Mooring Terms and Conditions

All vessels entering the Rottnest Island Reserve — whether mooring or not — must comply with the terms and conditions of vessel entry to the Rottnest Island reserve, and are bound by the Rottnest Island Regulations 1988 and Rottnest Island Act 1987

Terms and conditions for mooring at Rottnest Island

These mooring site terms and conditions apply to everyone approved by the Rottnest Island Authority (RIA) to use a mooring site in the Rottnest Reserve.

This includes those approved for mooring licence, rental licence, annual admission, authorised user or domestic commercial vessel permit, and to all other vessels entering the reserve. These terms and conditions will apply every time you enter within the limits of the island and can only be varied or waived in writing by RIA.

Boat users are advised that all vessels entering into the limits of the reserve must have adequate insurance cover, as per below:

• Vessels of length* less than 6.4 metres require $5 million third party legal liability insurance cover;
• Vessels of length* 6.4 metres and greater require $10 million third party legal liability insurance cover.

*Vessel length refers to the length shown on the vessel’s certificate of registration.

Terms and conditions for licensees

All mooring site licensees must comply with the terms and conditions of vessel entry to the Rottnest Island reserve and are bound by the Rottnest Island Regulations 1988 and Rottnest Island Act 1987.

In addition, licensees are advised that:

• During the term of a licence, licensees are required to have a mooring inspection report at all times that ensures compliance with RIA-approved mooring specifications. They must ensure they submit a mooring inspection report showing the condition of the mooring to RIA within seven days of receiving the report.
• A mooring site licence is for a term of 12 months, and licensees are required to annually renew their licence before the end of each season.

Mooring site licensees using a tender or additional vessel should be aware of the following:

• A tender is a vessel that is 3.75 metres long or less. Vessels of this length do not need to pay admission fees.
• All vessels greater than 3.75 metres are classed as additional vessels and must comply with the rafting of additional vessel guidelines.
• Any tender or additional vessel (regardless of size) left unattended should be registered with the RIA as part of your mooring licence. This ensures rangers can identify the vessel as being permitted to occupy the mooring.
• Only licensees can directly secure their tender or additional vessel to their own registered mooring site without the primary vessel in attendance. They must be an owner of the vessel and have it registered on their mooring licence. This is not available for an authorised users’ tenders. The vessel must be secured in a way that does not preclude other vessels within the Shared Mooring System (SMS) from using the mooring site.

Terms and conditions for authorised users

• You must be named on the certificate of registration of the authorised vessel as the owner of that vessel.
• Your authorised vessel must have adequate insurance cover.
• Your authorised vessel must clearly display the valid and current sticker issued by RIA identifying it as an authorised vessel of that mooring site.
• You must return or surrender a sticker to RIA prior to the sale or disposal of your authorised vessel, or upon request.
• You are not permitted to destroy or discard a current season’s vessel sticker issued by RIA.
• It is an offence to alter a sticker issued by RIA.
• Your email address is your account ID and is how you will identify yourself as the end user and person responsible for the authorised user permit held in your name.
• The email address you register must be unique to you.
• You must have unrestricted access to the email address you register for your account ID.
• You must be the end user of that email address when making changes or enquiries pertaining to the personal and vessel information held on file for the authorised user permit in your name; no other party may act on your behalf.
• You must notify RIA if the details provided in this application change, as soon as is practicable to do so, via email to [email protected].
• Your mobile phone number and email address will be provided by RIA to the mooring site licensee(s) of the mooring site(s) you are authorised to use. By agreeing to these conditions, you consent to these details being provided in these circumstances and for these purposes only.
• Likewise, you will be provided the mobile phone number and email address of mooring site licensee(s) of the mooring site(s) you are authorised to for the purposes of determining availability for use. You are not permitted to provide these details to a third party.
• You, or any person responsible for your authorised vessel, must abide by the Shared Mooring System guidelines and terms and conditions of vessel entry to the Rottnest Island Reserve.
• Mooring site authorisations granted to you in your name are not transferable to any other party or joint vessel owner.
• Authorised use of a mooring site will be revoked if the mooring site licence is relinquished or cancelled.
• Authorised use of a mooring site may be revoked if the mooring site licence is exchanged, as permitted under the Regulations.
• Authorised use of a mooring site granted by a mooring site licensee can be revoked by the mooring site licensee at any time. A mooring site licensee cannot revoke authorisations granted by RIA.
• Authorised use of a mooring site granted by RIA will be revoked for failure to comply with the conditions of the authorised user permit, or failure to make payment for renewal prior to the commencement of that season.
• Your authorised user permit and all mooring site authorisations will expire at the end of that season on 31 August, unless renewed prior.
• An application to renew your authorised user permit and mooring site authorisations is required in the approved form, with payment of the annual admission and authorised user fees prior to the commencement of that season on 1 September. An invitation to renew will be emailed at the end of the season.
• RIA may audit your compliance with these conditions at any time. You will be provided 21 days from the date of the notice to comply with a direction. RIA are not required to refund any annual admission payment or authorised user payment made by you upon cancellation of your authorised user permit due to failure to comply with these conditions, or for an offence committed under the Regulations or the Act by yourself or a person responsible for your authorised vessel.

Terms and conditions for casual user moorings

• All moorings are used at your own risk.
• Casual access is for licensees and authorised users only. Authorised users must check with the Licensee prior to use to check mooring availability.
• The coloured disc attached to the mooring buoys indicate the rated vessel size for that mooring. Vessels can only use moorings that have the same colour disc as that displayed on their licensee or authorised user sticker.
• During casual access, a competent operator must remain on board the vessel so that it can be moved immediately should the licensee or any nominated authorised user arrive to use the mooring site.
• Should you need to leave your vessel, you are permitted to do so for up to 20 minutes as long as you clearly display your name and contact mobile phone number and remain contactable.
• Moorings under the SMS are available on a first-in/best-served basis. Only the licensee’s vessel or an authorised user for that site has priority use. A licensee’s vessel has priority over the use of their mooring site at all times.
• Moorings with green floats are Rottnest Island Authority (RIA) rental moorings. These are not permitted for use without prior approval. For approval and to ensure the hire mooring is not already booked, contact the Rottnest Island Visitor Centre on (+61 8) 9372 9730.

Refund terms and conditions

Where there is a need to refund fees due to cancellation by the applicant:

• Refunds for the fees paid for the current season will be calculated as per the percentages nominated in Table 1.
• A written request for a refund must be received with the applicable stickers. The date of any applicable refund will be based on the date these are received by the Rottnest Island Authority.
• Refunds will only be approved with the return of all current vessel’s licensees, authorised user or annual admission adhesive stickers for the season. In some circumstances, a signed statutory declaration may be required if the adhesive sticker has been destroyed.
• Refunds will be processed to the credit card initially used to make payment, or by cheque upon request. Under no circumstances will cash be issued.

Table 1: Percentage of refund applicable for specific purposes based the date cancellation request and return of stickers, and on extent of the elapsed time period as below:

In relation to an annual admission fee payment, RIA will credit individual admission fees paid within the previous 14 days towards the annual admission fee. Where such a credit payment is greater than the calculated admission fee, no refund or credit will be made or given.

Pro-rata fee terms and conditions

For new applications received and processed after 1 April, there will be a pro-pata reduction in the fees for the current season, with the sticker validation ending on 31 August.

Mooring Site Licensee:

• Fees from 1 September to 31 March: 100%
• Fees from 1 April to 31 August: Pro-rata

Authorised user:

• Fees from 1 September to 31 March: 100%
• Fees from 1 April to 31 August: Pro-rata

Annual admission:

• Fees from 1 September to 31 March: 100%
• Fees from 1 April to 31 August: Pro-rata

Mooring site licence waitlist terms and conditions

• You can only apply to be placed on a waiting list for one nominated bay. If you later wish to change your nominated bay, you are required to cancel your current application and make a new application for that bay’s waiting list. Your name will then be placed at the end of the waiting list for a mooring site licence in that mooring area.
• You can only nominate one vessel as your nominated vessel for your waiting list application. The vessel you nominate must be a recreational vessel and cannot already be nominated by a joint vessel owner for any other Rottnest Island boating licence, permit, or mooring site licence waiting list application in their name.
• If you sell or dispose of your interest in the nominated vessel you must notify Rottnest Island Authority (RIA) in writing, as soon as is practicable, of the date of sale or disposal. You will then be authorised six months from that date to nominate a new suitable vessel.
• An application fee is applicable for a place on the mooring site licence waiting list. Please refer to the waitlist application fee.
• Vessel length refers to the registered length of a vessel as defined on the vessel registration papers issued by the Western Australian Department of Transport.
• Fees are GST inclusive and are effective from 1 September 2022. Pro-Rata Fees may apply for applications made after 1 April each season.

Applicants for the mooring licence waitlist are required to meet the following criteria:

• Principal place of residence is within Western Australia.
• Name appears on the electoral roll as an elector under the Electoral Act 1907.
• Name is on the certificate of registration issued by the Department of Transport.
• Is the owner of at least 25 percent of the net worth of the vessel nominated in the application.
• Does not already have an application recorded on the waiting list and does not have another mooring site licence.

Nominated vessels on the mooring licence waitlist are required to meet the following criteria:

• Be a recreational vessel registered in Western Australia with the Department of Transport.
• Have a registered length of at least 6.4 metres.
• Be a sailing vessel or have its own form of self-propulsion capable of achieving a speed of five knots.
• Must be covered under an insurance policy with the required level of third party legal liability.
• Must not already be nominated by another owner of the vessel under any other permit application, application recorded on a waiting list, and is not a licensed vessel or an additional vessel for any other mooring site.