Superyacht crew caused Queensland COVID scare after coming from Sydney

Four people have been fined more than $4000 each after travelling from Sydney to Queensland and providing false information when entering the state.

Maritime Safety Queensland has told 9News they investigated the "serious breach" on the Gold Coast last week, which involved the superyacht 'Dreamtime'.

The vessel and its four crew members had previously been in Sydney's COVID-19 hotspot-declared Northern Beaches before travelling to Southport last Wednesday, initially claiming it was just a stopover.

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The crew also attended the Australia vs France rugby test match at Suncorp Stadium on the day of their arrival.

Queensland authorities became suspicious of the crew and obtained CCTV footage from their origin point in Sydney - revealing the crew getting on and off the docked boat for two weeks.

9News understands the vessel is used as a charter boat for yacht brokering company Ocean Alliance at the cost of $70,000 a week.

"The four people on board the vessel gave false and misleading information before and after entering Queensland from a New South Wales COVID-19 hotspot," Maritime Safety Queensland General Manager Angus Mitchell said.

The four people included the 44-year-old superyacht owner, his 59-year-old personal assistant, the superyacht's 54-year-old captain and a 55-year-old engineer.

"The crew underwent urgent COVID-19 testing and thankfully returned negative results, particularly given their significant interactions within the Queensland community on arrival," Mr Mitchell said.

All four crew members have since been ordered into hotel quarantine on the Gold Coast and have issued Penalty Infringement Notices for $4135 by Maritime Safety Queensland for failing to comply with a public health direction giving information that is not true and correct.

Authorities have also told 9News this isn't an isolated incident, with two other boats travelling from Sydney being caught in the state illegally within the past two weeks.