Authorities have announced the Jet Ski exclusion zones in the popular holiday destination of Port Stephens will be in place again during the peak of summer after a successful trial earlier this year.
And new temporary Jet Ski exclusion zones – to coincide with peak holiday periods – are now under consideration in other NSW waterways.
Above: NSW Police Marine Area Command Sergeant Clint Brown (left), NSW Maritime Executive Director Mark Hutchings (right) address media in Port Stephens ahead of the trial last year.
According the final report: “The trial provided an opportunity to test a new approach and build understanding about how seasonal powered vessel-free zones operate in practice.
“The evaluation also identified practical lessons that could improve the planning, communication and delivery of similar initiatives in the future.”
From 24 December 2025 to 26 January 2026 the exclusion zone trial in Port Stephens applied to sections of:
- Dutchman’s Beach
- Fly Point
- Shoal Bay
In total, the ‘no-go’ zones equated to approximately 800 metres of a 3.2km shoreline.
After a reduction in complaints against Jet Skis during the trial period, authorities have confirmed the exclusion zones will return during the same period in the peak of this summer (24 December 2026 to 26 January 2027).
“The trial showed these zones worked, with strong support from locals, visitors and increasingly from people using powered vessels,” the Minister for NSW Police and NSW Minister for the Hunter Region, Yasmin Catley, said in a media statement.
“Bringing (the exclusion zones) back this summer strikes the right balance, giving swimmers and paddlers more space while still leaving plenty of room for boaties and Jet Ski riders to enjoy Port Stephens.”
Above: Authorities can now use CCTV to monitor trouble spots on waterways across the state.
NSW Maritime reported the following results after the trial:
- Support for exclusion zones among powered vessel users increased from 66 per cent before the trial to 85 per cent during the trial;
- An average of 1 powered vessel was observed within 30 metres of the shoreline at trial locations, compared with 13.6 at comparison sites;
- No powered vessel speeding was observed within 30 metres of the shoreline at exclusion zone sites during the trial period;
- Noise ratings at exclusion zone locations improved from 69 per cent to 83 per cent of beach users rating conditions as ‘good’ or ‘excellent’;
- The evaluation found no evidence that the exclusion zones negatively affected enjoyment of waterways for powered vessel users;
- 85 per cent of residents and visitors supported extending the trial or introducing similar seasonal zones elsewhere.
Transport for NSW said it engaged an independent evaluator to assess the trial, which reported the following:
- 791 surveys completed by Port Stephens residents and visitors before and after the trial;
- 287 surveys completed by powered vessel users, including personal watercraft and motorboat operators;
- 8 focus groups involving residents and visitors;
- 19 interviews with operational staff and industry representatives;
- More than 187 hours of observations at trial and comparison locations before and during the trial;
- A review of compliance, complaints and operational data collected throughout the trial period.
At the conclusion of the trail earlier this year, Port Stephens Mayor, Leah Anderson, said complaints about Jet Skis had been “relentless” in previous years, but this season there was a noticeable decline.
“I seem to have been the first point of contact, along with the Minister, with regards to relentless complaints around people not being able to swim on the beach safely with their family, without Jet Skis and personal watercraft coming between them.
“To have those sections of the beach (during this trial) where people could swim safely was so pleasing to see.”
Ms Anderson said her office only received two complaints about Jet Skis during the trial period.
One complaint was about Jet Ski noise, and another local resident complained that a Jet Ski was on a banned section of beach when in fact it was using an area where Jet Skis were allowed.
“So we need to be clearer to the community where the exclusion zones are,” said Ms Anderson. “This section you can pull up on the beach with your Jet Ski, and this section is for swimmers.”
The mayor of Port Stephens said there needed to be room for swimmers and boaters.
“I get contact from people who own Jet Skis, they ride them safely, they follow the rules, they do nothing wrong, they should be allowed to be out there on our waterways enjoying their craft, but also they respect the fact that families want places that are safe to swim.”
Above: Jet Skis hooning in a go-slow zone near Brighton Le Sands last summer.
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