Lady Musgrave

[XLR8]

I'm heading to Lady Musgrave in November for week of RnR.
I'm planning to take my boat there. It's a 4.6 m with a 60 yammy.
I was thinking of a few options.
1. Get it loaded onto one of the tourist boats for the journey over. However it weights approx 600kg not sure if they will load it
2. Get it towed there
3. Drive there myself following one of the tourist boats

Has anyone out there done something similar or can offer other suggestions

Also I believe that there are a few different spots to leave from.
ie. Bundaberg/1770/Gladstone

I have heard that the fishing and diving is unbelieable.

I want to give the poppers a go and troll some skirts/lures for mackeral.

Help appreciated

[mackmauler]

north west island is an option, havn't done it myself but i here the barge will load tinnies, maybe not that big though you have set yourself quiet a mission though, in a 4.6 it would be a really long way

[neptune]

Lady Musgrave is about 48 nautical miles from Bundaberg, a long way in open water in a 4.6m Tinnie.You could give the Lady Musgrave Office in Bundy a ring about the size of boat they are able to load on the back. Ph. 1800 072110

[CHRIS_aka_GWH]

before "the seed of my loin" came along 5 yrs ago I used to go to NorthWest on an annual basis - end of winter before the suicidal Mutton bird migration - or "Death from the Sky" as it should be known.

We've done it iN three different ways - on a landing barge (which I think sunk a few years back thus us trying other ways), on the big cat out of Yeppoon which goes to Keppel then across to NW & privately with a pro fisherman turned charter boat operator who's name escapes me at the moment. The barge took the longest but was the easiest as you loaded straight on the sand. The charter boat could get in very close on the high tide (there is a fringing reef) & you had about 1 hr to unload, the big cat required you to ferry all your stuff across the reef at high tide in your dories which were unloaded by crane.

We have once taken over a 6m Quinnie but would not do it again as the motor went when we were over there ( the cost of towing back behind the big cat was cheaper than the fuel used when it went over independent.

Personally I prefer taking 12ft dories on the big cat. Its a huge boat that can run in most weather - the bugger is ferrying stuff aboard but if you are well organised it'll go off without a hitch. There are now signifigant environmental restrictions on those islands - eg generators only below the low tide mark etc worth looking into.

The fishing is tremendous - the setting magic.

Sea squalls rip thru that area with tremendous speed - you want a good "window" if driving your own boat over - always keep an eye on the sky once over there and fishing.

chris

[mackmauler]

[quote author=CHRIS_aka_GWH link=board=Saltwater;num=1055993809;start=0#3 date=06/19/03 at 14:32:02]before "the seed of my loin" came along 5 yrs ago I used to go to NorthWest on an annual basis - end of winter before the suicidal Mutton bird migration - or "Death from the Sky" as it should be known.

chris you remember those kids who caught a few muttons about 10 years ago, made tellie headlines, don't they farm them down south...

[CHRIS_aka_GWH]

rob,

you've lost me on that one - what'd they eat them or something or do you mean they literally caught them as they fell from the sky during one of their "graceful" landings.

chris

[mackmauler]

They are a pain in the arse offshore sometimes, I caught 8 on hooks in one morning once, they bite as well... the ones on nw were caught with 4 foot long "sticks" it was a good haul apparently, around 90 all gracefully
rob

[CHRIS_aka_GWH]

... they are a pain but they deserve better than that.

I saw a TV doco once & they are an amazing bird. The reef islands would be quite treeless without the high nitrogen fertilizer they deposit.

chris
(the guy who used to pop toadfish as a kid)

[XLR8]

Thanks all for replies. I rang the Bundy number and they are going to find out if I can get my boat on the back.
Cheers

[craigie]

Hi Guy's,

The muttonbird slaughter from a few years back put PINE RIVERS HIGH SCHOOL on the map !! It made the front page of the Sunday Paper !!!! Bunch of loosers, acting like 'Luke Skywalker' and light sabreing the Mutton Bird Menace.

I did the trip to North West about 4 years ago. Camped on the island for 2 weeks with 20 blokes, 7 boats and 200 cartons of beer . The three biggest boats (15 - 20 foot) were driven over and the rest were loaded on to the barge. My outboard was noticably damaged (dings in the leg) from the loading process and I would never do it that way again.
Would reccomend taking 12 foot tinnies or large seaworthy boats. Boats in between are an awkward size, bloody heavy to be moving around the barge (no forklift for the return trip) and too small to safely do the 3 hour run to the Island or Back.
We had poor weather for that particular trip and only got out in the boats for 4 days out of 14, but hell did we catch some nice fish Plenty of Trout, Red Emperor and heaps of Red Throat Sweeties , I have Pic's.
I was there in Aug/Sept, so I missed the Muttons that arrive in October ??

Regards
Craig.

[Hainer]

If I were you I would not even consider driving your boat over. It is a very long way, even from 1770 I think its about 35nm TO Musgrave. The seas can be pretty hard, a bit like the area known as the shingles just inside South Passage Bar. Waves from all different directions, not swell from one direction that we usually get in Brisbane.

With your size boat I dont know if it could comfortable carry enough fuel for the entire trip and then some in reserve. I would look at getting it towed over.

There certainly is plenty of great fishing to be had, if you want some GPS marks, get hold of an AUS Chart for the area and look for the bommies and shoals, its not too hard.

How do you plan on getting back to the main land. This is also something to consider because if the weather goes bad your either stuck there or you have to come back in rough seas. Not a pleasent trip. Dont mean to sound pesimistic but I have learnt from experience.

FASTBOY

[Lucky_Phill]

I have fished Lady Musgrave on a few ocassions, and it has been a great experience.

A 4.6 tinnie is a bit risky. I left from 1770 which made the trip about 50klms. Once there, the island is a great base to camp. Fairfax Island is close. The areas around Musgrave produce very good fish.

There is a Green Zone, but that;'s nowhere near the fishing grounds.

The deep water to the N/E of Musgrave holds good Reds, the shallows produce Trout and Stripeys and Cod, with the area between Musgrave and Fairfax being a great for Spanish mac.

Red Throat's abound up there.

Use your boat by all means, but find a way to get it there without driving it. I did use a 17ft Glass 1/2 cab one year to fish that area, but the days were excellent.

Cheers Phill