I recently received a communication from Transport NSW flagging that I should not contemplate any changes to my mooring apparatus, boat on the mooring or request location changes without first consulting Transport NSW. When my mooring license renewal came recently there was the same warning. The implied message seemed to be that if I did want to make any changes eg put a different boat on the mooring if I purchased a new boat this may not be supported.
I'm just wondering if anybody has had any experience of putting this to the test? Does anybody have a sense of what this is about? I'm not planning on making any changes but the conspiracy theorist in me worries that there is a plot to remove boats from mooring areas and force them into expensive marina births.

Be very careful if purchasing a boat with a mooring . Do not assume that the transfer will be approved..

Are instances of purchase,on this assumption,with the result that the boat now resides on a commercial mooring/Marina - Waiting !!

Due Diligence

Suggest check if there is a waiting list for the bay;
maps.transport.nsw.gov.au/maritime/moorings/private-moorings/map/index.html#/cartomap
If there is then in theory the person at the top of the queue gets first refusal.
Recommend contacting the bay's Boating Service Officer - they are very helpful - and checking what system that area operates under if it is not quite the same as detailed on the TfNSW website.

Matt, you would be referring to the REF letter ( review of environmental factors ) in a nutshell if there's sea grass or indigenous issues you will be affected, if you don't change things its not a problem , if you do want to change your boat for instance it will trigger a REF problem is maritime don't know how to conduct the REF ! so it's a waiting game my mooring field has come to a stop as far as boat changing is concerned & as a result more mooring minders are being generated. Such a good system ! Again if you don't change anything you're safe. PS servicing your mooring is allowed as long as you don't lift the block ? Or at least that's our interpretation

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MattM14 said..
I recently received a communication from Transport NSW flagging that I should not contemplate any changes to my mooring apparatus, boat on the mooring or request location changes without first consulting Transport NSW. When my mooring license renewal came recently there was the same warning. The implied message seemed to be that if I did want to make any changes eg put a different boat on the mooring if I purchased a new boat this may not be supported.
I'm just wondering if anybody has had any experience of putting this to the test? Does anybody have a sense of what this is about? I'm not planning on making any changes but the conspiracy theorist in me worries that there is a plot to remove boats from mooring areas and force them into expensive marina births.

When I received my renewal for a NSW mooring, issued in March this year, it had the green renewal form with my details, the ID number and so on, plus the fee payable (which had gone up by 24 per cent), and a separate standard two page doc (ie one page printed on both sides) setting out the licence conditions.

No separate letter. The standard licence conditions doc covers what your letter covers, and more besides.

Essentially NSW Transport licenses you to have a particular boat on a particular mooring, subject to a bunch of other conditions.

As I read it, they are keen to make clear that a licence is not a right, it is something you only get based on meeting the required conditions, and it can be taken away at any time if you don't meet those conditions. They can at any time demand to see evidence of the mooring having been serviced, for example.

I don't know how precarious it is in practice. Others may have had experiences of mooring licences being revoked, but so far, I haven't. If it is common for them to be revoked, then that creates a lot of uncertainty. If however their bark is worse than their bite, then the practice may be less strict than the wording. Looking at some of the birds nests here and there, perhaps they haven't enforced conditions in the past, and perhaps now they are gearing up to be more strict. Can't know unless and until we hear about actual revocations.

I have heard of an instance when they sent a letter saying a boat was in too poor condition to make way under its own power/sail, when it was in good order. When challenged by the owner they admitted they had issued it by mistake - literally sent the wrong standard form letter to him.

In my dealings with TfNSW over some years, I've got the impression there's a bit of petty officiousness with some of them (bit like parking officers), but not all of them.

I'd suggest it pays to be careful in any dealings with them.

Yes - Careful !

Is a vacant mooring in the Bay,on the inside . Asked,via Maritime call centre,about process of moving there . $ was prohibitive,and wary of being left with nothing,as competence/understanding felt marginal !! Even if applied,the progress would be glacial,as many levels of bureaucracy now involved - best to keep head down !

However,if you contact local BSO + Mooring contractor should get an understanding of the actual situation ?

Not all NSW mooring fields are affected by the REF, so if it's not , its business as usual

Three rules:
1. Always check if it is ok to change your vessel for another before purchase.
2. If you are going to be away from your mooring for a while {defined by your local BSO} notify your local office that you will be away .
There is a special form, do it by email!
3. Always log the servicing of your mooring [and life jackets] by you or others in the back of your log book.

And visually, make sure your water line is always clean.