All,

As you may know, KBV has posted a number of updates regarding the 5 knot rule at Altona via our website, direct mail, facebook and seabreeze. This was in response to a request by Parks Victoria to remind kiters of our responsibilities.

We have received a large number of requests from members and non-members for clarification on the zones in Melbourne and where exactly the 5 knot rule applies.

We thought it would be a great idea if we were to clarify the different boating zones, and where the 5 knot rule applies in this post. We'll ask the Seabreeze team to sticky this post for reference. It would be great to avoid discussion about the rights and wrongs of the zones. It would be fantastic if people were to attach links or information from the relevant authority in their area in Victoria as to the local zones and rules so that we can use this thread as a reference.

We'll kick off by summarising the rules for the Melbourne Area:

____________________________________________________________________

Who manages the Melbourne Waterways?

Parks Victoria are responsible for managing the waters at Port Phillip, Western Port and Port Campbell. They work with a number of other agencies including the Fisheries Board, Water Police, EPA etc.

What are the zones and rules?

Parks Victoria have recently simplified how the waterways are zoned in Melbourne. There are now just 4 zones:

1) Boating only - swimming is not permitted in this zone.
2) Swimming only - all vessels including personal watercraft, powered and non power vessels are not permitted in this zone.
3) Shared Wind Sport Area - this zone provides an area for kite boarding, sail boarding and other wind based boating which may exceed 5 knots except within 50m proximity to other vessels and swimmers. Other vessels are permitted in this area.
4) 200m from shore - Swimming and boating are permitted within 200m of the shore subject to defined areas above. All vessels must adhere to 5 knot speed limit within 200m of the shore and within 50m of swimmers.

Kitesurfing is classified as a 'boat' under Park Vic's definition. Therefore we can kite in zones 1, 3 and 4.

What are the zones for my area?

Parks Victoria are currently rolling out these new zones across all waterways. This is been done in phases due to logistics around signage etc. The links below contain maps which will illustrate which zone your local beach falls into.

- Phase 1: Port Melbourne to St Kilda (Implemented)

Map Link: parkweb.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/478081/Port-Melbourne-to-St-Kilda-Boating-and-Swimming-Zones.pdf

- Phase 2: Dromana to Blairgowrie; Werribee River to Williamstown (including Altona) and Phillip Island (current stage of introduction)

Maps Link: parkweb.vic.gov.au/park-management/bay-and-waterways-management/boating-zones/stage-2-dromana-to-blairgowrie-werribee-river-to-williamstown-and-phillip-island


- Phase 3: All other areas - (Future stage of implementation)

Current zones: parkweb.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/313566/rec_boat_guide_port_phillip.pdf

Proposed Rezoning: parkweb.vic.gov.au/park-management/bay-and-waterways-management/boating-zones/stage-3,-4-and-5-all-remaining-zones


Hopefully the above is useful for anybody who was unsure. We'll also get this up on our website for future reference.

Thanks,
KBV
[Derek]
For queries, please send an email to [email protected]
For KBV information, please visit www.kbv.org.au
Facebook page, www.facebook.com/kiteboardingvictoria

ice said...

What are the rules beyond Port Phillip and Western Port Bays?

Eg. 13th beach, Torquay, Inverloch, Phillip Island, Sandy Point etc

common sense

ice said...

What are the rules beyond Port Phillip and Western Port Bays?

Eg. 13th beach, Torquay, Inverloch, Phillip Island, Sandy Point etc

Technically this is what it is:

On all Victorian coastal and enclosed waters, or bays, a 5 knot speed limit applies to boat operators and PWC operators under the following conditions:

(a) within 200m of the water's edge unless specifically excluded by Notice or where designated for other purposes
(b) within 50m of any wharf, jetty, slipway, diving platform or boat ramp
(c) when passing through a recognised anchorage for small vessels.

As someone said, use common sense. I.e. if there is no one on the beach or in the water swimming, no one is going to complain about you surfing waves close to shore. If there are people in the water, move further upwind or downwind of them if you want to surf waves and no one is going to complain.

Explains where 200m, 5 knot rule came from.

How long has this rule been around? Pre sail boarding/wind surfing?

markey said...

and is the 200m distance from the high tide mark or from the point the tide is at that time , its pretty difficult if theres sandbanks out to guage where 200m might be ?

Previously i've seen it defined as 200m from the high tide mark but it seems like they're now going with 200m from the waters edge. I'm not really sure when it changed but i guess they're just trying to keep things simple.

From my perspective if there's 200m of water with a sandbar in the middle then it's ok, but others opinions might vary.