Australian Maritime Boundaries 2014a: Territorial Limits and Offshore Zones

Australia's maritime jurisdiction, including external territories, is represented in this geospatial dataset. Geoscience Australia developed the data, which delineates territorial baselines, maritime zone limits, and offshore petroleum areas under Australian law. The data's geographic extent spans from approximately 7°S to 70°S latitude and 40°E to 175°E longitude, with a currency date of May 2014.

Use Cases

• Map territorial sea baselines and exclusive economic zones based on the legal descriptions in the Seas and Submerged Lands Act 1973.
• Determine offshore petroleum and greenhouse gas storage scheduled areas under the OPGGSA 2006 based on the included limits.
• Analyze maritime boundaries with neighboring countries based on treaty data incorporated into the dataset.
• Visualize the limits of state and Northern Territory coastal waters under the Coastal Waters Acts.

Strengths

• Developed by the authoritative national agency Geoscience Australia in consultation with other government departments.
• Includes technical amendments based on user feedback, such as harmonization in block SC51.
• Covers a vast geographic area encompassing Australia's mainland, offshore islands, and external territories.

Limitations

• Data currency is May 2014; maritime claims or legislation may have changed since production.
• The description notes that in any inconsistency, the legal limits in legislation prevail over this digital representation.
• Column-level documentation and sample data are unavailable, requiring inspection after download to understand attribute details.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia Data

Collection Method

Digital delineation of legal maritime limits and boundaries.

Time Range

Snapshot as of May 2014.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-30 12:34:26.696814; however, the underlying data reflects a May 2014 snapshot.

Geography

Australia's marine jurisdiction, including waters adjacent to the mainland, offshore islands, and External Territories (approx. 7°S to 70°S, 40°E to 175°E).