Moorings & Anchorage
1: Marine Rescue Ballina Radio Base.
Log on and Log off. The radio base is maned from sunup to sundown 7 days a week.
2: Entrance lead lights.
The entrance lead lights are at the Richmond River entrance in Ballina, a laser sector lights, red, white and green light was upgraded in 2021, providing a white light for the 310.02⁰T centre channel of the river bar.
3: Caution shallow water.
If your vessels draft is greater than 1.2m check your charts and keep to the northern side of the river.
4: Mobbs Bay Anchorage.
The anchorage in Mobbs Bay has reduced in size and depth of water since the flood of 2022, there is good holding bottom, but it is very limited in the swing area and number of vessels. It would be recommended if your vessel draws more than 1.5m use one of the other mooring opportunities to the west.
5: Sailing Club Boat Ramp.
This is a public boat ramp with a good concrete structure and sandy beach either side. Parking is limited but be early and there are good trailer spots. There is a good fish cleaning station along the west side of the ramp.
6: Fawcett Street Wharf.
This is a public wharf with two floating pontoons and a fixed wharf with pylons. There is a 24h limit but there is a sign that states that commercial operators have preference, this has the greatest effect in the whale watching season. It is close to the main shopping area of Ballina and close to a Woolworths store.
7: RSL Wharf
This is a public wharf with one floating pontoon and a long-fixed wharf with pylons, there is a 24h limit. It is close to the main shopping area of Ballina and to the RSL Club.
8: Brunswick Street Boat Ramp.
This is a public boat ramp, but the concrete is short and has a steep drop off at the end. It would be recommended high tide only and exercise extreme caution. It will also suffer from strong cross current and does not have a pontoon.
9: Fishery Creek Boat Ramp
This is a public boat ramp with one floating pontoon on the north side and two floating pontoons on the south. The ramp is three trailer width. It has good trailer parking with good manoeuvring areas. There is a good fish cleaning station with fresh water taps for boat washdown. There is a public toilet just 30m from the ramp. The boat ramp does suffer from a slight cross current when the tide is running at its peak.
10: Trawler Harbour.
The trawler is managed by the Ballina Fishermens Co-Op. There is diesel fuel available by contacting the Co-Op. manager on 0444 550 541. Sometimes there are spare berths available in the harbour, again call the Co-Op manager.
11: Courtesy Moorings.
There are two courtesy moorings provided by Roads & Maritime. There is a size limit of 20 ton and 24h per stay. The East Mooring 28o52.232S – 153o32.847E. West Mooring 28o52.233S. 153o32.803E.
12: Safe Anchorage.
This area is the best anchorage in Ballina; it has good holding into silt with water depths of 3m to 6m and plenty of swing for a number of vessels.
13: Faulks Reserve Boat Ramp.
This boat ramp is situated at the western end of Riverside Drive West Ballina. It has a good concrete ramp with a floating pontoon along its length and at the end. It sometimes suffers from a strong cross current but with the pontoon and the wall is manageable. There is good trailer parking and large waterfront reserve with toilets.
14: Burns Point Ferry.
The ferry operates seven days a week from 5:30 AM to 12:30 AM, excluding Christmas Day. It runs continuously without a set schedule, operating on a back-and-forth basis. The ferry is closed on the second Tuesday of each month from 9 AM to 12 PM for routine maintenance.
15: Emigrant Creek.
There needs to be caution when navigating in the first two section of the creek, there is very shallow water to the north. Vessels with a draft of 1.2m or greater should only enter at high tide.
16: Emigrant Creek Boat Ramp.
There is a good concrete ramp with a floating pontoon and ample trailer parking.
17: Ballina Slipway.
Slipping to 80t, hardstand, full shipwright services moorings, boat ramp, jetty and more. Contact Office: 02 6681 3339 or Michael Cocks: 0413 007 310 Email Enquiries: michael@ballinaslipway.com.au
18: Martin Street Boat Ramp.
There is a concrete ramp leading into a sandy bottom of North Creek with good sandy beach either side. There is limited parking. But access to the main river is sometimes hindered by a sandbar east of the Missingham Bridge.