VHF Radio Marine Weather Broadcasts in North Queensland

Marine weather forecast services

Broadcasts of coastal weather forecasts via Telstra's Seaphone ceased on 30 November 2006. A service for mariners in far north Queensland is now provided by Maritime Safety Queensland with the support of the Bureau. The Bureau’s coastal waters forecasts are broadcast twice a day according to the following schedule:

VHF broadcast schedule

Location	Channel	Scheduled Times Local Standard Times (Daily)
Torres Strait (Moa Is.)	19	0633 1633 EST
Torres Strait (Darnley Is.)	18	0633 1633 EST
Lockhart River	18	0633 1633 EST
Cooktown	19	0633 1633 EST

Weather warnings

Bureau Marine wind warnings, are also broadcast for these locations on the same radio channels.
This is an enhancement of previous formal services through Seaphone.

About VHF channels 18 and 19

VHF channels 18 and 19 are dedicated channels for international shipping navigating the waters of the Great Barrier Reef. As an interim measure, these channels are available to broadcast weather information only. They are not to be used for 2 way communication between ships or to make requests of the operators based at Hay Point.

Making use of alternatives

The Bureau will continue to offer a comprehensive set of marine weather services on a 24/7 basis, including broadcasts via HF radio channels, and phone and internet-based services, which can also be obtained using satellite phone. The Bureau’s Marine website (www.bom.gov.au/marine) offers a more complete set of weather information which is accessible at any time before going to sea, or at sea where suitable onboard reception equipment is available.

More information about VHF marine weather broadcasts in far north Queensland is available from Maritime Safety Queensland.