Pier 21 Marina

Use this listing for private marina berthing on the northern bank of the Swan River near Fremantle. Current operator material describes 174 rentable mooring pens with wide jetty access and power, while marina berth listings reference 176 berths and sizes from about 7 m to 24 m. It is well suited to Swan River and Fremantle-based owners seeking protected wet berthing.

The marina offers around 175 rentable pens, a mixture of fixed and floating berths sized for vessels from 7 to 24 metres, all reached by wide, clean jetty walkways. Every pen has a permanent 15-amp single-phase power connection and water, and free ice is available to pen holders, a small but practical touch for boats heading offshore. Parking is a genuine differentiator: a 24-hour secure car park with electronic key access sits beside the marina, so owners can leave vehicles for extended periods while away on the boat.

Showers, toilets and laundry facilities serve pen holders, free wifi covers the site, and the office is staffed during the week for arrivals, maintenance coordination and security oversight. Pens are let on both short-term and long-term arrangements, which makes the marina one of the more accessible casual berthing options on the lower Swan for visiting craft under 24 metres.

Fuel is listed among the marina's services in published directories; in practice the nearest full fuelling berth is Molfetta Quay in the Fremantle Fishing Boat Harbour just downstream, where Baileys Marine Fuels dispenses diesel and unleaded petrol around the clock on a fuel-card system (phone 1300 224 539). There is no travel lift, slipway or hardstand within Pier 21 itself; haul-outs and refit work are handled a kilometre or two away at the Northport marine services precinct at Rous Head, where SFM Marine operates lift, launch, spray-down and refit facilities, or at the boat lifters in the Fishing Boat Harbour such as Blue HQ.

The adjoining Pier 21 Apartment Hotel effectively extends the amenity list: pen holders and their guests can use the breakfast lounge, restaurant, pools and gym, and family can stay on site during boat works. A redevelopment of the marina site has been flagged by the owner, though berthing operations continue as normal in the meantime.

The run to sea from Pier 21 could hardly be simpler. Three kilometres downstream the Swan meets the Indian Ocean between the North and South Moles; from there Rottnest Island is roughly 25 kilometres across Gage Roads, with Carnac and Garden islands to the south. The river reach past the marina carries commercial traffic, including tugs, barges and ships manoeuvring to the Inner Harbour berths, so skippers should keep a proper lookout and mind their wash near the marina's fixed pens.

Upstream, the Swan offers days of sheltered cruising past East Fremantle's yacht clubs, Bicton, Point Walter and on to Perth Water, but mast-up yachts need to check air draft against the bridges; the old Fremantle Traffic Bridge in particular limits what can pass, and its replacement project has altered navigation arrangements in recent years. Speed limits apply along much of the river and are policed.

Ashore, North Fremantle has become a good provisioning stop: cafes and small bars line Queen Victoria Street and Stirling Highway within walking distance, the North Fremantle train station connects to both Fremantle and Perth, and the Cottesloe and Leighton beach strip is a short hop for a swim. For larger shopping runs, central Fremantle is a few minutes by car over the bridge.

Visiting crews often use the marina as a base for the islands: fuel and ice on the way out, an overnight anchor at Rottnest's Thomson Bay or a booked mooring at Carnac, then back into the pen with the secure car park waiting. Winter fronts can send surge up the lower river, and the fixed-pen berths feel it more than the floating ones, so lines and fenders deserve attention ahead of strong westerly weather.