Calendar


Trip Diary

08-2012 Peel Island (An Ekka tradition)
08-2012 Moreton Island
07-2012 Rocky Point
06-2012 Blakesleys
06-2012 The Bedroom
05-2012 Breakfast on Karragarra
05-2012 St Helena
05-2012 Perigee Bedroom
02-2012 Queen Mary II
02-2012 Mud Island
11-2011 St Helena
11-2011 Shorncliffe to Redcliffe
10-2011 Weinam Ck to Dunwich
10-2011 Peel Island
10-2011 Breakfast on Karragarra
10-2011 St Helena and Green Island
09-2011 Wivenhoe Dam
08-2011 Fraser Island
08-2011 Canaipa Passage
08-2011 Karragarra
08-2011 Stradbroke Island
07-2011 St Helena
07-2011 So long, and thanks for all the fish.
05-2011 Green Island
05-2011 Wivenhoe Dam
04-2011 Upper Noosa River Weekend
04-2011 Easter at Woodgate
04-2011 Mud Island
04-2011 Karragarra for Breakfast
02-2011 Bongaree
02-2011 St Helena
01-2011 Weinam Ck to Blakesleys
10-2010 Moore to Blackbutt Rail Trail
10-2010 Whitsundays
09-2010 Mud Island
09-2010 Redcliffe
09-2010 Girraween
08-2010 Upper Noosa River
08-2010 Potts Point
08-2010 Peel Island
08-2010 Gateway to City Bike Ride
08-2010 Mud Island
07-2010 Blakesleys Afternoon Paddle
07-2010 Kedron Brook to Scaborough (and return)
04-2010 Colmslie Beach
04-2010 Brighton Park
01-2010 Nundah Creek
01-2010 Blakesleys
01-2010 Upper Noosa River (with a difference)
01-2010 New Year Paddle
12-2009 Potts Point
08-2009 Raby Bay to Peel Island
08-2009 Wynnum Creek to King Island
07-2009 Sandgate to Redcliffe
05-2009 St Helena
04-2009 Wellington Point to Peel
04-2009 Breakfast on Karragarra
03-2009 King Island
03-2009 Mission Point
03-2009 Mud Island
01-2009 Morning Tea at The Pin
01-2009 Circumnavigate Macleay Island
01-2009 New Year Recovery Paddle
12-2008 Caniapa
12-2008 Pine Rivers
11-2008 Coochie Night Paddle
10-2008 Breakfast at Karragarra
10-2008 Girraween
10-2008 Coomera Falls Circuit
09-2008 Hinchinbrook Island
09-2008 Manly Harbour Festival
09-2008 Linville to Blackbutt Rail Trail
08-2008 Weekend at Blakesleys
08-2008 Old Woman Island
08-2008 Circumnavigate Macleay Island
07-2008 Upper Noosa River
07-2008 Weinam Creek to Dunwich
06-2008 Scarborough to Bongaree
06-2008 Wellington Pt to St Helena
06-2008 North Stradbroke Jazz Weekend
05-2008 Point O'Halloran to Blakesleys
04-2008 Upper Noosa River
04-2008 Aquatic Paradise to St Helena Is
04-2008 Eprapah Creek
03-2008 Paradise Point to Moreton Island
03-2008 Wynnum Ck to Tangalooma Point
03-2008 Amity Point weekend
03-2008 Bremer River
03-2008 Brisbane River - Gregors Ck to Barneys Rocks
02-2008 Play Day - Coochie Mudlo
02-2008 World Wetlands Day Paddle
02-2008 Brisbane River night paddle
01-2008 Australia Day Week
01-2008 Blakesleys 3/4 Moon Paddle
01-2008 Shorncliffe to Nudgee
01-2008 Brisbane River - Barneys Rocks to O'Sheas Crossing
12-2007 Raby Bay to One Mile via Blakesleys and Potts Point
12-2007 Diamond Head to Tipplers
12-2007 Wynnum Ck to Green and St Helena Islands
11-2007 Bike Ride Bay Islands
11-2007 Tingalpa Creek
10-2007 Potts Point Night Paddle
10-2007 Return to Gilligans Island
10-2007 Salt Water Creek and Coomera River
09-2007 Elimbah Creek
09-2007 Scarborough to Caboolture River
09-2007 Fraser Island Whale Watching
09-2007 Circumnavigate Russell Island
08-2007 Pine Rivers Night Paddle
08-2007 Linville to Blackbutt Rail Trail
08-2007 Brisbane River City Reach
08-2007 Peel Island
08-2007 Brisbane River
08-2007 Green Island Day Trip
07-2007 Pine Rivers Night Paddle
07-2007 Mooloolah River
07-2007 USS Kitty Hawk in Brisbane River
06-2007 Black Tie on Peel Island
05-2007 Harrys Hut Camping Weekend
04-2007 Theodolite Creek
04-2007 Upper Burrum River
04-2007 Circumnavigate Big Woody
04-2007 Walkers Point to Toogum
03-2007 Boat Passage to Big Sandhills
12-2006 Woodgate to Mon Repos
10-2006 Fraser Island Whale Watching
04-2005 Keppel Islands
12-2004 Fraser Island
10-2004 Munna Point Camping Weekend
10-2004 Mooloolaba to Maroochydore
09-2004 Coochie Mudlo Island
08-2004 Karragarra Island
07-2004 Wellington Point to St Helena Island
06-2004 Noosa River Camping Weekend
05-2004 Brisbane River Night Paddle
04-2004 Budds Beach to Moreton Island
10-2003 Bulwer to Tangalooma
05-2003 Eatonsville to Harwood Island

Links

SEQSK Discussion Group
SEQSK Newsletters
Adventurer Anthony Malloch

Easter at Woodgate
Date: 22-04-2011
Launch: Walkers Pt
Distance: 26Km
Conditions: Morning light SE - Afternoon NE seabreeze

Walkers Pt to Toogoom

While the forecast was not going to break any records for the Brisbane to Gladstone it did blow our plans for 1770 asunder. A nasty retribution looked like it would follow a glorious start to the Easter break. I certainly had no desire to slug it out against the tide and into a 25Kn SE from Middle Creek to 1770. Leave those conditions to the big (and not quite so big) boys returning from Gladstone under sail.

We chose to give the area a wide berth and make the most of the start of Easter at Woodgate where we had three very different day paddles, were treated to home comforts and a Bundaberg band which jammed an excellent rendition of Led Zepplin's Stairway to Heaven.

On the road it seemed like every man and their boat had made a beeline for any place on the water north of the Sunshine Coast. On Friday morning we arrived at Walkers Point boat ramp to find little room at the inn. The place was cluttered with boat trailers of all sizes where they continued to launch two at a time. Two at a time guaranteed, as some smart cookie had a devised a simple yet effective remedy to thwart ramp hogs. The ramp was split in two by having one half descend at a steeper rate than the other. Clever way to keep the yobs on the straight and narrow - should be more of it.

We set off against the tide to the mouth of the Burrum River in hope of seeing the herd of dugong we had been surrounded by on a paddle in the same area some years earlier. However the only herd we saw was that of people. They were everywhere. It was truly difficult to escape the crowds. The coastline between Burrum Heads and Toogum which is not National Park has since kowtowed to residential estates and the multitudes are now here to escape each other.

Unlike last time the water close inshore was murky. It looked like it was coloured by fine silt. I paddled past a rock and did a second take. Odd because this was a sandy beach. On the low it became a broad flat beach a couple of Km wide - the kind for sand yachting as there is little debris and no rocks. The rock morphed into coral, then the coral moved. The golden yellow coral had fine black spots and was the tip of the dorsal fin of the largest fish I have ever seen in the wild. Even larger than the Maori wrasse at Luncheon Bay, this monster was just shy of the length of my paddle. I never got to see the head, it remained hidden in the murky water. It was unperturbed by my exciting squawking for Mark to get over here ASAP. When the nose of Mark's boat came close, I wondered if it was sick as it did not move, however Mark never got a decent look as the fish (later identified as a Queensland Groper) got wind of what was going on and shot off like a torpedo. I only hope this grand daddy stayed away from the offerings of the Easter fishing fleet.

We shared home made biscuits for morning tea in the shade of a casuarina on a relatively deserted part of the beach before heading on to Toogum at the top of the tide. Be careful in this area - the beaches are massive and if you are caught short by the tide you are in for either a long walk or long wait. We pulled up below the eroded sandy banks south of the creek mouth. It was a leisurely lunch in the dappled shade where we could keep on eye on the boats, not from a tide perspective but because of the sheer numbers of people around. Kitted up we headed to the main boat ramp for a comfort stop. Along the way we pulled up next to a family with a young English Mastiff. Having had a Saint Bernard for 10 years, such a dog always catches our eye. However, he was not a happy puppy. Despite his owner's encouragement he remained nervous. We did not want to push the situation, a fear bite from a mastiff is not a good idea for anyone. I returned to the boat ramp to receive a rapturous welcome from a black labrador who had until then been playing with Mark. The owner assured me it was the high vis top that the dog was attracted as they wore them line marking. As soon as we kitted up with balaclava, hats and sun glasses this dog too suddenly changed, growled and would not approach either of us having just been playing moments before. So if you want to make a dog nervous just put on a balaclava and a pair of sunnies.

Finally the wind had changed and rather than slugging into it we were treated to a NE which made for comfortable sailing on a rising chop. Mark saw a solitary small dolphin which remained illusive to my line of sight. No dugong this time around and the water was too murky to pick out the other dark shapes that frequent the mouth of the Burrum. A missed judgement call had us knuckle over the sand bar for a couple of metres before entering the shallow tidal race with wind against tide. These are a lot of fun, it feels like you are ripping along as you surf the small waves, but all you are doing is 2Kmph as the tide surges out the mouth.

As we neared the ramp a familiar "MARK" caught our attention - who can miss a mother's call ? It was Ann and John, they had come down for afternoon tea and watch us on the return leg up the river. It was duly noted that I was in the lead with a sail up while Mark trailed having to put the stick in as well as sail as we cruised in to the conclusion of a beautiful day out.
Next Day
Walkers Point Boat Ramp (one half)
Mark coming to check out the groper
Time for AM tea
Reprieve from the herd
Looking back to Burrum Point from Toogum
Sailing up the Burrum River
 
Easter at Woodgate Map
GPS Trackfile (OziExplorer .plt)

Next Day