During September and October 1977, "Labuan" visited ports throughout South East Asia, cumulating in Biak on 6 October, where materiel used for Operation Cenderawasih – mapping and charting of Irian Jaya – was loaded aboard. The ship returned to Townsville on 25 October. During June and July 1978, "Labuan" was deployed on Operation Beachcomber – surveying of northern Queensland beaches. The rest of 1978 was spent on exercises. On 12 February 1979, "Labuan" began a refit. After the refit's conclusion, the vessel was transferred to the Royal Australian Navy Reserve (RANR) on 15 June 1979 to serve as the training vessel for the Port Brisbane Division. In RNVR service, "Labuan" was used to provide training and seagoing experience to Reserve personnel, generally on two-week deployments. Despite being operated by the RANR, "Labuan" maintained a heavy schedule of exercise deployments and operations in support of the Army and RAN. During September and October 1980, clearance divers were embarked aboard "Labuan" for three weeks of shipping channel clearing around the Solomon Islands.