Head of Superyacht Australia’s plan to boost big boat visits to Gold Coast hits back at criticism

THE head of a strategy using the Commonwealth Games to boost superyacht visits has torpedoed suggestions it’s a “joke” and he’s “living in fairyland”.

Cameron Bray, the managing director of Gold Coast-based Northrop & Johnson Australia’s sole office, and head of Superyacht Australia's working group aimed at attracting more big boats to the country.

THE head of a strategy using the Commonwealth Games to boost superyacht visits to Australia has torpedoed suggestions it is a “joke” and he’s “living in fairyland”.

Gold Coast-based Cameron Bray, leading Superyacht Australia’s national plan, has shot back at Boat Works marina owner Tony Longhurst who branded it a waste of time unless more Broadwater dredging occurred and anchorages increased.

Mr Bray said dredging was only a small part of the overall plan.

“It’s not going to be what makes or breaks our strategy. There is no question dredging is an issue for the Gold Coast.

Superyacht visitation national strategy leader Cameron Bray: “If we want larger yachts to come here we need to work on the dredging ... but that’s why we are announcing we’re working on the strategy now. We have 15 to 16 months before the Commonwealth Games so we have time to address these issues.”.

“But to say our strategy is a fairytale because we aren’t going to have dredging done doesn’t have substance because we have so many other things we are focusing on,” Mr Bray said.

“If we want larger yachts to come here we need to work on the dredging ... but that’s why we are announcing we’re working on the strategy now.

“We have 15 to 16 months before the Commonwealth Games so we have time to address these issues.”

Mr Bray said the strategy would also focus on job creation, tourism benefits, servicing and pushing for an on-water immigration hub so superyachts could clear Customs on the Gold Coast.

As well as leading the strategy and aiming to quadruple the 60 to 70 visits Australia averages annually, Mr Bray is the head of the Australian base of global superyacht charter broker Northrop & Johhnson.

Mr Bray said the fact Northrop had recently set up its sole Australian office on the Gold Coast spoke volumes for its potential as a superyacht destination.

“The Gold Coast is in a really fortuitous place geographically. We are the midway point between the Great Barrier Reef and Sydney,” he said, adding the Gold Coast was the perfect pit stop for refit and repairs on the way up the coastline.

Mr Longhurst’s criticism of the superyacht plan blamed the Gold Coast Waterways Authority for allowing the Broadwater to become a sandbank, saying unless the southern end of it was dredged the strategy was pointless.

But Mr Bray said he wanted to work towards a post-Games dredging legacy for big boats.

“We want to create a dredging plan that lasts into the future, so we leave the Commonwealth Games knowing there is a legacy left behind which benefits everyone.

“We hope using the Commonwealth Games as a drawcard should see more visiting Austrlaia. Not everyone is going to come to the Coast for the Games but if it can be just one of the stops in a trip around Australia, that’s ideally what we want.”

Tourism Minister and Gold Coast Federal MP Steven Ciobo said it was crucial the Coast had its own on-water immigration facility for foreign yachts to clear Customs and the Gold Coast City Council needed to pin down a location.