MacGregorSailors.com

Here's one I hope Paul and Fresh will reply to but I would love to hear from anyone else with experience in these locations.

I am taking a week in early December on the boat, I want to try different waters and am choosing between sandy straits and south Moreton Bay (south of Brisbane river). My family will be with me (wife and daughter) so I need sheltered water and tame winds, they are both a little timid of the boat and I want this to be a fun experience. No matter where you go you can always run in to bad weather so I need to be no more than 30 motoring minutes from a good sheltered anchorage or harbour. Regular access to fresh water, fuel and free showers would be good too. The girls dont like long sailing days, so lets say no more than 4 hours per day or thereabouts. If we go Sandy Straits I will launch at Tin Can and store Car and trailer at friends house, if we choose Moreton then I will launch somewhere (recommendations accepted) around Wynnum/Cleveland?

P.S. I love the idea of Tangalooma wreck diving even though it is north Moreton so need advice on this for sailing conditions etc.

So, sell me on your stomping ground, if you were looking for a fun family week on board what would your itinery be?

Thanks, Dennis.

Hi Dennis,

Great Sandies as you probably already know are sheltered waters, but can blow up and can get choppy. The best advise we can give you is get a up to date Beacon to Beacon and have a good study of the which anchorages that can offer the best protection.
As for showers and toilets have a look at toiletmap.gov.au click onto Qld then click wide bay-burnet this site gives you all the info and a map of available drinking water, showers (cold water) and toilets on the Fraser Coast.
Fuel you can get at the TCB marina but it will be a little more costly. We have never used more then 20lts and that's sailing to and motoring back.
Hope this helps. If you have any other questions just ask

Cheers

Thanks for the advice Fresh and it is noted, I do have the latest Beacon to Beacon, however I was looking for some more personal notations on anchorages, where is it good to see certain things like dugongs or turtles, good swimming locales, maybe good anchorages on the back of the island for walks to points of interest, good towns/villages to visit and why, all including sailing time @ 4 knotts from given locations, that sort of stuff. We know TCB pretty well and we have had many caravanning trips to Hervey bay but we dont know the waters or anything else in the area accessible from the water. This will be our first family holiday in the boat and I really really want it to be memorable for all the right reasons so the girls want to come next time.

Thansk, Dennis.

Well Dennis, I will try my best to give you the low down on the local waters. Here goes.

For dugong and turtle sightings, we have always seen them while drifting across the sea grass flats out from Poona and Tinnanbar but that was in a smaller boat with a very shallow draft. As for other sea life we have witness, a school of hammer heads off The Buff they ranged in size from 2mts to over 5mts, and again we were in our previous boat (Formosa 4.5mt centre console) and that saying from Jaws was said that day "We need a bigger boat!" And don't forget the crocodiles. there is now two sighted in the Mary River around Beaver Rock.

As for towns/villages Tinnanbar, Poona, Big Tuan, Boonooroo, Maaroom, are all small fishing village's most have a shop, ramp. Boonooroo has a Country Club (very small but welcoming).

As for anchorages the best for shelter from all winds would be Garry's Anchorage, sandy beach for swimming and BBQ's also bush walks but don't forget this is a very popular and nearly always well patronized which by sail is about hour or two from Kauri Creek which is the next best anchorage from all winds. You can make Kauri Creek from the TCB ramp in about hour or two by sail if you have an out going tide and a southerly with you until you get to Big Mick beacon (Hook Straight) then you will have the tide in the opposite direction so the motor would be advised don't forget it all depends on which direction the wind is coming from on the day. Kingfisher Bay Resort do welcome day trippers, this would take a couple of hours to get there from Garry's Anchorage for the channel gets narrow just after Stewart Island and the tide does play a very big part in traversing this part of the Great Sandies.

Don't forget there is no water or toilets at Kauri Creek or Garry's Anchorages. so have plenty of water on board.
There is always some thing to see on the Great Sandies, the bird life is abundant, Eagles and Kites are just awesome to watch.
You just never know what is going to present itself so have your camera ready.

Cheers,

Thanks Fresh, excellent info, I will look it all up in the beacon and Google Earth. Appreciate it, Dennis.

Hey mate,
Can’t help you launching from that area as I never have, but I can tell you St Helena is worth a stop and a walk. We had a very peaceful night there on the way back from Tangalooma when we went in October 2011. Moreton Island is fantastic, The wrecks, Sand hills etc, however it can be very uncomfortable. A gentle SouthEasterly is about the best time to be going over there I think. If you are going to go there, you may want to pack a tent etc, as if things are too bumpy you could leave the boat anchored behind the wrecks (if you can find enough room in December) and sleep ashore. In the right conditions, like my photos, a very memorable family holiday is assured. In the wrong conditions, you’re missus will probably not go on the boat again. Here’s that nice video of Northern Moreton bay in the wrong conditions:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGnPGxaWp4g
The lower bay to Gold Coast is a great option when it comes to a family who don’t like rough stuff! You could launch at Manly for a lower bay trip, or you could drive down to Horizon shores Marina which has a great sheltered ramp/pontoons, and for $20 you can use the ramp, leave the car and trailer there in relative safety (onsite Security) for as long as you want. This is a very central spot about 15 miles either way to Peel Island in the bay, or to the Gold Coast Seaway, however is remote out in the cain fields so no good for stocking up on food etc.

If sailing down from Manly, Peel Island, Horseshoe bay is fantastic except in a southerly. I’m told the small ships club at Dunwich is worth a stop and lunch, but there is deffinately not too much to see in the town of Dunwich (no offence to any Dunwichians reading).
If sailing down to the Gold Coast from Manly, the Canaipa passage is a little more interesting or you could go the Main passage ( a bit dull but quicker and a much easier sail if the conditions are right). Anchorages worth considering if you take the Canaipa route are "Blaksleys anchorage" and the all weather peaceful anchorages of "Canaipa point" and "Slipping Sands", which is near the southern end of North Stradbroke Island.

The best anchorages down there on South Stradbroke Island are Jumpinpin and The bedroom or Tipplers passage for a peaceful night. From there its only an hour or two sail to Southport. In Southport, the best anchorage is "Marine stadium" known locally as "Bums Bay" which is just north of Seaworld and usually packed. On the Northern or Western sides of Wavebreak Island are also nice. The Stink boats pack in real tight in the little hole behind Wavebreak but its a lovely spot with great views of the Gold Coast skyline. There is a nice little spot to anchor behind a small sand island (Harry’s Island I think it is) right out the front of the Seaworld Carpark, and we have had a good few days anchored there taking the kids to Seaworld each day. We also sometimes go down there and anchor, stern on the beach at the Southport parklands. This is great for younger kids like mine, however it is also handy to free showers, the pub, Australia Fair Shopping centre, and public transport down to Surfers or the Casino if you could be bothered. It’s also a good place to be on New Years Eve. Last year we were anchored right on the hundred metre exclusion zone for the fireworks barge - a great spot! You could drop the mast to go under the Southport bridge if you wanted to take the boat into Surfers.
The Beacon to Beacon is a must. Bias boating had a big sign up a while back, saying that there would be no more once they run out! Apparently, Cambell Newman has shut the Beacon to Beacon down so he can dump some more public servants. I don’t know if this this is true (they seemed to think it is), but I grabbed another copy just in case – The Beacon to Beacon is pure Gold for anyone cruising in this part of QLD and if anyone reading this is coming here, order yourself a copy while you can!!

Here are some reasonably accurate distances which may be useful on the bay.
Tangalooma to St Helena: 18nm
St Helena to Manly 4.5nm
Manly to Dunwich (South Straddie) 11nm
Tangalooma to Big Sand Hills 8.5nm
Big Sandhills to Horseshoe bay Peel Island: 17nm
Peel Island to Cabbage Tree point (main channel route): 15nm
Cabbage Tree Point to Wavebreak Island (Southport Seaway) 15ish nm
Caloundra to Bongaree (Coastal passage): 22nm
Bongaree to St Helena: 22nm
Bongaree to Manly: 26.5nm
Manly to Sandgate: 14nm
Mud Island to Big Sand Hills: 11nm
St Helena to Big Sand Hills: 10.5nm
Shorncliff to Tangaloooma: 17nm
Tangalooma to Bulwer: 7nm
Blakeslys Anchorage to Horseshoe bay: 5nm
Manly to Mud Island: 8nm
Manly to Horseshoe: 11.5nm
Manly to Brisbane City (up the Brisbane river) 24nm

The Wrecks Tangalooma

Big Sand Hills Moreton Island - much bigger than they look here and one hull of a climb! At 70 metres they are the highest sand hills in the world and the view is fantastic once you reach the top, as is the slide back down on any old election day corflute signs or real estate For sale signs.. Although you are in the middle of nowhere, remember that the beach is the road and 4x4ers do come by occasionally. My wife left my sons PDF at the base of the sandhills and sure enough, some 4x4ers stopped and nicked it while we were climbing up...

Off Big Sand Hills, about 3 metres depth

Big Sand HIlls - About 07:00 October 2011, after a very calm peaceful night at anchor.

Southport Parklands June 2012. Midwinter on the Gold Coast - (free decent clean (but cold) showers at the parklands. This is an excellent spot for New Years eve fireworks, or Australia day when heaps is going on at the Parklands.

Tipplers Passage June 2012. You can get beer, coffee, food etc at the old resort at Tipplers. You can hire jetskis etc if thats your thing.

Tipplers, no photos of the old resort. There's not too much there, but its a very nice spot to relax and have a few relaxing ales... Its also a very popular anchorage with Gold Coasters so can be pretty packed in school holiday times. However the Mac with its shallow draft, can always get somewhere quite and out of the way! There is also a floating Houseboat bottle shop/small shop which is there a lot of the time.

Southport Broadwater

Jumpinpin at low tide. You can dry out in there where the tide is out. Also in the distance is "The Bedroom" anchorage which is a super calm and shallow anchorage with showers/toilets and an easy walk to the surf.

Jumpinpin

Jumpinpin, has a few nice little sand hills that the younger kids love and a great walk of about 600 metres accross the beach to the surf on the other side of those Sandhills.

The Bedroom, 50 metres to the left are the toilets/showers (take your thongs! and beware snakes too) from here, and then over a Sandhill and your on the Surf Beach.

Peel Island Horseshoe bay, a truly beautiful spot, it can be like a big clear swimming pool in there. Just motor in to about a metre of water, throw your anchor out and every one over the side - fantastic place,,,, unless the wind has any South in it, at which time, you can get surf in there. However, if that happens while you are there, its a short 5 mile hop to Blakelsys anchorage on North Stradbroke Island which is a great camping spot and very calm in a South Easterly (no photos I can find sorry). There are plenty of fire pits at Blakeleys, no fires allowed at Peel though. The Little ships club on Straddy is also less than a mile from Horshoe bay.

Peel Island Horseshoe bay - Behind my Kayaks is "The bluff" and in the distance, you can see North Stradbroke Island. Roughly about there and just around the corner to the left, is Dunwich and the Small ships club where you can berth and have a meal or whatever. You could also catch a bus from Dunwich (timetable available online) and go to Point Lookout, something we keep meaning to do but havn't got around to it. Last time we went to Amity point and found we had missed the last bus. There are more buses running from Dunwich, only a couple go to Amity point.

Peel Island

Peel Island

Tangalooma

The Wrecks Tangalooma


You may have seen my video which is all bits and pieces from around these places.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trN3_E3UdQ8
I'm going to put another video together soon showing some more of whats down my way.

Well Dennis, I think you will be spending your week on the boat with the girls down on the Gold Coast waters ways, so much to choose from. Also the admiral reminded me that you can see mud skippers at low tide on and around where people pump yabbies at the Burrum River, which is the top end of Hervey Bay. But shopping center's sound better than mud skippers!!

Full Sails
Cheers

I was only referencing Australia Fair shopping centre because it is a very good and handy place to resupply the boat mid cruise if your cruising this way, not because I look forward to shopping for a new pair of trousers or whatever with the Admiral, mid cruise (although I confess thats what did happen last time ) After eating on the boat for a few days, we also enjoy a meal in the food court there, and a cold relaxing ale in the pub overlooking the parklands and broadwater is also quite pleasent. Going back to "civilisation" mid cruise, even for a few hours, is good medicine for landlubber types like my Admiral

Thanks Paul, and to think you were going to sell Little Annie, now I'm torn between Sandy Straits and Gold Coast, perhaps the girls would get more from the Gold Coast but I suspect the sailing would be better in the Sandy Straits, I want to avoid motoring as much as possible. Decisions, decisions, still it cant be too bad when the toughest part is making a decision between these two beautiful locations.

Dennis,

My suggestion would be, first week, do the Gold Coat water ways, cause of the shelter water that would give you calm sailing for your tender crew, and then when they are a bit more confident in sailing, then you can plain for your next week on the boat and bring them up to the Sandy Straits and Hervey Bay.
There is a great anchorage at Wathumba Creek on Fraser Island a good days sailing north east from Urangan ramp, you can view it on diycatamaran.com there is some great footage on this site.

Full sails
Cheers