With 9 times more waterways than Venice, the Gold Coast is a boating paradise. There's over 260 kilometres of navigable waterways to explore and enjoy within our city.
The Gold Coast seaway offers convenient access to the Pacific Ocean for those interested in deep-sea fishing.
Public boat ramps, jetties & pontoons
Council manages a number of public boat ramps, jetties, pontoons. For more information download the following maps.
Commercial vessel use of Council pontoons & boat ramps
Several Council boating facilities are available for commercial vessel/vehicle use. If you would like to apply for a permit to use these facilities visit Commercial vessel use of Council boating facilities.
Locks
Council operates 2 navigation locks at Boobegan Creek and Monterey Keys. These locks allow boating access while maintaining the function of tidal and flood control weirs. They operate 24 hours a day but shut down automatically during floods.
Apply in person for access to Boobegan Creek and Monterey Keys locks
Apply in person for a remote-control access key at our Helensvale or Nerang customer service centres. You can print and fill in an application form beforehand or just come in.
Application for boat lock remote control access key(PDF, 471KB)
A refundable deposit and fee apply.
Boobegan Creek
The creek is accessed via Robina Lakes. The navigation lock for Boobegan Creek is 650 metres south of the bridge at the Broadbeach Nerang Road/Gooding Drive junction at Carrara.
| Maximum dimensions of vessel |
Boobegan Creek |
| Maximum length of vessel |
15m |
| Maximum width (beam) of vessel |
4m |
| Maximum draft of vessel |
2.2m |
Monterey Keys
Monterey Keys is accessed via Monterey Keys Lakes. The navigation lock is located at the eastern end of Saltwater Terrace, between Monterey Keys Lake and the junction of Saltwater Creek.
| Maximum dimensions of vessel |
Monterey Keys |
| Maximum length of vessel |
12m |
| Maximum width (beam) of vessel |
6.65m |
| Maximum draft of vessel |
1.35m |
Responsible boating
Many water activities we enjoy as part of our lifestyle can have an impact on the health of our waterways and catchments. Next time you're out on the water, consider the following tips. It's easy to make a difference.
- Limit boat wash – keep to the designated speed limits
- Respect fish habitat and breeding areas. Stay well clear of fish nurseries and wetland areas. Breeding areas are common where the land meets the ocean and Broadwater. Quiet shoreline areas, where sandbanks form, mud settles and small aquatic plants grow, produce the perfect environment for spawning.
- Reduce litter and waste from entering our waterways and recycle. Prevent litter entering the waterways when you're on the shore and out on the boat. For information on sewage discharge visit the Maritime Safety Queensland website.
- Boat maintenance. Ensure all work on your boat is carried out at an approved and registered business. It's easy to find if a business is approved, just ask to see their environmental license.
- Boat washing. Boats, like vehicles, should be cleaned on grass and chemicals and detergents prevented from entering the waterways.
Fishing
Fishing is a favourite past-time for many Gold Coast residents and visitors.
To find information on fishing permits, rules and regulations visit the Queensland Government's recreational fishing web pages.
For locations of Council boat pontoons and jetties, see the Public boat ramps, jetties & pontoons section above.
To find out about fishing at Council fishing platforms, download our Public fishing platform locations map or visit the pages below for more detailed information.
Public fishing platform locations map(PDF, 2MB)
If you'd like information about fishing at the Hinze Dam visit the Seqwater website.
You can help protect our waterways and fish stocks by doing a few simple things.
- Dispose of all rubbish, bait bags and tangled fishing lines thoughtfully.
- Practise catch and release, or only keep the fish that you need.
- Observe bag limits.
- Reporting any sightings of noxious fish (such as tilapia, carp and gambusia) to the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries.
Gold Coast Pest Fish Classic
The Gold Coast Pest Fish Classic is the biggest pest fish event in South East Queensland.
It is jointly hosted by City of Gold Coast and My Catch Australia. First launched as Tilapia Busters in 2015, this free event is designed to raise awareness of the devastating effect pest fish have on our environment.
Details for the next Gold Coast Pest Fish Classic will be posted at What's On Gold Coast.
For information about pest fish, visit our Tilapia page.
Jet skiing
Our Gold Coast water playground, the ocean, Broadwater and waterways, is the best jet ski playground in the world, but let's not forget Gold Coast jet ski etiquette – fun but fair:
- residents respect the rights of jet skiers to have fun
- jet skiers respect the rights of residents to an enjoyable environment.
Jet ski etiquette
Visit Maritime Safety Queensland for details of restricted areas for operating personal water craft (PWC) and make sure you:
- consider others
- abide by speed limits, both gazetted and operational "distance off"
- reduce noise, especially before 7am
- start the jet ski engine in the water
- warm up the engine once in the water
- flush the engine at home, not by revving it in the car park or on the boat ramp
- choose launch ramps away from homes, such as The Spit ramp off Sea World Drive.
Who's who in the blue?
Gold Coast Waterways Authority (GCWA) have created a useful guide, Who's who in the blue?, that lists which authority to contact to report concerns about irresponsible boating, jet-skiing and other waterways-related activities, e.g. speeding and boating safety enforcement.
A link to this guide can be found on GCWA's home page.
For further information, please call Waterway Assets on 07 5667 3763.