Cullen Bay Marina
Facilities & Weather Forecast

The Frances Bay Mooring Basin, commonly called the Duck Pond, is a marina mostly used for fishing and commercial vessels. The basin is tide-free and accessed through a 35m by 16m lock. It has 85 berths for vessels up to 30m long. It has showers and toilets but no fuel facilities.

Tipperary Waters Marina Estate is situated in the heart of Darwin only minutes from the city centre. A local IGA supermarket is there for basic needs but a trip in to the city at either Coles or Woolies for more choice and much lower prices. Getting in... with my draft of 2 meters I need a minimum depth of 4.8 meters of water to get in. When you look at the electronic charts yes it looks like you are sailing over dry land and at low tide it really is! The other thing you will notice is so many boats are anchored in what is the designated channel in. You just have to look and dodge the myriad of anchored / moored vessels. I try to stick to the centre / port markers although the channel takes a bit of a detour towards Fishermans bend as you come in, So keep an eye on your depth meter as there is a bar slowly growing outside of the lock which now means you pass to the port side of the very last port marker bouy and make a diagonal line towards the lock entrance. Don't forget as the tidal range is on average seven meters the ebb tide can pull you back towards the harbour so again knowledge and experience will come in to play countering it's effects. This marina is accessed via a lock. The marina is next door to Nautical Supplies Chandlery which also has Gary who is the rigger / sailmaker, David the French Electrical engineer who is a very diligent in his work. The main finger has now finally been upgraded although sorting out a new tariff for those living aboard as the new dock now has metered power is still in a state of flux October 2020 The actual marina facilities are shal we say a bit lacking no crew room to hang out do paperwork in, the shower facilities are very tired and in desperate need of an upgrade. Eddy at Frying Nemo's has a marina people price list as opposed to what the public pays, just tell him you are a new arrival at the marina and nothing else needs to be said, you will be looked after, The current Lockmaster is Dani who will do what ever she can to help you have a great stay. She is a fantastic resource of local information. Thrifty car hire has a Tipperary Marina rate in their system but you have to ask for it and be insistent to make sure you get it.

The marina has berths available which range in size from 9 metres up to 21 metres for both single and multi hull vessels. Please contact our lockmaster to check availability of the berth size you require. Bookings and relevant documentation are essential. Vessels must be fully contained within the berth area, this includes all fixtures e.g. davits, pull pits and bow sprits.