Coast Guard Port Welshpool VF20

08/05/2026

FUNDING FOR NEW OFFSHORE RESCUE VESSEL ANNOUNCED

Very exciting news this week! The Hon. Tom McIntosh, Upper House MP for Eastern Victoria has announced funding for a new vessel for Port Welshpool Coast Guard.

He made a surprise visit to the Flotilla's base on Tuesday 5 May, to announce the funding, secured in the recent State Budget.

"This funding for a new rescue vessel is a massive boost for safety along the Gippsland coastline", said The Hon. McIntosh.

Flotilla Commodore Robin Street and other members have been working hard for well over a year to secure funding for a new vessel.

"This is sensational news that caught us totally by surprise. It means we will be getting a new custom built mono hull craft designed for the conditions we face on Bass Strait" said Robin.

The good news is a light in the shadow of tragedy, as all marine rescue members mourn the loss of two Marine Rescue NSW volunteers and a member of the public in a boating tragedy at Ballina on Monday night.

The current Port Welshpool rescue vessel is an ex-police boat and has seen decades of active service with the Police and Coast Guard, but is now aging quickly and is no longer fit for purpose.

"When launched, the new boat will provide enhanced rescue capabilities for the South Gippsland boating community and provide a reliable and safe vessel for our volunteers for many years to come", said Robin.

The Hon. Tom McIntosh concluded his announcement by recognising the important role Coast Guard volunteers play in Victoria, saying "​A huge thank you to all the dedicated volunteers who keep our waters safe".

07/05/2026

NEW WEATHER STATION ONLINE AT PORT WELSHPOOL COASTGUARD

With the aim to help improve real time weather information in Corner Inlet, Port Welshpool Coastguard have just installed a multi-function weather station at the Flotilla's base, adjacent to the Port Welshpool boat ramp. Sited on the radio tower, the unit is already transmitting wind, temperature, pressure and other data to the public Wundergound weather site, where anyone can access it.

Accessing the data is easy via both the Wunderground web site or the Wunderground App (available for Android and iPhone).

WEB ACCESS (works via computers, tablets or phones).
1. Enter Wunderground into your internet search engine.
2. Select the Wunderground web page.
3. On the home page type Port Welshpool into the search bar (usually top right corner on page).
4. Select Port Welshpool, Victoria, Australia from the auto-generated list.
5. That's it, you're in and will be seeing a summary page for the Port Welshpool Station!
6. For the full data, click on PORT WELSHPOOL STATION, located on the banner at the top of the page.
7. Current conditions are summarised at the top and scroll down to view details including graphs showing weather data for the day so far.
Note: the first time you use Wunderground, units will be in imperial. To change to metric, look for the 'settings' symbol at the right of the search box, visible on any page (looks like a cog). Click on it and select oC. This will change all units to metric.

APP ACCESS
1. Download the Wunderground App from your app store.
2. Open app, and tap on the map. Use two fingers to zoom into Port Welshpool general area.
3. Wait till screen loads. A circle with a number in it should be visible at Port Welshpool. If you zoom in closely, you'll see it matches the Coastguard station at the boat ramp.
4. Select the dot to get weather station station summary data.
5. Select View forecast
6. Select more for complete weather station data.
NB: the app only presents current conditions, not history. Use the web version to access history graphs.

07/05/2026

Together with all Australian marine rescue services, we mourn the loss of the dedicated Marine Rescue NSW volunteers and our condolances and thoughts go to all affected by this tragedy.

On behalf of the Australian Volunteer Coast Guard and all its members, we extend our deepest condolences on the loss of two of your dedicated marine volunteers. We also wish a full and speedy recovery to those who were injured in the incident.

This is a loss that will be felt across the entire marine rescue family Australia‑wide. We recognise the profound impact this tragedy will have on your unit, your volunteers, their families, and the Ballina community.

Please know that our thoughts are with you during this extremely difficult time, and we stand with you in solidarity and support. Marine Rescue NSW⚓

26/03/2026

Responding to call outs means having trained crew on hand to operate our two vessels and conduct safe, efficient and effective responses. So this means training is a big part of Coastguard life.
Port Welshpool Coastguard recently conducted night operations training (in conjunction with Coast Guard Port Albert VF19), allowing one member from each flotilla to be signed off as a fully fledged skipper, and giving other crew members valuable experience working onboard at night and establishing a tow. The fact it was raining just further exacerbated the restricted visibility conditions, but real life responses aren't always in perfect weather. So training in poor weather just further improves our skills and competency to effect safe and efficient responses. As the Australian Volunteer Coast Guard motto says, 'Safety By All Means'.

26/03/2026

Not all call outs for the Port Welshpool Coastguard are for stricken vessels. Being the closest port to the magnificent Wilson's Promontory National Park, and its popular bushwalks, it is not unusual to receive an injured hiker assistance request.
Hiking into Refuge Cove is an 18km one way hike, over variable track conditions. Unfortunately, some hikers may experience a severe strain or sprain, making walking too painful to continue. If they have made it to Refuge Cove, the easiest way to extract them is by boat and that's where we come in. They may have to wait a bit for the boat to arrive, but there are worse places to wait than Refuge Cove.
A hiker recently suffered some leg issues, leaving her hobbling badly. Supported by her friends she made it to Refuge Cove but walking out the next day wasn't an option. After confirming that we had been activated and CG20 was on the way, her friends started the long hike back, while she waited patiently at Refuge Cove. Fortunately the wait wasn't as long as might be expected, the crew had just arrived at the Port Welshpool Coastguard Station for our regular Sunday training session when the request was received via Water Police. In no time we were underway and cruising into Refuge Cove.
With the hiker safely onboard we headed back, conducting our training enroute, much to the fascination of our passenger. If you have to have your Prom hike curtailed due to an injured leg, a boat trip along the Prom coast is not a bad alternative.

26/03/2026

The Seal Is group, a cluster of four granite islands and additional rocky outcrops, lies about 15km east of Wilsons Promontory and 20km south of the Port Albert entrance, and offer some great fishing opportunities. That may not sound that far off the coast, but when you have to be towed back to Port Welshpool, a total distance of around 35km, be prepared for a long, slow trip back. And this is exactly what the occupants of one luckless boat experienced recently. Engine issues meant the boat couldn’t be started, so Port Welshpool Coastguard responded to tow them back in. Fortunately the weather was great and stayed great and the tow was completed without issue.
Mechanical problems can sometimes strike out of the blue but are less likely in a well-maintained boat and regularly serviced engine. When planning to venture into coastal offshore waters (>2nM from the coast), it is especially important to give the boat a thorough check and engine service if necessary. Also make sure you have all the safety gear for offshore coastal waters, a complete list can be found in the Victorian Recreational Boating Safety Handbook (see link below).
Breaking down offshore in fine weather is very frustrating, but breaking down in poor or deteriorating conditions could become a boater's nightmare. Stay safe!

Victorian Recreational Boating Safety Handbook
https://safetransport.vic.gov.au/on-the-water/boating-safety-handbook/

10/03/2026

Two people had a lucky escape when their boat capsized in the Port Albert entrance recently. Fortunately they were carrying an EPIRB - Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon and were able to activate it, while clinging to their overturned hull. The EPIRB signal alerted the national Rescue Coordination Centre in Canberra, who activated a SAR response involving the police air wing and local Australian Volunteer Coastguard units including Port Welshpool Coastguard. The EPIRD signal gave coordinates that directed the SAR units to the scene. Even though the boat's occupants were plucked from the water by another passing vessel shortly before Coastguard arrived, this highlights the value of carrying an EPIRB and having it in an accessible location on your vessel in case of emergencies.
EPIRBs are must be carried if travelling in offshore coastal waters (

05/02/2026

Whatever your reason for boating, we all love getting out on the water and having fun. But when a Coastguard vessel heads out it generally means a SAR response of some kind and the vessel will eventually return towing a disabled vessel (DV) or maybe have injured people on board who need to get ashore promptly.

And when the Port Welshpool boat ramp is extremely busy it can be difficult bringing a DV alongside the jetty or even just berthing our 12m vessel CG20. So we encourage everyone to keep a lookout, keep clear of Coastguard vessels towing other craft and if safe to do so, move your own vessels quickly out the way to allow the CG vessel to dock quickly. And if you see the smaller vessel Rescue 401 approaching with its blue beacon lights flashing, you know its on a job and it's best to give it space. Thanks heaps for helping our Australian Volunteer Coastguard Association members 😊🛥️

05/02/2026

Whenever you set out in your boat, no matter what type it is, always make sure you know what the weather and tides are doing. In Corner Inlet the tides are a major player, with banks that are covered in 2-3m of water at high tide draining away to exposed sand and seagrass at low tide. And it's often that stage in between that catches the unwary.

A jet ski rider discovered recently that looks can be deceiving and the large expanse of water ahead of them wasn't that deep. The rider was in very shallow water before they knew it and bottomed out, sucking up into the jet ski's engine a couple of bucket loads of sand, mud and seagrass. With the engine blocked and not starting, it was time to call the Coastguard. Successfully towed back to Port Welshpool, they learnt an important lesson about checking the tides.

05/02/2026

Port Welshpool Coastguard conducts regular training exercises with Air Ambulance Victoria's HEMS crews. It's a win win for both agencies, the HEMS paramedics need to do regular winching refreshers to keep their competencies current and the Coastguard crew learn important skills on how to manage tag lines and navigate the vessel while a 7 tonne helicopter hovers no more than 10m overhead.