Marina service
Triabunna Marina (Spring Bay)
About
Triabunna Marina (Spring Bay) at a glance
Council port and marina at Spring Bay, Triabunna, the gateway to Maria Island and Tasmania's only east-coast deep-water port. Marina stages completed 2015-2018 added recreational berths, 8 commercial berths, a wharf extension and fuel facility; berths managed by the Council Harbour Master.
Service area: East Coast Tasmania
- Marina type
- government/transport wharf-marina
- Operator
- Glamorgan Spring Bay Council
- Region
- East Coast Tasmania
- Water body
- Spring Bay
- Berth types
- casual berthing, permanent berthing
Facilities and services
- fuel
- boat ramp
- three-phase power
- public toilets
- free wifi at ferry hub
- self-serve diesel 24h
- commercial berths
- waiting list
About Triabunna Marina (Spring Bay)
Triabunna Marina occupies Spring Bay on Tasmania's east coast, a council-owned port that does double duty as the departure point for Maria Island and the state's only east-coast deep-water port. The harbour's modern shape is recent. Glamorgan Spring Bay Council reconstructed the dilapidated port wharf in 2008, then spent roughly $4.5 million between 2015 and 2018 on a four-stage marina and port build: a northern marina and seawall, a relocated boat ramp with eight commercial berths, a wharf extension with a fuel facility, and an expanded eastern marina built on dredged and reclaimed ground. The result is a marina with berthing for 108 commercial and recreational vessels, run as municipal infrastructure with a waiting list rather than a commercial operation. The setting is working-waterfront meets tourism. The big woodchip wharf at Spring Bay, historically among the world's largest chip mills and still shipping for North Forest Holdings, takes vessels to 230 metres and 11 metres draft just outside the recreational basin; the Maria Island ferry loads passengers in front of the Parks and Wildlife centre at the marina; and scallop, abalone and rock lobster boats work the commercial berths in between. Triabunna township, a former garrison and farming service centre on the Tasman Highway about 90 minutes from Hobart, sits immediately behind the port. The marina's character follows from all this: a tidy, modern, heavily used council facility where berths are in genuine demand, full almost from the day each stage opened, and prized by interstate owners who can land at Hobart Airport and be aboard within the hour for the Freycinet and Maria Island cruising grounds.
Marina facilities
The marina currently provides 108 berths shared between commercial and recreational vessels, all under the management of the Council's Port Control Officer, Ian Rimon, contactable on 0422 808 166 for casual berthing enquiries, applications and the waiting list; council notes that berths are presently fully subscribed, so casual availability must be confirmed by phone. Berthing costs follow Council's published Fees and Charges schedule rather than an advertised rate card. On the Triabunna Wharf itself, casual wharf berthing is available for both commercial and recreational vessels alongside a dedicated loading area, with public toilets and three-phase power on the wharf. Fuel is a strong point: a self-serve diesel berth operates 24 hours a day, payable by Eftpos, credit card or Bennetts Petroleum Z card, installed as part of the 2017 wharf extension. The marina precinct doubles as the Triabunna Tour Boat Hub: the Maria Island Encounter ferry and other tour operators run from the waterfront, and the waiting area carries free wifi, which berth holders can use. Trailer boats use the council ramp at Vicarys Inlet beside the marina, one of six council ramps between Orford and Coles Bay; users are reminded to check tides, as conditions vary. There is no slipway, travel lift, pump-out, chandlery or dedicated shower and laundry block at the marina; the Spring Bay Boat Club adjoins the port, and the township's hotels, shops and caravan park cover crew amenities. Expansion is not finished: a $20 million harbour master plan proposes channel realignment, a new ferry terminal, a relocated commercial slipway with hardstand, a larger commercial wharf precinct and further recreational berths, signalling that demand on this harbour continues to outrun supply.
Local sailing knowledge
Spring Bay is one of the easiest east-coast entries in Tasmania: no bar, a marked channel into a sheltered harbour behind the bay's headlands, and deep water throughout, which is precisely why a deep-sea chip port and a ferry terminal fit alongside a recreational marina. The usual east-coast caution applies about easterly swell and weather windows, but once inside the bay the harbour is protected in most conditions. The marina's position defines its cruising value. Maria Island lies about four nautical miles across Mercury Passage, a national park with the Darlington convict settlement, anchorages on its western side in suitable weather, and five ferries a day in season from the wharf beside the marina, a 30-minute crossing. Northward, the run to Schouten Island, Wineglass Bay and the Freycinet Peninsula anchorages is an easy day, and southward the Tasman and Forestier peninsulas lead to Port Arthur. The bay itself fishes well and supports a commercial fleet whose presence guarantees marine services in town, including engineering and supplies oriented to working boats. Triabunna township is compact: a pub, a general store, takeaway and a bakery within walking distance, with larger provisioning usually done en route in Sorell or Hobart. The Spring Bay Mill precinct beside the port, repurposed from the chip mill into an events and accommodation site, adds a waterside curiosity. Practical notes: book the ferry ahead in summer, confirm berth availability with the Port Control Officer before arrival because the marina runs at capacity, and watch for ferry and commercial traffic in the harbour approaches. For east-coast passage-makers, Triabunna is the natural first or last overnight stop out of Hobart.