Tipperary Waters Marina

Use this listing for Tipperary Waters Marina as a cyclone-rated Darwin marina in Stuart Park/Frances Bay. Current operator material confirms 73 berths, maximum boat size around 22 m length, 6.1 m beam and 3.4 m draft, liveaboard capability and lockmaster-assisted tidal marina access.

The 73 berths are documented to an unusual degree: liveaboard capacity comprises 21 twelve-metre, 18 fifteen-metre, four eighteen-metre and two twenty-metre berths, while storage-only berths number 17 twelve-metre, eight fifteen-metre, one eighteen-metre and one twenty-two-metre pen. Maximum vessel size is 22 metres LOA, 6.1 metres beam and 3.4 metres draft. All berths carry power (15 and 20-amp outlets) and fresh water, and the amenity block provides a laundromat, toilets and showers, with trolleys for hauling gear, car parking and rubbish facilities.

The marina office manages berth bookings, which span casual, permanent and liveaboard arrangements, and berths should be booked well ahead in the dry season. Lock access is tide-dependent: movements require at least four metres of tide, so the lockmaster (0407 075 077, VHF channel 8, callsign 'Tipperary Lock') schedules entries around the tidal window, and the lock coordinates (12 26.948 S, 130 51.086 E) are published for first-time arrivals.

There is no fuel berth in the marina; fuelling is done at the Cullen Bay self-service dock or the Fishermans Wharf jetty nearby. The estate chandlery, Nautical Supplies, doubles as the RFD liferaft service agent, and Darwin Ship Stores near Fishermans Wharf is a second option within the precinct. Day-to-day provisioning is covered by the IGA supermarket, bottleshop, fast food and restaurants around the estate, with a bus stop for runs into the city. Liveaboards get the full residential treatment here, which in Darwin makes Tipperary Waters unique.

Cyclone-rated construction means the berths and pile moorings were engineered for the Top End's storm season, and the marina maintains documented procedures for securing the basin when a warning is declared. Rental berths are limited, pricing is quoted by the marina office on application, and terms require the usual insurance and biosecurity clearances common to all Darwin lock marinas.

The approach to Tipperary Waters is the same Sadgroves Creek route used for Bayview: pass Stokes Hill Wharf into Frances Bay on at least four metres of rising tide, keeping to the centre and port markers while dodging the moored and anchored boats that crowd the deeper water. Regulars warn of a bar slowly building outside the lock entrance; current practice is to pass to the port side of the last port-hand buoy and take a diagonal line into the lock rather than following the charted channel blindly, and at low tide the chart really does show you sailing over dry land.

Call the lockmaster well before Stokes Hill to confirm your slot. Once inside, the CBD is a 20 to 25-minute walk and the Dinah Beach Cruising Yacht Association's bar and hardstand are two minutes away, a combination that makes this Stuart Park pocket the most practical cruising quarter in Darwin. Anchorage options outside include Frances Bay, handy for waiting on the tide.

The marina's position also suits the working side of the harbour: Fishermans Wharf's fuel and ice are close, and the Frances Bay Mooring Basin is the next lock along for anything too big for Tipperary's gates. Dry-season demand is heavy and rental berths are limited, so book well in advance; in the wet, the cyclone rating and lock-protected water are the attraction.

Local quirks are tidal rather than cultural: plan every arrival and departure around the four-metre rule, keep fenders both sides in the lock, and treat the creek's crocodiles as residents rather than visitors.