Rainbow Beach recently ?

[Dicko]

Howdy,

Heading down to the big smoke for Christmas, a few days on Fraser Is, then a week at the beachfront campground north of Noosa with a bunch of rellies.

Haven't done the beach runs down that part of the coast in about 15 years. I used to go there all the time but it started getting too busy. It's going to drive me bonkers down there at Christmas time, but I said I'd take the kids for a look around, so I can't back out now.

Anyway, been looking at tides & researching reports etc. I'm coming off Fraser to the south on Mon 21st Dec. The tides are a 1.8 m high at 10.45am & a 0.6m low at 5.25pm.

I want to head around rainbow beach to DI then down the front beach rather than take the freshwater track.

From what I can work out, Mudlo rocks are OK, but there's a bunch of fallen trees further around rainbow that can be a problem.

Different reports say you need to get around them towards low tide. (all this talk of 2 hours before low gets pretty dumb really, as a low, is not always a low, it would be better expressed in those road reports by saying you need 1.2m or 0.8m or less for example).

Does anyone know if I can sneek through there about mid afternoon on those tides ? (depending on weather).

I don't mind getting a bit wet, but I ain't sending us out swimming.

Will be in a hyundai excell (with frangipani stickers and a love heart shaped exhaust tip) towing an off road camper trailer.







.

(no, just joking, it's a 100 series & camper).

[Mr__Bean]

Keep your eyes on the Cooloola Conditions Report (google it).

At the moment most of the camping areas are closed due to the extreme fire risk.

When I called the rangers to see when they were likely to be re-opened they said that they would not be opened until the area has had significant rain to green it up a bit.

Current report here: http://www.derm.qld.gov.au/register/p01713aa.pdf

- Darren

[Fate]

Dicko,

I was up there two weeks ago and the trees in the bay north of the Leisha Track are the problem. Not to bad right on low however from 2 hours after low onwards it's a no go.

The attached pic is right on low.

[Dicko]

Thanks Darren,

I keep an eye on that one. They will always err on the conservative side. It doesn't say Rainbow beach to Liesha track is closed, it just says it "may" be impassable.

We're staying at the Noosa council campgrounds (near the 3rd cutting) not in the nat park, so those camping ground closures haven't affected us.

Did a bit more searching last night & found a recent report here

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/queensland...-nov-09-a.html

There is still a bit of 'woodwork' to get around halfway to the track, but nothing serious or difficult

If I go that way, I'll walk it for a bit first. With the trailer hanging off the back means you'd have to commit to do the whole fallen timber section as it doesn't look like much room to turn around.

[Dicko]

Dicko,

I was up there two weeks ago and the trees in the bay north of the Leisha Track are the problem. Not to bad right on low however from 2 hours after low onwards it's a no go.

The attached pic is right on low.

Thanks Fate, that's just what I'm looking for.

What date was that so I can check the tide height compared to when I'm heading down there ?

[Fate]

The first pic was on a 0.6m low tide, right on dead low. The second pic was taken around 4 hours later. Heaps of sand on Mudlo Rocks though.

The lagoon up there is enormous at the moment, great for a swim. pic attached.

[Dicko]

Thanks Fate, good stuff.

It's a bummer low is so late in the arvo when I go through. I want to be down the north shore campground before dark so won't be dilly dallying too long.

If the weather's nasty, then I'll head the inland track. I couldn't see it being much fun stuck in that timber on a rising tide...............and getting dark. lol

Will have to run back up to that lagoon area there during the week for a better look around & a swim.

[liltuffy]

Dicko, heading up there in the morning, if I remember I'll take a couple of shots for you.

Craig

[Dicko]

Thanks mate, look forward to seeing a couple if you get them.

[Seahorse]

why doest someone move the trees.
I tell you, that if i was a small business at rainbow, i would do a midnight run and move the damm trees.
They will lose heaps of dollars over the xmas period if people cant get through.
Campers are not going to run the shit freshwater track.
The people in control up that area dont really give a rats about the fun of others.
But i bet if there was a dead fish washed up on shore, $000 would be spent to ask why.

[liltuffy]

Well Seahorse funny you mention that, driving up there on the low tide Saturday we passed probably a ton of dead whiting and pinkies washed up on the beach that stretched for probably 2 km - trawlers anchored about 1 km off the beach tell the story.

Dicko, forget the drive from Mudlo to the Leisha track even at low tide, Sunday morning at dead low saw vehicles driving through water to get around the trees close to the Leisha track, just not worth the agro. By the way I forgot the camera. Take the freshwater track mate or just stick to the highway.

Sorry mate.

Craig

[Kevaclone]

Thanks Fate, good stuff.

It's a bummer low is so late in the arvo when I go through. I want to be down the north shore campground before dark so won't be dilly dallying too long.

If the weather's nasty, then I'll head the inland track. I couldn't see it being much fun stuck in that timber on a rising tide...............and getting dark. lol

Will have to run back up to that lagoon area there during the week for a better look around & a swim.

Just take the freshwater track

it's a bit rough in places but it's a nice change to a few hours of looking at the same thing along the beach


From Freshwater lake car park to the day use area it's quite rough
ran up there in the SWB Prado a week ago

[Seahorse]

craig.
whats the go with the dead fish. off the trawlers?

[liltuffy]

Hey Greg, I can only assume it was from the trawlers, two anchored about 1.5km off the beach and another about 1 km.

Pretty flat conditions so I assume the trawlers cleaned out their nets and chucked the bycatch over the side. Awful waste really as the trash could have been cat food or fertilizer or something.

Strange thing was there were no birds having a free feed either, we picked a bagful of whiting for crab bait though.

Craig

[Dicko]

Well guys, did the trip & back home now.

We went down Rainbow beach mid afternoon for a look as we still would have had the time to wizz back around the inland track if need be.

We sussed it out and decided to have a play on the sand dunes and a swim while waiting for the tide to drop as low as possible. We met up with another family doing the same thing and agreed to keep an eye on each other. I went through first and he was rigged up to pull us backwards if needed.

We went out into the water a bit around some of the trees but wasnt a problem. I don't see that as any worse for your car than caking it in wet salty sand from a few days of beach driving over on Fraser.



I couldn't believe the amount of people getting bogged everywhere over on Fraser. Admittedly, the sand was very dry and soft on most of the inland tracks with the locals saying it hadn't rained in 6 months, but my eldest daughter (16) on her learners permit drove most of the time with and without the camp trailer and didn't have any problems. 15lb front & 18lb in the rears and the trailer made for pretty easy going. She only bailed out on one hill going over to Kingfisher bay & got me to take it up.


The only time we got bogged was a rare time that I was driving. I came around a corner of really soft sand with the trailer on as we were leaving and just around the other side had to pull up due to a bogged unimog bus thing blocking the track in front of us. As soon as I backed off we sunk. 10 minutes of the kids & I digging, we were on our way again once the bus got out.

Believe me when your on your own with 3 teenage daughters and you're the only one who gets bogged, you are not going to live it down.

All in all we had a pretty good couple of weeks around Fraser, DI & Noosa north beaches. A big wind one night saw our whole camp of 5 families nearly blown away down the beach. A big downpour one morning saw us nearly turn into ducks around the camp, but that's all part of the fun.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrP-KIhI3cE