Annual moorings

Port Phillip and Western Port are operational local ports that serve port needs for users across the state. Parks Victoria issues and manages thousands of permits for moorings and berthing areas within Port Phillip and Western Port.

Permits are renewed every 12 months, conditional on compliance to the terms and conditions of the permit. To find a mooring ground or berthing area that suits you, see the listed facilities under Port Phillip and Western Port.

Applying for a mooring permit

Individuals wanting to install a new mooring must engage an Authorised Mooring Contractor to:

Assess the site;
Provide proposed GPS coordinates for the installation;
Determine mooring tackle specifications for your nominated vessel at your proposed location. All mooring holders should consider the environmental impacts of their proposed tackle – a range of environmentally-friendly mooring options exist and should be discussed with your Authorised Mooring Contractor.

Please note: the maximum vessel length for annual moorings is 15 metres.

To apply for a mooring permit, either a PVA01 – New Mooring Permit Application for recreational vessels or a PVA03 – New Commercial Mooring Permit Application for commercial vessels must be completed and submitted to moorings@parks.vic.gov.au or your local Parks Victoria office for approval. The application must be accompanied with proof of ownership of the nominated vessel and a PVA06 - Standard Identification Buoy Order if required. Proof of ownership for recreational vessels is registration with MSV/VicRoads. Domestic Commercial vessels must be appropriately registered with AMSA (unless exempt) evidenced by the vessels most recent survey. If your vessel is unregistered, a copy of registration vessel insurance documents, a sales receipt, or statutory declaration may be accepted.

Once the application is approved and payment of fees have been received, you will be issued a permit for your mooring. Mooring tackle cannot be installed until the permit has been issued. The permit holder must supply a current and compliant Mooring Report and Mooring Condition Report completed by an Authorised Mooring Contractor within 28 days of installation of the mooring.

Please review the following permits for the terms and conditions:

Mooring/Berthing Annual Permit (sample)

Mooring/Berthing Commercial Annual Permit (sample)

Mooring/Berthing Annual Permit with Tender Rack Storage (sample)

Applying for a berthing permit

Where a vacancy at a berthing area becomes available, it may be offered to individuals who have registered their interest on a Waiting List.

To apply for a berthing permit to a vacant area or on an ad-hoc basis, either a PVA02 – New Berthing Permit Application for recreational vessels or a PVA04 – New Commercial Berthing Permit Application for commercial vessels, must be completed and submitted to moorings@parks.vic.gov.au or your local Parks Victoria office for approval. The application must be accompanied with proof of ownership of the nominated vessel and a PVA06 - Standard Identification Buoy Order (if required).

Once the application is approved and payment of fees have been received, you will be issued a permit for your berth.

Where the berth contains mooring tackle, the mooring tackle cannot be installed until the permit has been issued. The permit holder must supply a compliant Mooring Report and Mooring Condition Report completed by an Authorised Mooring Contractor within 28 days of installation of the mooring.

Standard Identification Buoys

Many regulated mooring grounds in Port Phillip are required to have a Standard Identification Buoy fitted as part of their mooring. Orders for Standard Identification Buoys are placed through Parks Victoria by completing the PVA06 - Standard Identification Buoy Order and submitting to moorings@parks.vic.gov.au or your local Parks Victoria office. The order will be supplied to your Authorised Mooring Contractor for installation. The below areas require Standard Identification Buoys to be fitted to all moorings:

Swans Bay	Mt Martha
Edwards Point	Safety Beach
Indented Heads	Dromana/McCrae
St Leonards North	Rosebud West
Avalon	Tootgarook
St Kilda	Rye
Sandringham	Tyrone
Davey's Bay (Mt Eliza)	Sullivan's Bay
Mornington Jetty

Where a Standard Identification Buoy may not be suitable for your mooring, an exemption may be requested by completing a PVB05 - Standard Identification Buoy Exemption Form and submitting to moorings@parks.vic.gov.au or your local Parks Victoria office for consideration.

Transferring of a mooring permit to a third party

In mooring grounds where Waiting Lists do not operate, permits for mooring/berthing sites may be transferred to a person of your preference. Transferring existing mooring tackle is a private transaction between two parties. Note: the sale of mooring tackle does not give a guarantee to the permit or the site.

Administration fees are charged annually at various times during the year. The month that your administration fee is due can be found by viewing the Mooring & Berthing Permitting Periods. Administration fees are also charged at the time of any transfer, together with the applicable Transfer fee.

Parks Victoria are unable to offer pro rata fees and charges and provide refunds only due to closure of infrastructure.

To effect a transfer of a permit, a PVB02 – Permit Transfer Application must be completed by both parties, i.e. the person disposing of the mooring permit and the person seeking to obtain the mooring permit, and submitted to moorings@parks.vic.gov.au or your local Parks Victoria office for approval.

All transfer applications must be accompanied by a compliant Mooring Report and Mooring Condition Report, completed by an Authorised Mooring Contractor, as well as Proof of ownership of the nominated vessel for the incoming permit holder. Form and submitting to moorings@parks.vic.gov.au or your local Parks Victoria office for consideration.

Waiting lists

Waiting Lists exist for any mooring ground or berthing area where sites are not immediately available. These lists have been developed to ensure fair and equitable access for all users and are maintained in order of the date of receipt of a complete Waiting List Application. Currently, Waiting Lists operate at:

Mornington
Portarlington (Commercial Berths Only)¹
San Remo
Werribee
Williamstown

When a site becomes available in the Waiting List area, it is offered to the applicant at the top of the Waiting List. If mooring tackle is present at the site, the existing mooring tackle may be sold and bought as a private transaction before the permit can be transferred. This negotiation is conducted privately between the two parties and does not involve Parks Victoria.

To register your interest for a Waiting List, please complete PVA05 – Waiting List Application and email to moorings@parks.vic.gov.au.

¹Allocation for commercial berths at Portarlington are based on the following priorities:

Aquaculture industry
Commercial Fishing (other than aquaculture)
Ferry
Maritime services - commercial contractors
Licenced Tour Operators (including Fishing charters with a Domestic Commercial Licence for their vessel)

Change of vessel nominated on a mooring permit

A permit is issued for a single nominated vessel, and the permit holder must be the sole owner or equal/majority shareholder of this vessel. When a permit holder wants to request a change to the vessel nominated on their permit, a completed PVB03 – Change of Vessel Application can be submitted to moorings@parks.vic.gov.au or your local Parks Victoria office for approval. All applications must be accompanied with proof of ownership of the nominated vessel if available.

Conditional approval of applications may be granted in some cases, where Parks Victoria requires you to provide a compliant Mooring Report and Mooring Condition Report, completed by an Authorised Mooring Contractor. This may be the case when the proposed vessel is larger or smaller than the current vessel, the type of the proposed vessel differs significantly from the current vessel or the mooring has not been used in some time.

Permit holders are strongly advised to consult with an Authorised Mooring Contractor before purchasing a new vessel to ensure that it is suitable for your site.

Alterations to mooring design or location

An application must be submitted for approval when a permit holder wants to relocate their mooring tackle or to substantially alter the design of their mooring tackle in a way that will affect the current mooring swing pattern (e.g. from conventional mooring tackle to screw pin mooring). A PVB04 – Mooring Alteration Form must be completed and submitted to moorings@parks.vic.gov.au or your local Parks Victoria office for approval. Alterations to a mooring cannot occur unless the application is approved. A compliant Mooring Report and Mooring Condition Report will need to be supplied after the relocation or alteration.

Relinquishing a mooring permit

When a mooring permit holder intends to relinquish their mooring permit, you need to complete a PVC01 – Notice to Relinquish Permit and submit this to moorings@parks.vic.gov.au or your local Parks Victoria office.

Where a site includes mooring tackle and is not subject to a Waiting List, this form must be accompanied with a written statement from an Authorised Mooring Contractor to confirm that the mooring tackle has been removed from the site with coordinates specified.

After receipt of both documents and settlement of any outstanding fees, you will be notified that your permit has been cancelled.

Mooring site issue notification

If you are experiencing an issue with your mooring site, such as proximity to surrounding moorings, environmental factors, etc., please contact your nominated Authorised Mooring Contractor. If they are unable to assist, please contact your local Parks Victoria Moorings Ranger, email moorings@parks.vic.gov.au.

Fees and invoicing

Applicable fees and charges can be found on the Fees and charges page. Fees and charges are subject to annual change each financial year.

Parks Victoria are unable to offer pro rata fees and charges and provide refunds only due to closure of infrastructure.

Holders of a valid Commonwealth Pensioner Concession Card may be eligible for a discount.

In areas where a Parks Victoria Standard Identification Buoy is required, the charge is met by the applicant.

All invoicing is managed at our Parks Victoria Williamstown branch, and can be contacted at moorings@parks.vic.gov.au

Mooring tackle inspections

All mooring tackle must be inspected by an Authorised Mooring Contractor every 12 months. The Mooring Report from the inspection must be submitted to Parks Victoria. The Mooring Report should state that the mooring meets specifications and is in safe and serviceable condition. Parks Victoria recommends contacting your mooring contractor at least 6 weeks prior to your inspection due date to ensure they can schedule in the inspection.

Authorised mooring tackle contractors

Mooring tackle contractors are authorised by Parks Victoria under the Port Management (Local Ports) Regulations 2015 to:

Undertake tackle inspection, repair and certification.
Install and remove tackle.

An authorised mooring tackle contractor must be engaged to undertake any of these activities. Refer to the list of Authorised Mooring Tackle Contractors for details.

If you wish to become an authorised mooring contractor, please email moorings@parks.vic.gov.au and request an Application Pack.