The New South Wales moorings sub-facility aims to collect a wide range of oceanographic data related to the East Australian Current and its movement away from the coast including measurements of temperature, salinity, velocity, and biogeochemical and bio-optical properties.  The sub-facility is responsible for the maintenance and delivery of data from eight regional moorings deployed off Coffs Harbour, Sydney and south towards Eden.  These moorings measure the temperature structure of the water column with thermistor strings, the current structure with acoustic Doppler current profilers and the biological signature with WetLabs Water Quality Meters. 

The New South Wales moorings sub-facility is also responsible for the national reference transect across the continental shelf off Port Hacking.  Located in an area just downstream from where the East Australian Current typically separates from the coast, the transect will deliver data on the marine ecosystem associated with eddies.  This particular area is also the most populated area of the New South Wales coastline, so issues such as water quality, algal blooms and waste disposal are interrelated.  The reference transect consists of three moorings off Bondi and five hydrographic sampling stations.  Conductivity, Temperature & Depth (CTD) profiles are taken at each sampling station along with, at certain stations, biogeochemical samples such as phytoplankton pigment samples and plankton net samples.  A National Reference Station forms part of the transect and has been upgraded to allow for real time telemetry.