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.
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2026 Annual General Meeting
I hereby give notice that the Garden Island Fishing & Aquatic Association (Inc) Annual General Meeting and election of office bearers will be held on Wednesday 18th November 2026 at the Cockburn Power Boat Association.
Exact timings will be communicated at a later date.
Nomination forms for President, Treasurer, Secretary, Mooring Manager and Committee are are available to be downloaded: [DOWNLOAD HERE].
Nominations are to be forwarded to:
The Returning Officer, GIFAA PO Box 630, Melville, 6956.
Nomination forms to be received no later than 5.00PM on Monday 19th October 2026
To support your nomination, you are invited to attach a resume with up to 200 words to your nomination and this will be included in the Newsletter.
Please note that to nominate as a candidate, propose a candidate or second a candidate your payment for membership fees for the 2026-27 year must be received by 19th October 2026. Members will be advised of the candidates soon thereafter.
As per our constitution, no new members will be processed after 12th October 2026.
All existing members must be financial by the 16th of November 2026 to be eligible to vote at the AGM.
There will be a meal and a limited bar tab for members at the AGM. Please come along to your AGM and take the opportunity to meet fellow members and share a refreshment or two with the members and committee.
GIFAA AGM Minutes of November 19th 2025: [DOWNLOAD]
Looking forward to seeing you all at the AGM
Pete Fry
Secretary Garden Island and Aquatic Assciation (Inc)
Newsletter
GIFAA September Newsletter 2026
[CLICK HERE] to download in PDF
Important update
We have been advised officially by the Navy of a change to their policy regarding pets. As you know Garden Island is an A-class reserve and pets are prohibited from the island and this now includes Naval waters. Much like Rottnest Island and the other Islands nearby, pets are not permitted within 500 metres of the island.
Rafting of vessels is not permitted by order Superintendent of the Garden Island Naval Waters.
No anchoring within 50m of any mooring
Speed limits in the bays not to exceed 5 knots
Dogs/Pets are not permitted within 500m of the shoreline on Garden Island
Vessels over 13 metres cannot access Herring Bay
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Can you help?
The Garden Island Fishing & Aquatic Association are chasing your assistance with members stories related to Garden Island Activities . Please refer to the link attached:
Recreational vessel safety equipment requirements have changed
Following a five-year review of safety equipment requirements in WA, stronger, simpler laws are being introduced to keep people safe on the water. [READMORE]
Deckee allows the user to personalise their page and view important features including;
- Weather details and forecast specific to your area
- Marine Points of interest
- Trip planning
- Marine facilities, and
- Critical safety advice.
Important Safety Alerts are sent to specific areas using Geo Fencing technology to inform app users of details requiring their attention. This may include hazards, wind and weather concerns, closed waters for boating, and other temporary notices to mariners.
‘Deckee Signal’ is another feature that allows you to share your live location with specific contacts like your family or friends, or even other members of the Deckee community.
In a recent world first Deckee now allows all app users to provide live feedback to ‘Report an Incident’ and assist in maintaining safety on our waterways. Boaties can provide critical details relating to pollution, hazards, accidents, or poor behaviour by others in several easy-to-follow steps.
Deckee has many more features deserving of closer examination by all skippers, and users of our waterways. Download the app from Apple store, or Google Play.
I would encourage all members to download the Deckee app. More information about “Report an Incident” can be found on the following link [DOWNLOAD](mp4.file)
For more information about DECKEE: [CLICK HERE]
Pete Fry
Secretary
Garden Island Fishing & Aquatic Assoc. (Inc.)
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Welcome to Garden Island
Click on Brochure
to DOWNLOAD
South Metropolitan Boating Guide
Click on Brochure
to DOWNLOAD
Click on Brochure
to DOWNLOAD
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Beach Emergency Number (BEN) Signs
If you’re boating to Garden Island, look out for the recently installed 11 Beach Emergency Signs at various locations across the island. Remember to take note of the nearest BEN sign number; in the event of an emergency you will need to tell the 000 operator this information.
The official map of all the signs can be found at:
https://www.sharksmart.com.au/staying-safe/garden-island/
