bribie island opens up the tracks

[choppa]

one of the ""usual"" questions that one gets asked frequently living on bribie is

""how much access do you have with the 4b on the tracks???????""

well as we all know,, the surf side has been open for a large number of years,, but on the calm side,, access has been limited to Gallaghers Point and Poverty Creek areas only,,, which is roughly opposite Donnybrook and the local ranger stacey's use to police the area hard

Until now,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, earlier this month the access tracks have opened to allow you to get as far north as Lightening Point,,, which is just north of Coochin Creek,,

with a hundred and one spots to explore in between,,,

the last time i was up there, was when i got a tour of the top end and can only say its definitely fishy territory,, with some spots only accessible by land and not boat,,

i'm heading up for a look this sunday for an hour or so,,, its definitely 4x4 only,, but only due to the soft stuff,,, no hard 4bing required,,, AND yes you still need a permit to access

choppa

[Poodroo]

Good news Choppa. Might have to check them out soon time permitting. ;)

Poodroo

[Leigh77]

Lets just hope that people dont abuse the great privelage that has just been given to them!

[Brett1907]

Might have to do a M&G there in the future!

Brett

[choppa]

Lets just hope that people dont abuse the great privelage that has just been given to them!

i think i'm safe in saying leigh that they wont get too much of a chance,,,, the local ranger works/lives right next door to the calm side access track,,, he has a fairly good idea of the local trucks,,, and we in turn keep an eye out on those that are passing through,,,,

funnily enough,, i've heard that they originally closed the top end track due to the number of horticulturists,,, who would appear,, plant some nice plants,,, and then come back a while later and take em home again,,,,, they mustn't have much room in their own gardens i 'spose

anyway,,, i'll post a few pics after the trek on sunday

choppa

[Just_chips]

Do you access the tracks via the same place as the track for gallaghers and poverty creek. I might have to get myself a permit again soon from the sounds of things.

Kev

[manchild]

Great news mate.Does the annual permit i got cover this, or do i have to get an additional one?I could ring them i just feeling even more lazy than usual today,so i try to pick your remaining braincells:P
cheers
George

[choppa]

kev & george,,,,, the answer to both is yes,,,,,

the track to gallaghers/poverty is situated next door to the ranger station at the top of whitepatch,,, for those of you who have ventured to poverty before, they use to have bollards in the ground at the end of that part of the track,,,, they've gone,,,

george,,, good to hear from you again mate,,, permit is for entire island,, i was originally under the impression that it was only good for the surf,,, and use to sneak up to poverty,,,, (with the lights on),,,,,,,,,,,,,lol

choppa

[choppa]

update on track access

went for a drive up the track this morning,,, and the first thing you come across is a sign saying my info above is wrong on 2 counts

the new access road is closed again,, 'til the end of this month,,,, there're installing new toilet facilities,,, and wont allow access until there completed,,

the other point is,,, the road will now be opened as far as lighthouse reach again,,, which is a further 4-5 km's north of where i thought it finished,,,

the area around gallaghers point,, and poverty creek is still well maintained """and patrolled"",, i've always preferred poverty if you intend on camping though as this area is more like a park enviroment, with abundant camp sites and a short stroll to the water,,,, gallaghers has 6 sites that back onto bushland,, right on the waterfront,,

one point to remember,,, you need a camping permit all over bribie if you intend to camp,,,, as well as a vehicle access permit,,,

we ( need i say who was accompanying me),, wet a quick line whilst at poverty and even though i have no proof in way of a pic,,,, can honestly say that the bream and flathead that was landed in a space of 10 minutes are currently being prepared by mrs choppa for his little lordships lunch,,,,

the track up there hasn't changed,,, no need for 4x4 traction,,, theres a couple of soft spots but nothing that 4x2 can't handle

the entrance however to the new access track looks a bit softer and longer,,, but this may be due to the plant and equipment trucks that are transporting all the material to the top end

i'll keep you all posted,,, and promise to be one of the first up there once the gates are opened

choppa

[Blackened]

G'day Choppa

This lighthouse reach you speak of, Is this the lighthouse on bribie, approximatly opposite the caloundra powerboat club on the mainland?

also, is it possible to take a 12' tinny on a trailer through this track and launch it somewhere up the passage from the bank?

Dave

[choppa]

G'day Choppa

This lighthouse reach you speak of, Is this the lighthouse on bribie, approximatly opposite the caloundra powerboat club on the mainland?

also, is it possible to take a 12' tinny on a trailer through this track and launch it somewhere up the passage from the bank?

Dave

dave,,, your a man who thinks like me,,,, hence why we done the ""exploring"" run yesterday,,,,

theres oodles of tracks that run off the main that allow this,,, but alas,, No Vehicle Access signs are posted on all of em,,,

gallaghers and poverty still have bollards in place around the end of each track in,, and hence why i'm hoping that lightning bay is going to be allowed access as you can launch from there,,

we'll have to wait and see

choppa

[Blackened]

G'day

Thanx choppa, I await your report.

I used to hang around bribie alot in the inlets opposite bells creek during the school holidays years ago.

All i remember is mud crabs :)

Can't wait to get into them again

Dave

[chiefsimo]

where abouts can u get a permit (4WD and camping) for Bribie from?

Does it get busy over weekends camping up that way ?

[Blackened]

where abouts can u get a permit (4WD and camping) for Bribie from?

Does it get busy over weekends camping up that way ?


G'day

Just google queensland parks and wildlife service, I'm sure it has a list there of where to get a permit.

Also a few places on the island you can get one

Any more news on these tracks choppa?

Dave

[choppa]

guys,,,, permits are easier to pick up from the caravan park store at bongaree,,,, (opposite the boat ramp near the jetty),,,, cost $107/year or you can get daily passes,,, dont forget,,, you need to also get a camping permit if you stay o/nite

as of tomorrow,, i'm in the RBWH (again),,,,,,,, for a surgery procedure that is allowing 10-15 days recouperating time,,,,,, that means one thing with new tinny in the driveway,,,, 4b with full tanks,,,, and chopjr eager to wet a line somewhere,,,,, look out for the reports,,,

choppa

[Blackened]

G'day


Love the way you think chop, look forward to the reports

Dave

[choppa]

well surgery went well,,,,,, bit sore and cant talk yet,,,(much to mrs choppa's delight),,,, and much to mrs choppa"s disgust,,, guess were i went at 5.30ish this morning,,,,

just thought i'd throw a few pics in on the tracks in question
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

[choppa]

the pics above are the entrance signs at the start of the track,,, ranger station area,,,,

[choppa]

these pics above are taken at the """T""" intersection,,, right to lighthouse reach,,, the road block stopping access,,, and the entrance into poverty,,, you see what i mean by the condition of the track in these pics,,,

[choppa]

these pics above are the main camping areas in poverty,,,,, you see what i mean by oodles of space,,,, well kept,,, and CLEAN,,,,, had a couple of roo's in the centre shot,,, by the time i grabbed the camera they had scampered

[choppa]

and when you get there,,,,, this is what awaits,,, i even managed brekky,,,,

[choppa]

whooops,,,, brekky shots didn't out to well with me trying to hold it and take pic at same time,,,,, so mrs choppa helped out with it,,,,,,,,,,,

[choppa]

and there you have it,,,, a pic by pic roadmap of poverty creek access,,,, as a footnote,, gallaghers track is approx half a click in from the main entrance and is 3km's of the main track,,, i'll venture up there again this arvo or tomorrow and do a shoot around the area

can't wait tho' until lighthouse is open,,,,,,,,,,

choppa

[blaze]

Hi Choppa
those tracks look like tasmanian highways (na, not really), nice looking spots up there can only hope it keeps pristine.
cheers
blaze

[snappa]

i can remember the permits for $5 [beach]

had a hut on the top end and travelled all the inland tracks, bogged to the axles and plenty of xxxx to keep us going......

[Lucky_Phill]

Would be a great thing if one could launch a tinnie from lighthouse area.

I think I might take a drive up that way very soon.

Phill

[Tangles]

choppa,
thanks for the info mate, good to see bribie open again, ill be checking it out

cheers
Mike

[choppa]

as promised,,,,,,,,,,,,, gallaghers,,,,,,,,,

[choppa]

after leaving rangers staceys,,,,,,,,,, i'm sure that says 1080,,

the turn off to gallaghers is only a few bumps away

[choppa]

once there,,, chopjr's dad,, (no 2 son ) was going to pic the campsite for you all,,, but we came across a couple of sites being ,,,,,,,,, well ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, mmmmmmmmm,,, i have negs,,,,,, nahhhhhh

any how's

[choppa]

i left the camera in the truck as always after arriving to go exploring with lee,, heaps of goanna's,, and truly heaps of march flies

but in the end of it,, when you get to where the truck is parked,,,, theres a barrier,,

walk along this side,,, trust me,,,,, on high tide any way

all the mangroves open up to a few small bays

got stripped off 50-70 mtrs of 6lb ,,,,,,,,,,,, my fault,,,,

caught and kept a 1243mm long tom,,,,,,,, bait

released 5 bream

and i caught,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

a boat,,,,,,,,,

bastar........... was fish'n to close to casting,,,,,,,, nice bloke though,,, released me,, after i read the rules of catch and release,,,,

truly though if you need a spot to explore,,, can't complain to mutch,,, clean,, fish'y and a nice spot to be

we spent about 1-2 hrs there,,, the heat got me,,, lee wanted to stay,,,

says it all eh,,,,,,,,,

choppa

[Blackened]

G'day

Thankyou for the report choppa, will be worth a look up there in the very near future.

Dave

[seajay535]

at low tide the ledge out from gallaghers is usually good to catch a feed.and plenty of yabbies can be pumped around there for bait.

[84mick]

Thanks for the heads up choppa! I never knew you could go up the passage side and am keen to check it out. The camp sites looks great and a good place to stay. I think I will have to take a trip up there after the 4b is out of the work shop ;)

Cheers, Mick.

[thedeckie]

guys,,,, permits are easier to pick up from the caravan park store at bongaree,,,, (opposite the boat ramp near the jetty),,,, cost $107/year or you can get daily passes,,, dont forget,,, you need to also get a camping permit if you stay o/nite

as of tomorrow,, i'm in the RBWH (again),,,,,,,, for a surgery procedure that is allowing 10-15 days recouperating time,,,,,, that means one thing with new tinny in the driveway,,,, 4b with full tanks,,,, and chopjr eager to wet a line somewhere,,,,, look out for the reports,,,

choppa

Choppa,
I have been trying to track down where you can get these daily passes with no luck at all.

Rang the Bongaree caravan park and was told the smallest permit you could get was for a week @ $32.95, which is a bit steep for the day.

Could you possibly shed some light on this for me.

Cheers

Paul

[choppa]

paul,,,,, i rang michelle at the bongaree park,,, and she confirmed your story,,, apparently the parks and wildlife authority took over the issuing of permits a year or two back,,, and daily permits were the first to go,,,,

i have never bothered with a daily pass,,, always opting for the yearly,,, and this came as a complete surprise to me as 99% of those who i know and buy permits are in the same boat,,,,

i've always assumed that the 2 prices given were for a day,,, or a year

i rang the local np&w office here on the island to see if there is any room to move on this,, (what i think is stupid) idea,,, and i'm awaiting a reply,,

thus said though,,, i cant complain too much about the fee,,,, remembering when a yearly cost $65,,, was only a few years back,,, and you could get a daily at around 12-15,,,the condition of the parks and the maintenance of the roads etc etc is an absolute vast improvement,,, as 100% of the fees collected go back directly to the upkeep,,

i spose i'm being slightly biased,,, as i use my pass regulary,, more now than before as the calm side access was what i was led to believe to be out of bounds,,, meaning the pass was only good for the surf side,,, this is not the case,,, the pass gives you access to the entire island

the other benefit is that the yearly pass starts on the day of purchase,,,, whereas before it expired in januay of each year,,, regardless of purchase date

$32 for the week,,,,,,,,$102 for the year,,, depends on what you compare it with,,, and more importantly how much use of the tracks you want also,,,,

the other alternative,,,, if its only a day you require to have a bbq and a breakaway,,, chopjr and i can always meet ya at the entrance and take you up there,,,

the work on lighthouse track access is on plan,,,, the 30th is still the day its scheduled to open,,,, the only draw back will be the weather permitting,, at 3.30 this morning we got drenched by rain,,, and now its just wind and mild rain periods predicted,,, so all looks good,,

apologies for the hiccup,,,,

choppa

[thedeckie]

Thanks for the reply choppa.

Looks as though I will be heading up there Saturday with Lucky Phill, the intention was to just head up for the day, check things out and make a few notes on the facilities and tracks.

I did call the NPW&S at the ranger station also, still waiting for them to get back to me on whether the tracks you had mentioned would be open by the 30th.

I guess when you live on the island a yearly pass would make sense, I think $32.95 for the day is a bit steep though, it looks as though we may have to end up paying it.

Meeting yourself could be a really good option as you would know your way around a lot better than we would.

You could probably expect a call from Phill when he reads this, you can explain to him how you go about "getting around" the permit.

Cheers

Paul

[choppa]

yeh paul,,, no problem,,, phill has already pm'ed me last week and contact details were passed back,,,,if you guys are planning for saturday the chances are i may miss you both,,,, the doc's only giving me a 10 day sick pass,, and that expires on wednesday,,, work may be the winner on saturday,,i was heading up there first thing sunday

we'll play it by ear until then,,,, i haven't heard back from np&w as of the time of typing,,, if worse comes to worse i'll call into the station after i return from the wesley in the morning,,,,

choppa

[choppa]

after all the excitement of the new track being opened,, i feel as if i've lead a few of you all astray with comments that used to be,,,, but alas now aren't,,,

the np&w have confirmed that ,,,,

day passes are no longer

unbeknown to me,,, the prices quoted have always been 2fold,,, day or yearly

this also goes for the circle of mad people i associate with,,, and frequent the surf side for day,,, or overnight trips

when i was informed about lighthouse,,, i thought great,,, and enquired more,,i was informed on the current pricing of passes,, but paid more attention to yearly,, as this is what i (and the mad crew),, always purchase,,

it has been undertaken,, that the usage of day passes costs more in policing,, than that of weekly,, and as i was informed,, the issuing of passes allows the ranger/inspector to coallate the trend of usage more accurately to the demand of the general public,, who would,, in the minority,, abuse the day pass,, compared to that of the weekly,,,,,,,????????????????

i have my own opinion here

when compared to cost,,,,,, its not out of bounds to that of going elsewhere,,,

themepark,,,go carting,,,hiring a boat,,fraser,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, are just a few thrown into the conversation that i had,,,,,,,,,,, my response as those that know me was a little more on the """right"" side

if you compare costs of that approxamately 2 yrs ago,,,,, the current charges have risen over 100%

the ameneties and track in general have not differed,, only now has the """old"" track been revamped and opened,,,

so,, in short,, if it takes 2 yrs to allow progress (and $ ) from the existing funds to allow the new opening and amenities to be built,,, how much time would it allowed to shorten the time barrier if daily passes were still allowed

i'm aware that 30 or so dollars to a lot of people is a lot of coin to spend on a day pass,,, don't take me the wrong way here,,, but whether you spend 30 or 100,, its the pleasure you receive from the expenditure that makes you come back,,,,,,, am i right or wrong????????

when i first arrived on bribie,,, passes were sold under the umbrella of a "" beach pass"" and hence,, i was under the belief that they were only good for the surf side,,,,, me and a host of others i add

np&w stated on the phone,,, that group bookings and special need cases are looked upon on as an individual request,, and responded too upon their merit

this simply means in my mind that unless there seen as being in the picture of doing the right thing,,, its open to discussion,, maybe i'm (hopefully) wrong

anyhow,, after roughly 50-45 minutes of waiting/speaking/transferring to 3 or 4 people,, i had enough,,

apologies to all if i unintentionally gave info re day passes,,,,, and plans or calls were made,,, this was not my reason for posting,,,

my invite is still there though,,, with work permitting,, if anyone wants a trip up the calm side,,,,,,,,,,, sundays are the best

choppa

[Blackened]

G'day Choppa

Just to clarify with all the excellent research you have done, was there a place on the western side that you could launch a small tinny on a trailer with a 4x4?

Dave

[choppa]

dave,,, if you stay on the tracks that are posted access denies a tinny to be launched if it has to be reversed in,,,, ie whilst up at poverty,,, i did see a couple off load a roof mounted tinny and ""lift it"" over the balustrades and take off,,,

i've asked the same question on what lighthouse will have,,, only to get the belief that it will be the same,,,

being fauna and flora protected areas,, the powers to be police the area quite well,,,, if you tow a tinny up,,, and use a ""no access"" track,,, there's heaps of areas to launch from,,, but its not worth the drama or fine,,, keeping in mind that the main access ""gate"" is right next to the rangers station

oh,,, balustrades are about knee height,,, and about 4-6 feet apart,,, most have a capping,,, some areas don't,,, i think the pic that i took at poverty shows them,,,

choppa

[jez and suze]

we are going up this weekend staying friday,sat and sunday.......we have booked out sites 1,2,3,4......hopefully the new track is opened so we can do some more exploring as it looks like the wind will be a tad wild.......if anyone is staying close to our sites then drop in for a beer.........jez

[choppa]

you will have a couple of visitors for sure jez,,,, lucky phil & the deckie are on the island this weekend to explore the tracks,,,, myself and chopjr and his dad will be up there come sat late arvo,, or first thing sunday,,

which camp ground are you at,,,

choppa

[Kleyny]

great raeding about the isalnd tracks the sad thing about them opening all these new tracks (apart from the price) is they only allow "4X4" vehicles on the tracks and beach these days.:'( :-X >:(

Tried to get a permit for my VW BAJA (beach buggy) and they said you can only get a permit for 4X4s. something to do with too much traffic on the island these days.:-/

makes you wounder how they come up with some of these ideas.

disapointed

neil

[Blackened]

G'day

Thanks for the clarification chop, looks ike its a no go:(

Good idea though ;)

Neil, do you have to tell them what vehicle you have? surely commonsense would allow a baja on?

Dave

[choppa]

dave,,, being a ""registered vehicle"" access ,, means that the vehicle must be a roadworthy vehicle,,,,, clause 2,,, means 4x4 only

with all honestly,,, when i first moved onto bribie,,, i drove the pride and joy onto the surf beach with no probs,,, but so did so many behind and before me,,, does't mean that we all created havoc,,, but someone did,,, they graded the access track,,, mother nature took care of the rest

choppa

[Black_Rat]

you will have a couple of visitors for sure jez,,,, lucky phil & the deckie are on the island this weekend to explore the tracks,,,, myself and chopjr and his dad will be up there come sat late arvo,, or first thing sunday,,

which camp ground are you at,,,

choppa

I can smell another possible 4wd M&G in the wind ! ;D

[jez and suze]

we are staying at ocean beach sites 1,2,3,4.........look for a white prado which will probebly have a very large yellow kayak on top.....hard to miss.......fingers crossed these tracks will be up and running!hopefully our good mate and fellow ausfisher "wags on the water"will come up for a visit unless his new car is too precious!! catch ya later......jez

[Kleyny]

G'day

Neil, do you have to tell them what vehicle you have? surely commonsense would allow a baja on?

Dave

I've put in a request to allow my Baja on and they bluntly told me that part of the conditions are the vehicle must be 4X4. (this also means no motor cycles)
He then told me that if they allow vws on there any two wheel drive would also be allowed and the legislation can not differentiate between beach buggy and 4x4.

When i looked at the NP&W legislation there is no definition of 4X4 and a vehicle is anything from a tram to a wheel barrow.(anything that can hold material with a wheel) and any registered vehicle can get a permit.

What it come down to is someone doesn't like VW beach buggy's.
All the other Queensland islands that allow beach access allow them.

If i read people are catching good fish up the tracks I'll have to take the argument further.;)

[wags on the water]

Jez - harsh words mate "too precious" . Getting the rust protection bit finalised today. But in saying that, I'll be o'niting towards the pin area sat/sun. Have boat...will travel. Maybe next time. Might have time off in may.

Cheers,
Wags

[choppa]

we are staying at ocean beach sites 1,2,3,4.........look for a white prado which will probebly have a very large yellow kayak on top.....hard to miss.......fingers crossed these tracks will be up and running!hopefully our good mate and fellow ausfisher "wags on the water"will come up for a visit unless his new car is too precious!! catch ya later......jez

guys,,, we'll be on the calm side on the new opened track,,,, probably wont have enough time to come up on the surf and say hi,,,, hey with that said though,,, ya never know,,, if you guys are exploring,,,, you really can't miss my 4b,,,,

choppa