GPS verification marks are signs installed at selected boat ramps to be used by boaters to check the accuracy of onboard GPS navigation equipment. Signs display verified GPS coordinates and are installed at boat ramps in coastal locations between Southport and Port Douglas. The signs have been installed in locations that are easy to access either on water or on land (for example, in rigging areas).

 GPS verification mark locations

Signs are currently being installed across Queensland. GPS verification mark signs have been installed at the following locations:

•Burnett Heads boat ramp
•Manly Boat Harbour – beside Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron
•Manly Boat Harbour – beside Moreton Bay Trailer Boat Club
•Scarborough Harbour, Bird of Passage Parade
•Scarborough Harbour – near Australian Volunteer Coast Guard base
•Mooloolaba Harbour, Parkyn Parade
•Urangan Boat Harbour.

Verification marks will be added to this list as they are installed. When completed, the project will involve over 50 boat ramps between Southport and Port Douglas with approximately 100 signs being installed across the locations.

Tips on using a GPS unit
•Zoom in to the largest available accurate chart scale.
•Before heading out, switch the unit on and select the correct chart datum.
•Check electrical connections to prevent power failures.
•Make sure your GPS unit has the current software and up to date electronic charts.
•When going to a waypoint – check what is in between your boat’s initial location and the waypoint, which will be in a straight line.

Don’t rely on a GPS unit alone

While a GPS unit is a great aid to navigation, it must never replace the skipper's responsibility to keep a proper lookout. Over-reliance on a GPS unit can be dangerous, particularly at night, so always travel at a safe speed and maintain a lookout. If you are not sure where you are, double check your position using another method, for example a chart and compass. 

These requirements are outlined in the International Regulations for the Prevention of Collisions at Sea (the collision regulations). Two important Rules from the collision regulations about safe navigation are:

•Rule 5 – Lookout
Every vessel shall at all times keep a proper look out by sight and hearing, as well as by all available means appropriate to the circumstances in order to make a full assessment of the situation and of the risk of collision.
•Rule 6 – Safe speed
Every vessel must proceed at a safe speed so that action can be taken to avoid collision and to be able to stop within a distance suitable to the prevailing conditions, for example visibility, traffic conditions and weather conditions.

Using a GPS unit does not exempt a skipper from complying with the Rules of the collision regulations.