A SHORT HISTORY OF THE ASSOCIATION

The Garden Island Fishing and Aquatic Association is an incorporated body, originally established in 1958 to manage and protect the interests and property of the cottage owners on the North End of the Island. When the Armaments depot was established in Sulphur Bay the cottages were demolished and quite a few of their owners, rather than give up the “Island Life” started to holiday on board their boats. In 1981 the Association was resurrected to cater for the boating public who visit the Island. With interest by the boating public in visiting Garden Island rapidly increasing as southern metropolitan Perth expands, the need for a formal management policy for recreational boat mooring within the Controlled Naval Waters which surround Garden Island has been recognised. An Interim Mooring Management Policy was established in 1997 and following review, the Garden Island Recreational Moorings Management Policy (2005) for public mooring is the current policy which GIFAA’s Constitution and rules are formed under. Our aims are to preserve public access, the environment and the facilities that we enjoy today. There are no public moorings and use is not permitted without permission.

There is a new range of GIFAA merchandise that will be available at the AGM etc.

Please note that State laws have been updated from early March and the distances we refer to in regards to safe speed have altered from 45 to 50 meters.

At all times, an 8-knot speed limit applies when your vessel is within 50 meters of;
• A moored vessel.
• A person in the water.
• A jetty or wharf.
• A river bank or low water mark.

Additionally, skippers must drive a speed boat towing a skier/s engaged in the exercise of trick skiing so as not to approach within 100 metres of any landing or take-off areas, this was 90 metres.

The changes should make it easier for skippers to remember when they have to slow down and bring the distance that you must keep away from a Diver's Below flag to be the same as in other regulations.