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How to Get a Mooring Licence
Follow this step-by-step guide to get your Wadjemup / Rottnest Island mooring licence.
Becoming a licensee means you have a designated spot to moor your boat
Wadjemup is a popular boating location, and it can get busy on the water. A mooring licence ensures that you have a place where you can secure your boat any time you make the trip over to the island.
However, there are only a set number of mooring licences, and there is a waitlist for each bay. Submitting an application for a mooring licence allows you to join the waitlist for the next applicable mooring licence that becomes available.
Check your eligibility
How to make sure you and your boat are eligible.
For your boat
To apply for a licensed mooring, your boat has to meet the following criteria. Your boat must:
- Be a recreational vessel registered in Western Australia with the Department of Transport.
- Have current registration at the time of your application.
- Have a registered length of at least 6.4 metres.
- Either be a sailing vessel, or have its own power source capable of reaching a speed of five knots.
- Be covered under an insurance policy with the required level of third party legal liability.
It must not:
- Already be nominated by another owner under any other permit, licence or waiting list application.
For you
You are eligible to apply for a licensed mooring if you meet the following criteria:
- Your principal place of residence is within Western Australia.
- Your name appears on the Western Australian electoral roll as an elector (under the Electoral Act 1907).
- You are named as a registered owner of your boat on the certificate of registration issued by the Department of Transport for the vessel you nominate in your application.
- You own at least 25% of the nominated boat’s net worth.
- You do not already hold a mooring site licence, or have an application recorded on the mooring waitlist.
How to apply for a mooring licence
Preparing your application
Confirm your eligibility and gather the supporting documentation needed for your application:
- Ensure you have a registered account in the Mooring Licensing Portal.
- Confirm your details on the Western Australian electoral roll are current and correct. If you are registered as a silent elector, contact the Western Australian Electoral Commission for an electronic copy of your evidence of enrolment.
- Confirm that your details registered with the Department of Transport are current. You can check your details by logging into DoTDirect. Ensure the following information is included:
- Your name as a registered owner
- Registration number
- Registered length
- Date of registration expiry
- If your boat is registered in your business name, you will need:
- A statutory declaration of vessel ownership to confirm that you are the legal individual owner, and
- An electronic copy of your boat's certificate of registration, which you can obtain through DoTDirect.
Joining the licensed mooring waitlist
Simply submitting your application does not immediately entitle you to a mooring. Many other people are also waiting for a spot. So instead, you are put onto a waitlist for a mooring in your nominated bay.
Please note that due to high demand, waitlist times are substantial. The average wait time is between five and 10 years.
To ensure a fair system for everyone, you can only register on one bay’s waitlist at any given time. Being on the waitlist does not permit you to use the Shared Mooring System (SMS) either. You still need to apply for an authorised user permit in the meantime (see below).
Checking your position on the licensed mooring waitlist
You can check your position on the waitlist by logging into the Mooring Licensing Portal and viewing the ‘Waiting List’ information in your account dashboard.
Maintaining your mooring waitlist application
To stay on the waitlist, you will need to renew your application annually through the Mooring Licensing Portal. This ensures that your details remain current and correct. You can also update your address and contact details at any time through your account dashboard online.
If you sell, change or purchase a new eligible vessel, you must record this in the Mooring Licensing Portal. If you have sold your vessel, you will have six months to nominate a new eligible vessel to stay on the waitlist.
Need help? Visit the Mooring Licensing & Permits Help Centre.
Fees for licensed moorings
Payment includes the below fees and covers you for the Wadjemup boating season that runs from 1 September until 31 August.
- A mooring site licence fee. Mooring site licence fees vary depending on the length of your boat.
- 10 metres or less: $ 1,201.50
- More than 10 metres: $120 per meter
- Admission fees. The annual admission fee provides unlimited access to the reserve for the boating season.
Maintaining your mooring licence
Once you have obtained your mooring licence, you need to renew it every year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Need more help? Visit our Mooring Licensing & Permits Help Centre.