Neither of the storages closest to Landsborough will take a jet ski. Your ski is headed for tidal water, and the licence course trains on it at Caloundra.
Neither of the two storages closest to Landsborough will take a jet ski. Lake Baroon, home of the nearest recorded boat ramp, allows no jet skiing at all. Ewen Maddock Dam, the big storage nearest town, takes non-motorised craft only. So a Landsborough ski lives on a trailer and rides tidal water. The licence course fits that. You do the theory online, then come to our Caloundra course on the Pumicestone Passage for a theory recap, the assessment and a one-on-one practical on our ski. The jet ski, lifejacket and gear are supplied. No boat licence yet? Book the Boat and Jet Ski Combo, since you need both classes to ride.
If you've just moved to Landsborough with a jet ski, or you're about to buy one, this is the fact to have first. Seqwater lists the activities it doesn't allow on Lake Baroon, and jet skiing is on that list, next to water skiing, wakeboarding and tubing. The ramp there is for electric, sail and paddle craft only. It's a lovely lake. It just isn't ski water. Once that sinks in, the plan gets easy: the ski lives on a trailer, and the licence course shows you how to ride the tidal water it's going to.
Landsborough is unusual for a Sunshine Coast suburb. Its nearest recorded boat ramp is on fresh water, at Lake Baroon, and there's no public ramp or water access point recorded in the locality itself. For a paddler that's good news. For a jet ski owner it's a dead end, because Seqwater doesn't allow jet skiing there.
Ewen Maddock Dam is the other water people think of. It's the large storage nearest the township. Seqwater's listing is blunt: non-powered craft yes, electric no, fuel no. Launching happens from the recreation area at Maddock Park, and no boat ramp is recorded at the dam in either the council layer or the MSQ database. There's no version of that dam that takes a ski.
The other Seqwater storages don't help either. Wappa Dam and Cooloolabin Dam don't permit any craft. Each storage sets its own rules, so check the one you're looking at rather than assuming.
There's a second point riders miss. Fresh water doesn't come with its own set of licence rules. Seqwater says the laws on all inland waterways are the same, set by Maritime Safety Queensland, and that craft needing registration must be run by a properly licensed person. So if a ski were allowed somewhere inland, you'd still need the licence to ride it.
Which brings you to tidal water. Roys Road at Coochin Creek launches onto the Pumicestone Passage, and Maritime Safety Queensland records it as not restricted at low tide. Queensland Parks directs traffic for Roys Road in from the Bruce Highway at Exit 179. That Passage is the same water our Caloundra course trains on. It's long and shallow, with around 80% under two metres.
Since every ride from Landsborough starts with a tow, the ramp routine matters more here than it does for someone with a pontoon. ABC Boating's launching guide says to walk a ramp you haven't used before, because it may drop off or be slippery, and to keep a line on the bow so the craft can't float away once it's off the trailer. It also warns against trying to start the engine only after you're adrift. Small habits, and they save a lot of swimming.
The licence part is straightforward. A jet ski is a personal watercraft, and riding one yourself takes both a recreational marine licence and a PWC licence. Hold a current boat licence already? Book the jet ski course on its own. Starting fresh? The Combo covers both. The online theory has to be finished within three months before your practical. Your one-on-one session is on our Seadoo, which has braking, reverse and a learner mode and is stable enough to make docking and the figure 8 easier. If you need more time on the water to feel competent, we'd rather you took it. You must be at least 16 to hold the licence, and it doesn't expire once it's issued.
The course itself is the same wherever you sit it: the theory online first, in your own time, then a day on the water with a trainer before the assessment. You need a licence for any boat with an engine over 4.5 kilowatts, which is nearly every tinny, runabout and cruiser. Pass, and the Queensland licence never expires. Pick the date that suits you and book online.
It's the big water closest to the township, so it looks like the natural local spot.
Seqwater permits only non-motorised craft there, with electric and fuel both ruled out. A jet ski can't go on it at all. The only water nearby that suits a ski is a tow away.
We say so plainly before you buy, and point you at the tidal water a ski can use, which is the water our Caloundra course trains on.
It's Landsborough's nearest recorded boat ramp, and a ramp on the map looks like an invitation.
Seqwater lists jet skiing among the activities not allowed on Lake Baroon, and the ramp serves electric, sail and paddle craft only.
We separate the ramp from the permission on this page, so nobody tows a ski there for nothing.
Seqwater names Maddock Park as the place to launch at Ewen Maddock, and that sounds like ramp talk.
No boat ramp is recorded at Ewen Maddock Dam in either the council layer or the MSQ database. The launch there is for non-motorised craft.
We work from what the registers actually record, so your first trip with a trailer ends at a real ramp.
Fresh water feels like a different world from the Passage or the ocean.
Seqwater states that the laws on every inland waterway are the same and are set by Maritime Safety Queensland. And riding any PWC takes a recreational marine licence plus a PWC licence.
The course covers the rules as they apply everywhere you might ride, inland or tidal. We'd rather you knew them before you find out the hard way on the water, and the theory you do at home walks through them in plain terms.
They're all Seqwater storages, so people expect one rulebook.
The rules differ sharply. Lake Baroon allows non-powered and electric craft, Ewen Maddock non-powered only, and Wappa and Cooloolabin Dams none at all.
We teach the habit of checking each waterway's own rules, which is the same habit you'll use on the Passage, where depth changes with the tide.
Where you train
Caloundra
Churchill Street, Golden Beach QLD 4551
The Queensland Government's BoatSafe register lists Australian Boating College at Caloundra under 0427 110 025, which is our number. The course is delivered by Australian Boating College, the trading name of ABC Licence Training Pty Ltd, holder of RTO 3399. Every rule quoted on this page about the dams comes from Seqwater's own published listings, and the links are here so you can read them yourself. In Queensland a marine licence can only come from an approved BoatSafe provider, so that listing is the one that counts. The training organisation behind the courses, Australian Boating College, is current on the national training register. Every approved provider works to the same floor: trainers hold a commercial marine qualification and pass a criminal history check, the training vessel is commercially certified and carries sun protection, and the organisation running it has to carry public liability cover of at least 20 million dollars. Maritime Safety Queensland audits providers and can suspend one that cuts corners.
BoatSafe Approved
Approved by Maritime Safety Queensland to deliver the BoatSafe recreational marine and PWC licence courses.
VerifyNationally Accredited Training
Courses are delivered under the registration of Australian Boating College, RTO #3399, so the training is nationally accredited.
VerifyBacked by ABC Boating
Part of the Australian Boating College network, which delivers boat and PWC licence training across Australia.
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Rated 5 stars on Google by students across the Sunshine Coast. Read the reviews on our Google profile.
VerifyFrom Landsborough, near the Landsborough township at the foot of the Glass House Mountains, it is down Caloundra Road from the hinterland to the sheltered Passage water at our Caloundra base. Landsborough sits in the hinterland at the foot of the Glass House Mountains, with the on-water training run on the sheltered Pumicestone Passage at Caloundra. We run the jet ski licence there with all equipment provided, so Landsborough locals can get licensed close to home.
Tell us the date that suits you near Landsborough and our team will come back to you, usually within one business day. Prefer to talk it through? Give us a call.
No. Seqwater doesn't allow jet skiing on Lake Baroon, and it lists water skiing, wakeboarding and tubing as off limits too. The designated ramp there is for electric powered, sail and paddle craft only. Worth knowing before you hitch up the trailer.
Also no. Seqwater allows non-powered craft only, so no electric motors and no fuel motors. Craft launch from the recreation area at Maddock Park, and no boat ramp is recorded at the dam in the council layer or the MSQ database.
No. Seqwater doesn't permit any craft on Wappa Dam or Cooloolabin Dam. Each storage has its own rules, so look up the one you're interested in rather than guessing from another dam.
Seqwater decides what may be launched on each storage it manages. The boating laws on the water are the same across all inland waterways and are set by Maritime Safety Queensland. So a dam can ban a craft outright, but it can't make licence rules lighter.
Don't count on it. Lake Baroon does allow electric powered watercraft, but Seqwater also lists jet skiing as an activity that isn't allowed there. We haven't seen any published carve-out for an electric ski. If you're thinking of buying one for the lake, ask Seqwater directly before you spend the money.
Yes. Seqwater states that craft needing registration must be operated by a properly licensed person, and the laws are the same on every inland waterway. For a jet ski that means a recreational marine licence plus a PWC licence, wherever you ride.
Yes, as long as you're happy to tow to tidal water. Roys Road at Coochin Creek launches onto the Pumicestone Passage and isn't restricted at low tide. The Passage is also where our Caloundra course trains, so you'll learn on water you'll be riding afterwards.
Yes. A jet ski is a personal watercraft, so you need a PWC licence to ride one legally in Queensland. You must already hold a current recreational boat licence to sit the jet ski course on its own. If you do not have one yet, our Boat and Jet Ski Combo covers both in a single day.
The course fee covers your online theory, the theory recap and assessment on the day, your one-on-one practical session on the jet ski, and your first practical assessment. Current pricing shows in the booking calendar once you pick a date and location. Remember the jet ski course assumes you already hold a boat licence, so if you do not, the combo is the course you want.
You must be at least 16 to hold a recreational marine or PWC licence in Queensland. You can operate a powered boat without holding one at any age, as long as someone with a valid marine licence is supervising you on board. Sixteenth birthdays are a popular time to book, so it is worth getting the course done early.
What a personal watercraft licence covers in Queensland, how it differs from a boat licence, the age rules, and how to get your jet ski licence in a day on the Sunshine Coast.
A simple checklist for your boat or jet ski licence course day on the Sunshine Coast: ID, what to wear, sun protection, and what we provide so you can just turn up and learn.
The dams are for paddling. Your ski belongs on the Passage, and that's where we'll train you. Choose a Caloundra date online and start the theory at home tonight. Not sure if you need the jet ski course alone or the Combo? Call 0427 110 025 and we'll work out which one fits the licence you hold now.
