Ocean Reef Marina

Ocean Reef Marina is a construction site with a working boat ramp attached — as of September 2026 it is a launch point first and a land-based spot only at the margins. The eight new ramps are open and both breakwaters are built, but the marina's jetties carry explicit no-fishing rules, the boat-launching areas are off limits, and the recreational jetty is signed as not a fishing jetty. The rule does not extend to the breakwaters — as of early September 2026 the walls are walkable and carry no no-fishing signage, and the northern wall is the planned site of an accessible Fishability platform, a Stage 3 item with design still in progress and no announced opening date. Civil stages run past 2030, so expect the fenced-off patches to move around. Burns Beach and Mindarie still carry the bulk of the northern-suburbs land-based fishing; Ocean Reef is the sheltered-water option when they're blown out.

Not from the jetties or the launching areas — that ban is explicit and signed. The breakwaters are a different story: no fishing rule covers them and there's no signage saying otherwise. The catch is the geometry — the outer rock armour sits high above the walkway and takes a proper climb, so most sessions end up on the inside face over the marina water or at the end of the wall where the entrance runs. Squid, herring and the odd tailor on the tide change; the outside face rewards anyone willing to scramble. The reef and beach either side are open under standard rules: Burns Beach to the north holds deep holes between reef sections, and the coast south toward Mullaloo forms gutters after swell. Launch here and fish offshore remains the most reliable version of an Ocean Reef session. Read the signage and fencing on arrival; the precinct changes month to month.

The water around the marina and the inshore reef holds herring, tailor, skippy, KGW and sand whiting, squid, garfish, tarwhine and snook. None of it is legally reachable from the jetties or the launching areas; the breakwaters are the only marina structures where a rod is allowed, and the inside face is where most of it gets caught. The same mix comes off Burns Beach and the surrounding open coast.

Fish the breakwaters, not the jetties or the ramp. The inside face is the easy option — flat walkway, sheltered water, squid and herring within a short cast. Walk to the end for the entrance flow, or climb the outer armour if you want the open-water side and don't mind the scramble. The eight new ramps are open, so a launch here and a session offshore works fine. Don't rig up on a boat pen or the launching jetty expecting a quiet word — the marina's own rules ban it even where the sign hasn't gone up yet.

Sealed car parks at the marina precinct and along Ocean Reef Drive, including four ACROD car bays and two ACROD trailer bays. The precinct is mid-build so access points and parking change between visits — verify current arrangements before each trip. Facilities are limited during construction; the family beach and associated parkland, and the southern coastal path link to Hodges Drive, are both due late 2026. The breakwater walkways are flat and walkable; the outer rock armour is high enough that fishing the ocean side means a climb, which rules it out for kids and anyone unsteady. No formal lighting on the walls. Parking is generally easy outside summer weekends.

West-facing position with sheltered marina inside breakwater walls. The marina entrance gets genuine tidal flow on the change. Fishes well in most conditions thanks to the breakwater shelter; the inshore reef outside the walls becomes uncomfortable in big swell. Off-shore easterly holds the surface clean for the morning window. Water clarity is generally good; reduces in days after winter storms. The redevelopment is expanding the marina, which may change current patterns over time.

Fishing is prohibited on the marina jetties and in the boat-launching areas — a rod out on a jetty is an infringement risk, not a grey area. Construction zones change access and may create temporary hazards; a fenced-off section is closed regardless of what the fishing rules say, so check current arrangements and signage before each visit. The outer armour rock is high, irregular and unforgiving — climb it in daylight with free hands, not with a rod and bucket in the dark. Walls can be slippery after rain or in heavy dew. Boat traffic in and out of the entrance channel is constant during the day; keep clear of the navigation channel. Bluebottles drift in during summer northerlies. Marmion Marine Park boundaries are nearby; verify before fishing reef areas.

Not from the jetties or the boat-launching areas — as of September 2026 those carry explicit no-fishing rules and the recreational jetty is signed as not a fishing jetty. The breakwaters are not covered by that ban, they were walkable and unsigned in early September 2026, and the northern wall is the planned site of an accessible Fishability platform, a Stage 3 item with design still in progress and no announced opening date. Most people fish the inside face or the end of the wall; the ocean side means climbing the outer armour. The boat ramps are open for launching.

Burns Beach, 5 minutes north, has deep holes between reef sections that hold tailor year-round and mulloway at night. Mindarie Marina, 5 minutes north, has finished walls that are routinely fished for squid and herring. Both are open under standard recreational rules.

Yes — the eight new ramp lanes are open for launching. Four ACROD car bays and two ACROD trailer bays are available. Facilities are otherwise limited while construction continues; the family beach and parkland are due late 2026.

Hillarys has established amenities and walls you can rely on being open; Ocean Reef bans fishing from its jetties and launching areas, and its breakwaters are walkable but still surrounded by a construction site. Part of the Hillarys southern breakwater has been fenced as an exclusion zone since May 2026 for refurbishment works, with pedestrian access via the car park west of AQWA.