Shipyard
Rivergate Marina and Shipyard has marked 20 years since the project was launched on Brisbane’s former industrial riverfront at Murarrie. The yard said the site began as a $150 million greenfield development and has since grown into a superyacht refit base that has handled more than 150 superyachts in its first decade and hundreds more since.
Rivergate Marina and Shipyard marked its 20th anniversary with a VIP industry dinner on 20 May at Mamasan restaurant in Broadbeach. Co-owners Judy Brinsmead AM, Bob Hill and Tom Hill hosted guests including tenants, captains, suppliers and supporters. Brinsmead said the yard opened in 2006 after six years of planning and construction.
Rivergate Marina and Shipyard said visiting captains return because of repeat delivery, clear communication and coordinated project management. The yard cited refits on MY Explora, MY Kokomo II and SY Radiance, and quoted captains on the planning and oversight they received.
Reef Ranger has returned to the water in Cairns after a $2.9 million refit delivered by Rivergate Marina and Shipyard in Brisbane. The 24-metre catamaran was upgraded for the Australian and Queensland governments with new propulsion, energy and emissions systems. The six-month works included a complete redesign of the engine room to fit the new technology within the vessel’s existing footprint. Reef Ranger operates for around 240 days a year and travels more than 12,000 nautical miles supporting rangers and researchers across the Great Barrier Reef.
Jo La Grand is working as Workplace Health and Safety Officer at Rivergate Marina and Shipyard, where she has helped update signage and safety systems across the yard. She also supports dockside operations and says the job combines compliance work with hands-on marine tasks.
Rivergate Marina and Shipyard completed a refit and 40-year Lloyd’s survey close-out on the 46-metre Feadship motor yacht Explora. The vessel returned in December after an eight-week refit that began in September 2025, then departed for Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea before heading back to Brisbane.
Rivergate Marina and Shipyard director Tom Hill has been appointed to the 2026 board of the Australian International Marine Export Group (AIMEX). He succeeds Steve Fisher, who retired after serving on the AIMEX-Superyacht Australia board since 2019.
Rivergate Marina and Shipyard will send director of international business Stephen Bay and marketing manager Alex Binks to the Monaco Yacht Show 2025 from 24-27 September. The yard will be on the South Pacific Stand, QA1, Quai Antoine IER.
Rivergate Marina and Shipyard used a June 15 post to market its maintenance and refit services to superyachts cruising Tahiti, Moorea, Bora Bora and the Marquesas. The piece names the South Pacific islands and says many yachts coordinate technical stops with Rivergate while moving through the Pacific.