Sailing into this harbour must be a landmark on any cruising itinerary.
Maritime Safety laws in New South Wales allow yachts that plan to visit Sydney are welcome to anchor for 28 days and no more. Otherwise, you must get a mooring or a slip. Yachts are monitored by Maritime NSW. Note also that tenders with more than 5HP motors have to be registered.
See this news item for further details.
After passing under the bridge, there is a designated "small craft" anchorage on the northern side, at Balls Head Bay. Whilst facilities are limited, access to the city is cheap and easy from nearby Wollstonecraft railway station. Unfortunately, the anchorage has a reputation for a foul bottom, and is uncomfortably open to southerly winds.
Blackwattle and Rozelle Bays are good places to anchor in Sydney to get access to the Central Business District, Blackwattle Bay being the quietest with the least wash from passing commercial vessels. There are three designated areas for anchoring. The anchorages most closely located to the fish market dinghy dock are the most popular and also the most crowded. The farthest anchorage area, whilst only three tenths of a mile further from the dingy dock, is much quieter and has a very nice park only a few metres away. Both bays have good holding and are protected from all wind directions. The downside is the traffic noise from the bridge and bits of junk on the bottom, plus the mosquitos at sunset.
There are also a number of public moorings available in the harbour (Athol Bay, Sugarloaf Bay, Bantry Bay). These are heavily used during the summer months, especially on weekends, so it's advisable to arrive early.
See this cruisers report on two amazing anchorages in Sydney.
Cruisers who plan to be in Sydney for the famous New Year's Eve fireworks display over the harbour should read this report from regular Noonsite contributions Brent Crack and Mary Bevan which gives an interesting insight into the calm and chaos of this iconic event.
There are a large number of marinas around Sydney Harbour and many usually have room for visitors.
Last updated: July 2024
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