Hydrographers Passage is located in the Great Barrier Reef and is 60 miles long. It allows direct access from the Coral Sea to the major coal ports of Hay Point and Dalrymple Bay and the sugar port of Mackay.

Cammanding Officer of HMAS Flinders, Lieutenant Commander James Bond RAN conducted the successful search and survey of Hydrographers Passage in 1981 over a period of eight months. On October 5, 1984, chart Aus. 821 was released outlining the passage from the open waters of the Coral Sea to the inner route.

The route Lt. Cmdr. Bond surveyed saves around 240 nautical miles (444 Km) compared to the old route where vessels had to steer south to avoid the extreme edge of the treacherous Great Barrier Reef before heading north to far eastern points.

Besides the obvious saving of time and distance, Hydrographers Passage offers safety in rough weather. Ships can take advantage of sheltered waters rather than negotiating the head seas of the outer route.

The first vessel to use the channel was "World Jade" on December 21, 1984. Since then around 9500 ships have used the passage, all under the guidance of a licenced marine pilot.