Q&A With Rod From Millard Marine

Based in Bunbury, Western Australia, Millard Marine has one of the largest ranges of new and used boats in the state. As well as having the largest undercover showroom in Western Australia, Millards also offer a dedicated servicing department and a range of part and accessories.

We caught up with Rod from Millard Marine to find out more about the business and get his thoughts on boating in Western Australia.

How did Millard Marine get started?

Millards was started in 1968. I purchased the business as only the 2^nd owner in 2008 being a passionate boatie and fisherman.

What do your customers love about Millard Marine?

Our surveys tell us that one of the reasons they keep coming back is the continuity of our passionate staff. Being that we have had staff with us for between 7-40 +years. Customer service from people that really care. We don’t forget about you. After the purchase we are here to help for your entire ownership and make your experience the best we can.

What are your favourite boating spots in the local area?

Fishing has been getting better every year since the start of the fishing bans. I personally like fishing the Bouvard reef between Bunbury and Mandurah. But I love the fact that we are located in the gateway to the southwest meaning Busselton and Dunsborough are extremely close by, as well as Augusta being easily accessible for a days fishing.

What are your top tips for someone looking to buy a boat?

My advice is to buy quality built name-brand Australian boats. If you buy new they hold their value extremely well allowing you to enjoy them with minimal maintenance. And when the time comes, we see that over a 5- 10 year period the value retention is incredible!!

I see a lot of people waste precious years searching for the right boats to enjoy some quality time on the water with their families. Only to find that by the time they decide to commit 3 years have been wasted.

Where are your favourite Western Australian destinations for a holiday?

In the cooler months we see a lot of our clients head North for the warmer climate. Over the years, I have seen places like Shark bay, Coral bay and Exmouth become extremely popular.

We have seen some new destinations start to creep in lately with a lot of our retired clients heading to the coast in SA for extended trips. And even places like Karratha, as a lot of our local population can kill two birds with one stone -visting family while also taking in some fishing.

In the Warmer months Dunsborough, Augusta , Windy Harbour and further to Walpole feature heavily with our clients.

How has the boating industry been impacted by Covid?

Covid has been an extremely unique experience. Having been in business for nearly 30 years I have never seen anything like it. We went from the standard panic of how are we going to cope. Then the challenge of rostering staff to being run off our feet. We have seen huge demand for product as the international borders closed and have seen many new people now come into the sport and enjoy what the boating lifestyle is all about!

With this influx, we have also seen some frustration as manufacturers struggle to cope with the increased demand. We’ve seen wait times for new product blowing out to 9-12 Months. This however is not unique to Australian manufacturers with even some of our global product like Suzuki outboards faced with a 6 month backlog and it doesn’t look like ending any time soon.

How can people learn more about Millard Marine?

We have a website and Facebook page to keep clients up to date with all of our latest arrivals and I would encourage any one that is in the market to buy a new boat or used to give any of our friendly experienced staff a call to experience the Millards Difference. Even if your current boat requires some love you will find experienced staff ready to get you sorted.

Millard Marine are located at 13 Halifax Drive, Bunbury, WA. Visit their website to learn more.