage
- repairs & maintenance
- chandlery
- 24/7 security
- power & water
- wifi
- showers & laundry
- restaurant/cafe
- boat ramp
- travel lift (27T)
- hardstand
- boat brokerage (d'Albora Marine)
- GoBoat electric boat hire
- San Martin function/wedding venue
- AirBerth
- jet ski & kayak dry dock
- dockmaster assistance
- members lounge
- BBQ facilities
About d'Albora Marinas Akuna Bay
Few Sydney marinas ask you to drive through a national park to reach your boat. Akuna Bay sits at the head of Coal and Candle Creek, deep inside Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, where sandstone ridges and angophora forest run straight down to the waterline. The road in winds through bush for several kilometres before the masts appear, and that isolation defines the place: there is no adjoining suburb, no shopping strip, just the marina, its restaurants and the creek. Despite the bush setting the operation is substantial, with 204 wet berths taking vessels to 40 metres and a 167-space dry stack, making it one of the larger berthing facilities on Sydney's northern waterways. The clientele is a mix of northern beaches and North Shore families who trailer or stack their runabouts here, cruising yacht owners who use the creek as a base for Hawkesbury expeditions, and visiting boats working the Broken Bay system. d'Albora has layered hospitality over the working marina: the licensed Shed Cafe serves breakfast and lunch at the water's edge, and the San Martin function centre, built only a few years ago, hosts weddings and events for more than 200 guests with views across the creek. GoBoat operates self-drive electric picnic boats from the marina for non-boat-owners. Members also get complimentary use of swing moorings in America Bay, a short run down Cowan Creek, which effectively extends the marina's footprint into one of the region's most popular overnight anchorages. It functions as a self-contained boating village at the edge of the bush.
Marina facilities
Berthing is the core offering: 204 wet berths on floating arms accommodate vessels up to 40 metres, with power and water at the berth, and two recently added marina arms target the 7 to 11 metre trailer-boat-and-half-cabin bracket, giving smaller vessels finger berths with instant power and water access. Annual berthing runs on 12-month memberships, while casual berthing is offered at daily, monthly and longer-term rates, with dockmaster assistance seven days a week. The dry stack holds 167 racks plus a jet ski dry dock, and AirBerth options are available. The boatyard is operated by long-term tenant Francis Marine and runs a travelift of roughly 27 to 30 tonnes with an adjoining hardstand and slipway services; it handles annual maintenance, antifouling, full refits and shipwright work, with surveyor, mechanical, electrical and detailing trades all available on site. A chandlery covers day-to-day parts and supplies. The fuel wharf operates 24/7 with high-flow pumps dispensing premium diesel and premium unleaded; members receive a 20-cent-per-litre discount off the bowser price and can check live fuel levels through the d'Albora app. Pump-out facilities are provided, and security runs 24 hours with swipe-card access. Amenities include showers, toilets, laundry and a customer lounge with kitchenette, television and barbecue facilities, plus complimentary wifi. A public boat ramp and generous on-site parking serve trailer boats. Dining is covered by the Shed Cafe and the San Martin function centre, and d'Albora Marine runs new and used boat brokerage from the marina. Complimentary swing moorings in America Bay round out the package for annual members.
Local sailing knowledge
The approach is entirely sheltered: from Broken Bay you turn into Cowan Creek and motor past Cottage Point and the mouths of America and Refuge Bays before Coal and Candle Creek branches south to the marina. There are no bars, bridges or locks to negotiate, depths are ample for keelboats, and tidal flow is negligible, though summer nor-easters and winter westerlies can funnel along the creek. The real asset is position: Akuna Bay gives access to four waterways - Cowan Creek, the Hawkesbury River, Pittwater and Brisbane Water - so a berth holder can be anchored under the cliffs of the Hawkesbury or lunching at Patonga within a couple of hours. America Bay and Refuge Bay, both with waterfalls and good holding, are the classic overnight stops, and marina members can pick up the complimentary moorings there. Fishing in the creek systems is productive, and the sheltered water suits waterskiing, which the national park permits in designated zones. By road the marina is about 40 minutes from the Sydney CBD and only minutes from Mona Vale, so provisioning is done before arrival; there are no shops beyond the cafe. Bushwalking tracks, birdwatching and the West Head lookout are all inside the surrounding park. Cottage Point, with its kiosk and restaurant, is a short dinghy or boat run back down the creek. Visiting yachts often use Akuna Bay as a secure leave-the-boat base while exploring the Hawkesbury by land or while spending weeks working through the Broken Bay anchorages. Birdwatchers regularly clock sea eagles and azure kingfishers along the creek, and the lack of light pollution makes overnighting in the upper reaches notably quiet. Winter sees the marina at its most peaceful, with the visitor fleet gone and only locals on the pontoons.