Marina to Anchor Brisbane’s New Tourism Era Moves Ahead
Surging riverfront demand—but not of the land-based kind—is driving a Brisbane development touted as a missing piece in the River City’s marine tourism puzzle.
Construction is ramping up on Colmslie Wharves, a long-awaited infrastructure project expected to unlock more than $100 million annually for the local economy.
It will deliver the only purpose-built overnight berthing facility for tourism and commercial vessels on the so-called “brown snake”.
Raptis Investments—the property investment arm of the vertically-integrated Raptis seafood dynasty—is behind the project that will close an infrastructure gap operators claim has constrained growth in the city’s marine tourism sector for years.
Only about 9km from the Brisbane CBD, the new marina will extend from the Raptis family’s long-established seafood facility at Morningside in the city’s inner-east.
It will feature 50 berths capable of accommodating vessels up to 50m long, along with crew amenities, fuel provisioning, waste management services and on-site parking.
With $4 million of support from the Queensland Government, the project is slated to become the catalyst for a new era of river-based tourism—attracting almost 110,000 additional visitors annually and supporting an estimated 337 ongoing tourism jobs.
Its timing is also strategic.
As Brisbane accelerates its infrastructure investment ahead of the 2032 Olympics, Colmslie Wharves is being positioned as a long-term berthing solution for operators displaced by inner-city riverfront redevelopment.
Commercial tourism operators have faced a severe shortage of suitable marina berths along the Brisbane River since 2023, following the closure of berthing and marine facilities at the Eagle Street Pier and Kangaroo Point’s Dockside Marina.
Raptis Investments head of leasing Arthur Raptis said with the Olympics on the horizon the Brisbane River and Moreton Bay were already experiencing a resurgence in recreational and tourism interest.
“The Brisbane River and Moreton Bay are being rediscovered, creating an unprecedented opportunity for marine tourism to flourish like never before,” he said.
“For years, marine tourism has suffered with operators forced to work around a lack of infrastructure without the certainty needed to expand or innovate.
“Colmslie Wharves will give operators the confidence to invest in river-based tourism and bay experiences—from boutique cruises and eco-tourism through to adventure sports and private water taxis.”
Besides existing local operators and new entrants, the marina is expected to attract major interstate marine businesses to the River City.
Australian Commercial Marine Group chief executive David Good said the shortage of long-term berthing options in Brisbane had previously forced potential operators to go elsewhere.
“There has been an increase in the number of tourism operators wanting to service Brisbane and start operations, especially with the Olympics coming up, but there is a lack of infrastructure,” he said.
“To put that into perspective, every year thousands of people head north to Hervey Bay to go whale watching, despite having Moreton Bay and whales on the doorstep.”
David Fisher, owner-operator of luxury river cruise provider Yot Club, said he had been forced to put expansion plans on hold despite booming demand from his customer base.
“We’ve got plans to roll out new vessels, which means more staff and more business for all the contractors and suppliers we deal with, but we’ve just had to put it on hold until Colmslie Wharves is finished,” he said.
Leasing for the first berths has started ahead of an expected opening in mid-2026.
