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Could anyone offer some good advise as to the best place to launch our boat (only 4m alum runabout) to access the Sandy Straits.
We'd really like to visit Garry's Anchorage. Heard it is a pretty place.
I've got some maps of the area and all show pretty low water around the towns, except Tin Can Bay.
I mean, Tinnanbar, Poona Tuan, Boonooroo or Maaroom.
I can also see on my map a place called 'Headly' up Kauri Creek, does anyone know about any of these areas, please.
Or are we best to stay and start from Tin Can Bay?
We intend to start our trip from Noosaville, take the tent and boat find a nice place for a couple of days and have a look at the Straits.
Where do you reckon would be the nicest place to camp and launch the boat that wasn't to difficult to cross to Garry's Anchorage?
Hope the weather improves soon, before we loose the calm balmy Winter days.
I know the southerlys and northerly blow through later in the year.
Went there for a couple of weeks over the school holidays. Tuan boat ramp about four k's south of Boonooroo is the go. Had no trouble on low tide. It can be a bit shallow in places but we just took it easy and always had plenty of water under us.
The trip to Garry's Anchorage was pretty straight foreward my wife navigated from Beacon to Beacon we headed to a red beacon just south of Snout Point then followed the beacons up to Garry's.
Boonooroo caravan park is a good place to put up tent then drive around to Tuan boat ramp. It's a concrete double ramp with a anchorage there
& some big boats were anchored there.
The creek out is a bit like a z shape but well marked. We got a track on the GPS & never had a problem even when we had a night fish. Hope it helps.
Hedley is great place to camp. No facilities or no fresh water though. The place is accessed via a private property ($10 to get through) and if you ever get the dickheads, the owner does kick them out. The owner sells firewood and ice, and i think also sells bait. Boat launching is only via high tide and there is no concrete ramps, so a 4wd is recommended, although not always needed. Just before hedley is the log dump, and i think you can launch there on most tides, although I have only ever seen it from the water.
The creek from hedley campground out to the main channel in kauri creek is a bit tricky to navigate, so watch other boats. Its mostly all sand and the channel can be seen at low tide.
IF you do decide to go there, its a bit tricky to find. Follow the dirt track out to tinninbar, the road turns into bitumen. Once you get on to bitumen look for a little wooden sign on your right that says something about fire, maybe firewarden or fire break ( it think, it says something anyway ). and head down that track. Go through the fence and at the next fence you will need to stop and pay the owner.
Great spot to camp if you like to rough it! I go there often.
BJ. Thanks for the details, sounds exactly what we want to do.
I can see the journey you took marked in our book, which is very similar to the Beacon to Beacon book.
Could you give us an idea how long it would take to travel from Tuan to Garry's anchorage and how much fuel should we carry. (roughly)
We've got a 40ph two stroke, yamaha. We can carry 2 x 24 litres + a 10 litre = total 58 litres in a 4m alum runabout.
Really appreciate you information. Many thanks
Debro & Bazza
TheRealAndy. Sounds like that would be an adventure. I reckon we're getting too old for having so much fun. We'll certainly have a look when were up there.
Think we'll follow BJ's lead and head to Boonooroo and Tuan.
Many thanks for all the details you gave us.
Debro & Bazza
debro tuan ramp is the go, it is all tides. Maaroom has very little water at low tide but you can get in and out at half tide but the channel is worse that a goat track and only as wide as a tinnie not much more and you have red and green markers every where so you need to know your way in and out there
Debro, I have a 60 4/s & never used more than 20 lts of fuel on the initial trip over there with some trolling & a bit of running around thrown in. How long did it take, well we fiddled around a bit but I would have a guess & say around 1 hour approx going straight there the way we went.
You would cut some time off that by going straight across & then going up the main marked channel. There were a few of the locals fishing over the sand banks out from the entrance to the creeek for whiting but talking to a couple of them later at the ramp they didn't do too good. But that's fishing.
The wind was blowing 10/15k from the NE the first trip a little chop on top but good. Mossies & sand flies can be a bit of a problem but we had no problem while we were there, a few early evening & that was it. Cheers.
Debro,
Yep, Tuan is the go. Used to frequent that area a lot in years past (had a shack up there, but not been up for years). Be aware of the strong tidal current in the straights here, which when opposing the frequent SE winds can make the crossing uncomfortable in a tinny. Also watch out that the SE wind doesn't get up while you are at Gary's, as it can get up pretty strong without knowing it. However, at this time of year the SE’lys aren’t normally too bad.
If the wind does get up there can be good fishing in the Tuan inlet, especially at lower tides when the flats drain into the main channel – good flatty spinning/trolling. You can also trail your boat round to Poona, & go up Poona creek (there was a dirt road from Tuan joining the main road south of the M/borough T junction – saving a few k’s). At low tide the Poona ramp is no good, but there are a few tracks to the river off the Poona road (back from the c/van park) that is OK, and also a ‘non official’ camping ground on the south bank of the Poona creek inlet (4wd access if there has been a lot of rain). This campsite is accessed off the Cooloola Coast Highway a few k’s south of the Poona turn off – just south of the Poona creek bridge. Follow the ‘main’ dirt track, use the o/head power line as a reference.
Poona creek goes for a long way up. It starts to shallow just upstream from the o/head p/line (p /line marked on maps), but later gets quite deep (~9 - 12’) with lots of u/water structure. cheers
Thanks BJ. I'll pass on your info to Bazza. He likes to plan ahead to avoid any little drama's. He doesn't like rubbing paint of the prop or hearing the engine cough.
I do the navigating, so I'll check your info with the maps to avoid any domestics on the water!!!
Much appreciate your all your information.
Hey just one other thing, I checked the computer for Tide information for around the 7 - 14 August and it seems that using Urangan tide times is the closest.
Do you reckon these tide times will be close enough for the Tuan to Garrys trip?
Hi Gofishin - We did that today (wentfishin), out from the Southport Seaway, fished at Mermaid Reef.
Got a nice feed, came back just as the S wind started to freshen at 11.00am
Thanks for all your great information. Really appreciate all your effort.
It never ceases to amaze me how many nice people are out there.
Obviously your one of them, to go to so much trouble for me,
Thanks to all you Guys for your knowledge, it is enjoyed and appreciated.
Now we've just got to do it - hopefully in the next couple of weeks.
Great Sandy Strait
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). and head down that track. Go through the fence and at the next fence you will need to stop and pay the owner.