As one of Queensland’s oldest marine rescue units, we can trace our origins right back to 1912 when the Sandgate Yacht Club began operation and identified the need for rescue support for its members.
Decades later, the Sandgate Yacht Club Search and Rescue Squad became the first official name for the unit back in the late 1960’s. The unit became aligned with different entities over the years, before becoming Volunteer Marine Rescue Brisbane Inc in 1990. Our transition to MRQ bought a change of name to MRQ Sandgate, representing a full circle moment for our unit.
Throughout it all, we’ve been a community focused volunteer association dedicated to providing marine search and rescue services to the boating public of Moreton Bay and the surrounding waterways.
Our area of operation covers the Moreton Bay area, from south of Redcliffe to the western side of Moreton Island, and down to the south side of Fisherman Island. We also service surrounding waterways around parts of Nudgee Beach, the Port of Brisbane, and Brisbane River.
We provide first response emergency services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and our volunteer duty crews maintain a vessel monitoring service every weekend and public holiday from 0600 to 1700. Our radio room operates a dedicated listening watch of VHF emergency channel 16, as well as 63, 67, 73, 81 and 21. We also monitor 27 Mhs radio channels 91 and 88.
Our unit works closely with other emergency services in the region, including the Qld Water Police, port authorities, Qld Fire and Rescue, Qld Ambulance Service and the SES.
We also operate in conjunction with local MRQ units to provide support to the boating community. If you require support when travelling outside our area, contact MRQ Bribie Island, QF3 Redcliffe, QF2 Brisbane, and VMR Raby Bay.
We’re always looking for new members to join our team. Volunteering brings many benefits – from the satisfaction of helping the local on-water community to friendship and comradery in being part of a team, and a sense of belonging and connection to the wider marine rescue family. Find out more about volunteering with MRQ.
Remember to always follow the marine safety rules and continue to Log on and Log off via your local unit or VHF radio.
Notice of Establishment - MRQ Sandgate.