Australian Maritime Boundaries 2014a: Geodatabase of Legal Limits and Zones

Geoscience Australia developed this digital representation of Australia's maritime limits and boundaries, including territorial sea baselines and outer limits of maritime zones. The data reflects the location of the coastline as of May 2014 and covers the Australian marine jurisdiction from approximately 7°S to 70°S latitude and 40°E to 175°E longitude. It was published in consultation with Commonwealth agencies including the Attorney-General's Department and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Use Cases

• Mapping territorial sea baselines and exclusive economic zones based on the legal limits defined in the Seas and Submerged Lands Act 1973.
• Determining offshore petroleum and greenhouse gas storage areas under the Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Act 2006.
• Analyzing maritime boundaries with neighboring countries based on treaty data included in the product.
• Visualizing the scheduled and offshore areas for Australian States and the Northern Territory as per the Coastal Waters Acts.

Strengths

• Data is the official digital representation developed by the primary Australian government agency, Geoscience Australia.
• Coverage includes the whole Australian marine jurisdiction, including external territories, across a vast geographical extent.
• Includes technical amendments based on user feedback, such as harmonization in block SC51.

Limitations

• Data currency is May 2014; maritime features may have changed since production.
• The description notes that in the event of an inconsistency, the limits under legislation prevail over this digital data.
• Row count and detailed column-level documentation are unknown, requiring inspection after download.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia, in consultation with the Attorney-General's Department, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and the Australian Hydrographic Office.

Collection Method

Delineation of legal maritime limits and boundaries under Australian legislation.

Time Range

Currency May 2014.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-05 07:28:29.999689; however, the underlying data reflects the coastline and legal situation as of May 2014.

Geography

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