Australia’s 305 marinas generated $965 million in gross revenue, supported almost 24,000 jobs and contributed an estimated $3.2 billion to the economy during 2025.
The figures come from the Marina Industries Association’s (MIA) 2025 Health of the Australian Marina Industry Survey which show the marinas had an average occupancy of 85.4%.
The survey saw responses from 40% of the nation’s marinas, with the figures showing an industry with different growth engines depending on location.
Queensland marinas reported the strongest revenue momentum, with almost half of operators recording higher gross revenue than the prior year.
Occupancy above national benchmark
Queensland, New South Wales and Western Australia reported individually posted average occupancy above the 85.4% national benchmark, with Western Australia leading the way at 88.3%, ahead of New South Wales (87.4%) and Queensland (86.1%).
Ownership structures across the three states are notably different with New South Wales having the highest proportion of privately owned marinas at 88.6%, while Western Australia has the largest share under government ownership – 63%.
Western Australia is also leading the way on renewable energy, with around one in five of its marinas having already installed solar.
Western Australia has the highest concentration of full-service marinas, reporting the highest proportion of facilities offering both fuel (65.7%) and haul-out services (52.1%).
Small business tenants
New South Wales reported the highest proportion of marinas – 80.6% – leasing space to small business tenants, while Queensland marinas host the highest average number of business tenants per site and engage more contractors than any other state.
“This state-level detail gives our industry a far richer picture than the national figures alone,” explained Andrew Chapman AM CMM, MIA president.
“Queensland is leading on revenue growth, Western Australia is setting the benchmark on occupancy, and New South Wales continues to show that a smaller footprint doesn’t mean a smaller opportunity for local business.”
The Health of the Australian Marina Industry Survey is conducted biennially by the MIA’s research partner Michigan State University’s Recreational Marine Research Centre.
