QUEENSLAND
Photo: Outback Mike sailing his homemade dugout canoe up the Queensland Coast
We will always remember Queensland as a place with superb sailing conditions.
Sailing north with the SE Trade-Winds inside the protection of the Great Barrier Reef, is simply awesome.
There are beautiful Islands with ideal trade wind anchorages to stop at every day.
Although the reef is suffering greatly from the effects of cyclones, pollution from the land and coral bleaching, there as still beautiful coral and fish-life to be found.
Go see it before it is gone!
Useful Navigation Resources
- Cruising the Coral Coast by Alan Lucas is a must. Most of our anchorages here are described in his guide in detail.
- Cruising Guide by Cameron Burgess Townsville to TI (Thursday Island)
- Zulu Waterways
- Zulu Offshore App is great for downloading and viewing satellite images for reef anchorages.
| ANCHORAGES | LAT/LONG | DEPTH | NOTES | DATES |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bum's Bay, South Port | Where ever there is room | The anchorage at Bum's Bay is extremely crowded so get ready to anchor very close to people and limit the amount of chain you let out. | SEP 2019 | |
| Carters Basin, South Port | 27°57.955'S 153°25.523'E | We anchored here to be closer to shops. We ended up taking a bus to town. This is not a good place to stay for long as it is way too busy. | SEP 2019 | |
| South Stradbroke Island, South Port | 27°54.436'S 153°25.180'E | 2.5-3m | A little less busy. Access to Campground ashore. | SEP 2019 |
| Boat Works at Coomera River, South Port | 27°52.123'S 153°20.232'E | 1-2m | Coomera River is fairly easy to navigate as it is marked well with Port and STB Channel Markers (lights at night) We anchored in the Channel outside Boat Works. This was fine through the night, but when we went to leave the next morning we found that we had run aground on the bank on a falling tide. This could have been avoided with a stern anchor, preventing us from swinging towards the bank. By the time we got off, it was dark and we motored back down the river using the track we had come in on. | SEP 2019 |
| Cabbage Tree Point, South Port | 27°43.559'S 153°21.326'E | 4m | Fine stop to break the trip up when waiting for the right tides. | SEP 2019 |
| Coochiemudlo Island, Moreton Bay | 27°33.996'S 153°19.068'E | 2m | We stopped here waiting for the right tide to enter Eprapah Creek to Redland City Marina where we slipped. | MAY 2020 |
| Deanbilla Bay, Moreton Bay | 27°30.722'S 153°24.227'E | - | Easy approach to the bay. Keep green marker to your Starboard. Town 0.5nm to the north. | SEP 2019 |
| Horseshoe Bay, Peel Island, Moreton Bay | 27°30.470'S 153°21.853'E | 5m | Nice anchorage in Northerlies. Between 1907-1959 Peel Island was a Leper Colony. There are walks on the Island. | MAY 2020 |
| Bulimba, Brisbane River | Mooring (rent) | N/A | For the first month in Brisbane we anchored, this was okay, but we dragged once during strong wind. It was hard to find a mooring, but we were lucky to get one at Bulimba Sailing Squadron, when a member moved his boat to Manly. I would highly recommend becoming a member here, which gives you a key for the showers and a storage shed, which we also used to work in. | SEP 2019 |
| Moreton Island, Moreton Bay | 27°17.714'S 153°23.687'E | - | This is an awesome anchorage in Easterlies, with access to the tall sand dunes which is perfect for sledding! | JUN 2020 |
| Pelican Bay, Fraser Island, The Great Sandy Strait | 25°48.874'S 153°2.620'E | - | BAR CROSSING: this is a notorious bar, but know that it is the last you will cross for a long time. Updated local knowledge should be consulted as the bar moves all the time and the guide book might not be up to date. | JUN 2020 |
| Teewah Point, Fraser Island, The Great Sandy Strait | 25°55.662'S 153°1.687'E | - | This is a good anchorage behind many boats on moorings, but the water is brown with mud and access to shore is through muddy sand with many stingrays hiding in it. | JUN 2020 |
| Tin Can Bay, Fraser Island, The Great Sandy Strait | 25°54.388'S 153°1.093'E | - | Tin Can Bay is a small town with basic provision. Most of the town was closed due to Covid 19, so cold showers at the park had to suffice and a small stock up in the supermarket. | JUN 2020 |
| Gary's Anchorage, Fraser Island, The Great Sandy Strait | 25°37.853'S 152°58.288'E | 2.5m sand | Great anchorage with access to big hike on Fraser Island. | JUN 2020 |
| Kingfisher Resort, Fraser Island, The Great Sandy Strait | 25°23.176'S 153°1.668'E | 7m sand | Good anchorage to break up passage through the strait to time tides. Access ashore to Kingfisher Resort (Closed due to Covid 19 when we were there) Big Wharf which is good for fishing. | JUN 2020 |
| Chalmer Point, Bundaberg | 24°46.721'S 152°22.991'E | - | Good anchorage with great protection at the beginning of Bundaberg River. Took Dinghy ashore and hitchhiked to Burnett Heads where groceries can be bought. | JUN 2020 |
| Bundaberg Town | 1) 24°51.761'S 152°20.997'E 2) 24°51.723'S 152°21.138'E | - | Bundaberg is well worth a visit. It is a nice little town on the river. The anchorage is great but crowded with locals boat. We moved from anchorage 1) to 2) because we were a little close to another yacht. | JUN 2020 |
| Pancake Creek | 24°2.060'S 151°44.406'E | 3m sand | Entering Pancake Creek is fairly simple. Follow Channel Markers in. The first Channel Marker is green, keep it to stb, and the next two are red and takes you to along western sandbank. Then follow leads through green and red markers into anchorage and anchor where you can find room. | JUN 2020 |
| Hummocky Island | 23°23.880'S 151°9.108'E | 6m sand | Anchor further in to get out of roll. | JUN 2020 |
| Leekes Beach, Great Keppel Island | 23°10.004'S 150°56.317'E | 3.5m sand | Passed through reef between Great Keppel and Middle Island. | JUN 2020 |
| Port Clinton | 22°32.985'S 150°45.501'E | - | Sheltered anchorage in muddy water. | JUN 2020 |
| Hexham Island | 22°0.771'S 150°21.804'E | 6m sand | JUN 2020 | |
| Scawfell Island | Public Mooring | 7m | Scawfell is a beautiful Island with about 4 public moorings available. | JUN 2020 |
| Goldsmith Island | 20°40.240'S 149°8.945'E | 3m | JUN 2020 | |
| Airlie Beach, Whitsundays | 20°15.599'S 148°43.261'E | - | Airlie Beach offers a huge anchorage with many boats. When we first arrived, we anchored outside all the moored boats which felt good as the wind sometimes blew strong offshore. But on return, we ventured in and anchored amongst the moorings to be closer to shore. There is a dinghy Dock at the Whitsunday Yacht Club at a small fee. | JUL 2020 |
| Stonehaven Bay, Whitsundays | Public Mooring | N/A | It is common to see whales here, which we did. | JUL 2020 |
| Butterfly Bay, Whitsundays | Public Mooring | N/A | This used to be a hotspot for snorkeling, but the reef is still recovering from being hit by a bad Cyclone. Some coral can still be seen and we were lucky to see Manta Rays off the point between the two bays. | JUL 2020 |
| Cape Gloucester at Resort | 20°4.208'S 148°26.427'E | - | We went through Gloucester Channel following Alan Lucas no problems. Good anchorage at Resort. We only went ashore to visit friends who were traveling by Campervan. | JUL 2020 |
| Cape Upstart | 19°43.288'S 147°45.233'E | - | JUL 2020 | |
| Cape Bowling Green | 19°18.463'S 147°23.217'E | 2m sand | Not anything to right home about, but convenient stop. | JUL 2020 |
| Horseshoe Bay, Magnetic Bay | 19°6.758'S 146°51.549'E | 4.5m sand | This is a great anchorage shared with many other boats. There are plenty of great hikes on the island including one to the old fort from the war. Our favorite hike went all the way across the island and finished at Nelly Bay. | JUL 2020 |
| Keepers Reef | Public Mooring at 18°44.601'S 147°15.993'E | N/A | This is a reef anchorage and there is nowhere to go ashore. Good visibility is needed as Mooring is among bommies. With someone on the bow, it is simple getting in. The mooring can be hard to spot as it is blue like the water. | JUL 2020 |
| Great Palm Island, Palm Island Group | 18°44.760'S 146°34.102'E | 8m sand | Palm Island is Aboriginal land and a permit is required to ashore. Due to Covid this was not possible, so we stayed onboard. The next morning we woke up to Whale song, which we could hear clearly through the hull. | AUG 2020 |
| Hazard Bay, Orpheus Island (Goolboddi), Palm Island Group | Public Mooring | N/A | Good anchorage with access to hikes ashore. A bit further south is a shaded jetty, which is great for swimming and snorkeling off. Around the jetty is a no fishing zone and many fish can be seen in the water. | AUG 2020 |
| Zoe Bay, Hinchinbrook Island | 18°23.633'S 146°19.737'E | 4m sand | Zoe is by far our favorite stop since Tasmania and the Bass Strait Islands. The island is beautiful with tall peaks and thick rainforest and to the south in the bay a hike can be found leading to a magical waterhole at the top of a waterfall with refreshingly cold water and a view over the bay to your boat. Unfortunately this is not a trade wind anchorage and a swell rolls directly into the bay. This should only be used during no wind conditions or outside of trade wind season. (It is well worth waiting for a break in the wind though) | AUG 2020 |
| Lucinda, South Hinchinbrook Channel | Lost coordinates, but anchored about where Alan Lucas suggests, and that was fine as always. | - | BAR CROSSING: We crossed the bar at 1.3m tide above datum and saw 0.7m under the keel. (1.5m draft) Any lower tide would have been too sketchy. | AUG 2020 |
| Heycock Island, Hinchinbrook Channel | 18°27.712'S 146°12.633'E | - | The only reason we anchored in such a random spot, is because we had sailed up the channel and when the wind died out and we went to start the motor, it would not start. So we dropped anchor here for the night while locating the issue (a broken cable to the starter motor) The anchorage was fine but we got a lot of midges. Watch out for Crocodiles as there are many around Hinchinbrook. | AUG 2020 |
| Cardwell, North Hinchinbrook Channel | 18°16.606'S 146°3.377'E | - | This is not a great anchorage if weather is up, as swell can easily find its way in from the north. But the wind was down for about a week and we used this chance to pause here and meet up with friends and do a trip with them in their Caravan to a waterfall inland, which was awesome! The Marina here was destroyed in category 5 Cyclone Yasi in 2011, and the entrance to the harbor is all silted up, it almost dries at low tide. That said, friends of us have taken their Catamaran in here and used the slipway to do repairs and antifoul. They were quite pleased. | AUG 2020 |
| Dunk Island (West) | 17°56.441'S 146°7.849'E | 2.5m sand | The common anchorage is around the north side in Brammo Bay, where a few moorings are available too. But as the wind was blowing from the west and a swell was making it in causing the boats in the bay were rocking from side to side, we decided to anchor here where we were protected by the sandspit. | AUG 2020 |
| Dunk Island (South) | 17°57.618'S 146°9.203'E | 6m sand | When the wind got more northerly in it, we moved to the south side of the island where the water was calm. We passed south around Kamboola Island, north of the shallow patch north off Thorpe Island. | AUG 2020 |
| Dunk Island (North) Bramma Bay | Public Mooring | N/A | When the wind finally shifted back to the usual SE, we moved to the north side. The island has a great walk, which offers great views from the top and leads to the south side of the Island through beautiful rainforest. | AUG 2020 |
| Ellison Reef | 17°43.200'S 146°22.735'E | - | This is a reef anchorage. One person in the mast for navigating around bommies. Great visibility needed for this anchorage. Anchor down in white sand. Some of the best coral and fish life we have seen yet. Plus the biggest Giant Clams. | AUG 2020 |
| Mourilyan Harbor, Moresby River | 17°36.388'S 146°7.488'E | 3m | The entrance to the river is straight forward. Head straight in between green and red channel markers at Goodman and Cam Point. Take a sharp turn south keeping the first yellow marker to port and the sencond to stb. Continue through two rows of pile moorings, going straight down the middle. Find an anchorage somewhere south of the piles, taking care of shallows to the west. There is not much room here, but the anchorage is calm, and the holding is good. Apart from the Port Facility there is no town. | AUG 2020 |
| Fitzroy Island | Public Mooring | N/A | This is a sweet little island, but it is extremely touristy. The hike around the island, which goes to the lighthouse on the NE corner and to the peak is quite nice, but also a bit crowded. In peak season, you will be lucky to get a mooring here. Anchoring is possible, but the bay is steep so prepare to anchor in up to 15m. | AUG 2020 |
| Smith's Creek, Cairns | 1) 16°57.298'S 145°46.404'E 2) 16°57.466'S 145°46.305'E 3) 16°57.524'S 145°46.133'E | 7-10m foul mud | Smith's creek is pretty crowded and the holding is not fantastic. There are also many neglected boats and foul ground, so if the wind is up, keep an eye out for other boats. We were nearly dragged into, by a boat with no working motor. However this is the most convenient location for those with slow dinghies as it is the closest to the Yacht Squadron, where temporary membership can be obtained giving access to dinghy dock, nice showers and discounts at bar. This is also in the industrial part of town where all the marine stores and tradesmen are found. The Cairns Yacht Squadron is a great club with very friendly members who will welcome you warmly and make sure that you have a great stay. We highly recommend stopping by here. | AUG 2020 |
| Cairns Entrance | 16°54.796'S 145°47.209'E | 5m sand | This anchorage is easy and there us less chance to be dragged on. It is more convenient when needing to go to Cairns Center. The dinghy can be taken across the inlet and left free of charge at dinghy dock in Marina. (Make sure to get back before evening when the gates to the Marina are locked) | AUG 2020 |
| Port Douglas | 16°29.651'S 145°27.290'E | mud | Port Douglas is a long narrow inlet with great shelter. But it is very crowded with many local boats on moorings and anchor and it can be tricky to find a place to anchor where the holding is good. Do not pick up any moorings that you don't know, as many of them are rarely serviced or simply insuficient moorings to mark a "territory" claimed by a local. The Yacht club has a pontoon for members. We spent the wet season here as we found the big system network of mangrove creeks perfect for hiding out during Cyclone Season. | SEP 2020 |
| Low Isles | Public Mooring | N/A | There is about 5 public moorings at Low Isles, but if they are full anchoring is also easy. Low Isles is a good trade wind anchorage, though some swell can make for a rolly night when the tide is high. This is a tourist hotspot, so in dry season especially, the little island is mostly packed with People and the reef covered in clusters of snorkelers on pool-noodles. | JUL 2021 |
| Snapper Island | Public Mooring | Deep | There is one public mooring off the NW tip of snapper. It is very close to the rocks and I would be reluctant to pick it up in a Westerly. This is a nice little island, with beach access. We went for a dip, but did not stay in due to Crocodiles. Anchoring is also possible, but expect to anchor in at least 10m | DEC 2020 |
| Hope Island | Public Mooring | N/A | Hope Island is a nice stop, and it is convenient the break up the passage. We have stopped here a few times and walked around the island, but we have not snorkeled here, which supposedly is nice. | OCT 2020 |
| Cape Bedford | 15°14.238'S 145°18.942'E | 2m sand/mud | The wind seems to really funnel down the Cape and make for a blowy rounding. The wind blew at 30 knots through the night. This anchorage provides no windbreak, and due to the big distance of shallow water ahead, a small fetch can built and make it slightly lumpy. But it is sheltered from swell and offers great holding, which makes is an ideal hideout during strong SE. | OCT 2020 |
| Lizard Island | 14°39.671'S 145°27.134'E | 3m sand | We love Lizard and have spent a total of over 7 weeks here. The anchorage is ideal and we have never worried though it almost always blows between 20-30 kn, sometimes more. There are plenty of hikes on the Island, to Cooks Lookout, to the Lagoon and to for the more adventurous one which leads over and down a cliff with a rope to Coconut Beach. Coconut's are only found on the other side of the Island, where they are plenty. Signal can be found half way up the hill to Cook's Look at "Telstra Rock". | JUL 2021 |
| Ingram Island | 14°24.932'S 144°52.523'E | about 4m sand | We chose this anchorage on reccomendation over Howick Island and we were happy we did. It is a bit further making a more even brake in the trip to Flinders Group and it is much nicer than Howick with white beach access. Head towards 'National Park' sign on beach and drop anchor in about 4m | JUL 2021 |
| Flinders Island via Owen Channel, Flinders Group | 14°10.644'S 144°13.766'E | 3-4m sand | Great anchorage off sandspit on the West side of Flinders Island. We passed through Owen Channel, which was really beautiful. The Flinders Group has a lot to offer, including a cave with aboriginal cave paintings on the North side of Stanley Island. But it was too far for our dinghy and the weather was up so we did not have the option of anchoring on the north side. | AUG 2021 |
| Morris Island | 13°29.467'S 143°43.320'E | sand | With its extensive reef, Morris Island offers really good protection. | AUG 2021 |
| Lloyd's Bay at Lockhart River | 12°50.980'S 143°25.000'E | 1.5m sand/mud | This is a convenient stop and the anchorage offers good shelter. But apart from that there is not much to say about it. We got a week internet signal. | AUG 2021 |
| Restoration Island | 12°36.904'S 143°26.615'E | 6m sand | We stopped here on the reccemondation of friends, who knows Dave (The Millionaire Castaway) who lives on the island. This anchorage is quite rolly. This can apparently be avoided by anchoring in Channel between the Island and Mainland. Dave will show you. Watch out for wrecks which stick out of the water close to the beach. Very week signal. | AUG 2021 |
| Portland Roads | 12°35.585'S 143°24.379'E | - | Slightly rolly in strong SE. Access to shore only at high tide. | AUG 2021 |
| Margaret Bay, Cape Grenville | 11°57.546'S 143°12.370'E | 2m sand | Sailed through Home Islands, leaving Gore Island, Perry Island and Outer Reef to Port. Then turned east and past between Sunday Island and Bremner Shoal. We were amazed to discover that even all the way in here, a slight roll found its way in. We kept creeping closer and closer until we had less than 1m under the keel. | AUG 2021 |
| Escape River | 10°58.960'S 142°39.756'E | 4m mud | The Escape River does not have a bar but it is very shallow at the entrance. We exited the river on a 1m tide and saw as little as 1m under the keel. (1.5m draft). We thought this was pretty dodgy as the swell was pretty big, and we were afraid of seeing it disappear underneath and getting dropped on the ground. We would recommend going at a slightly higher tide. | AUG 2021 |
| Horn Island | 10°35.872'S 142°14.379'E | 6m | Although the biggest town is on Thursday Island, Horn Island is by far the better anchorage during the SE trade winds. There is a supermarket on both Islands, Thursday Island Supermarket being a little bigger. Water is available on the ferry wharf. The ferry goes across multiple times a day. | AUG 2021 |
| Seisia | 10°50.957'S 142°21.729'E | - | We really liked Seisia. It is a sweet little town with red soil and many many coconut trees. The locals are friendly and the anchorage is pretty nice. | AUG 2021 |