queensland To Fraser Or Not To Fraser...

[Drop Bear]

So the Bears are planning to head to Fraser island. Plan is to get there next Mon - Fri and camp at Teebing Spit at Wathumba.

The plan is to take a my boat from Urangan and Mrs Drop Bear takes some of the cubs on the ferry. 

There are lots of fires I hear... Anyone know how I can find out where they are and if it is safe or advised to go?

[Old Scaley]

Hey Robbie. Keep an eye on the alerts on this page https://parks.des.qld.gov.au/parks/kgari-fraser/camping

Or call the rangers if you can find a contact number.

Good luck.

[Guest]

10 minutes ago, Drop Bear said:

So the Bears are planning to head to Fraser island. Plan is to get there next Mon - Fri and camp at Teebing Spit at Wathumba.

The plan is to take a my boat from Urangan and Mrs Drop Bear takes some of the cubs on the ferry. 

There are lots of fires I hear... Anyone know how I can find out where they are and if it is safe or advised to go?

Hey Drop Bear 

Maybe give the rangers a call or national Parkes and wild life , hope you clean up over there if you end up going. I think it's almost the right time of the year when the small black marlin venture around the western side of fraser

[Junky]

Just got back from rainbow.

Smoke a plenty up there although the winds kept it away from us most of the time. 

Was on fraser last Sunday. We stayed south of Eli. Inland tracks are closed from lake garawonga through to valley of the giants. 

The fires are burning from cathedral beach heading South towards happy valley and i believe its already burnt from rooney's down to dundubera camp ground. That's huge.  

 

 

Bloody illegal fire started by morons and not extinguished correctly is the word on the street. 

Problem is, we all pay the price.

I'd love to single out these people and throw the book at them so us responsible's can enjoy our freedom without being hindered by new laws or regulations. 

 

I don't think it will hinder you at wuthumba, the smoke will though, but give the rangers at kingfisher a tingle before you commit. 

Are the misso and cubs joining you for the trip up the inside from kingfisher? 

 

[Drop Bear]

15 hours ago, Old Scaley said:

Hey Robbie. Keep an eye on the alerts on this page https://parks.des.qld.gov.au/parks/kgari-fraser/camping

Or call the rangers if you can find a contact number.

Good luck.

I can't find their number... any tips? 

[Drop Bear]

15 hours ago, Sneaky1 said:

Hey Drop Bear 

Maybe give the rangers a call or national Parkes and wild life , hope you clean up over there if you end up going. I think it's almost the right time of the year when the small black marlin venture around the western side of fraser

Yep super keen. Do you know how to find the phone number? We are hoping to make a call tomorrow night. 

[Drop Bear]

15 hours ago, Sneaky1 said:

Hey Drop Bear 

Maybe give the rangers a call or national Parkes and wild life , hope you clean up over there if you end up going. I think it's almost the right time of the year when the small black marlin venture around the western side of fraser

Call as in whether we are gonna go or not haha. not a call to the rangers

 

[Drop Bear]

2 hours ago, Junky said:

Just got back from rainbow.

Smoke a plenty up there although the winds kept it away from us most of the time. 

Was on fraser last Sunday. We stayed south of Eli. Inland tracks are closed from lake garawonga through to valley of the giants. 

The fires are burning from cathedral beach heading South towards happy valley and i believe its already burnt from rooney's down to dundubera camp ground. That's huge.  

 

 

Bloody illegal fire started by morons and not extinguished correctly is the word on the street. 

Problem is, we all pay the price.

I'd love to single out these people and throw the book at them so us responsible's can enjoy our freedom without being hindered by new laws or regulations. 

 

I don't think it will hinder you at wuthumba, the smoke will though, but give the rangers at kingfisher a tingle before you commit. 

Are the misso and cubs joining you for the trip up the inside from kingfisher? 

 

Great info thanks. I will look for the number of the rangers at kingfisher. 

One of the cubs is gonna come with me on the boat and the misso is driving the bearmobile from the western barge. I hope I can make it work. I would love to see the  baby blacks, even if I cant throw a lure at one. 

That is crazy that they have burnt so far. Its a big fire. 

[Drop Bear]

Lots of googling - zero phone numbers. I did call 13GOV and they said they will get back to me. 

Fingers crossed. 

[Old Scaley]

17 minutes ago, Drop Bear said:

I can't find their number... any tips? 

You might have to go through the Parks and Wildlife call centre 13 74 68. Not sure if they will be put you through to the rangers but they should be able to give you information that will help. I hope you get there and have a great time. Watch out for those northerlies.

[Drop Bear]

4 minutes ago, Old Scaley said:

You might have to go through the Parks and Wildlife call centre 13 74 68. Not sure if they will be put you through to the rangers but they should be able to give you information that will help. I hope you get there and have a great time. Watch out for those northerlies.

Monday looks great, Tuesday looks poo. Will see how the week looks on Friday. If it is tenable we may change for that reason. 

@tugger If I cant go to fraser you might hear from me to pick your brain on camping spots... 

Anyone else wanna give me tips on alternative spots? Prefer somewhere to fish. Don't need flash facilities. prefer remote quiet spots. 

[Drop Bear]

Yuck......... Hopefully it will just be the one bad day. Monday looks great for our trip up there. 

[Old Scaley]

15 minutes ago, Drop Bear said:

Monday looks great, Tuesday looks poo. Will see how the week looks on Friday. If it is tenable we may change for that reason. 

@tugger If I cant go to fraser you might hear from me to pick your brain on camping spots... 

Anyone else wanna give me tips on alternative spots? Prefer somewhere to fish. Don't need flash facilities. prefer remote quiet spots. 

One year when we were going to Wathumba the northerlies got up the day we were leaving Urangan and it started blowing up to 30 knots so just not wise to head across the Bay. We ended up going here https://parks.des.qld.gov.au/parks/mouth-of-kolan-river/camping/mouth-of-kolan-river

The campsites are nice, but no facilities, which I know won’t worry you guys.  You can only get there by boat so it was nice and quiet when we went. You can fish the mouth of the river or up the river if it is too windy to venture out the front. We got some good flathead in the river and some whiting off the beach. Take the crab pots - there are good muddies up the river. You can leave your car and trailer in the camp ground beside the boat ramp for security. From memory I think we just booked a couple of sites at the campground for the cars and trailers, but you could leave them at the ramp I guess. The river has lots of shoals between the ramp and the campsite where you are going so travel at high tide if possible. That will make unloading a lot easier as well. Anyway, it is a handy back up plan if Wathumba is a no go.

[Junky]

I just purchased a block at poona. 

Beautiful spot if you like quiet. 

Caravan park is smack bang in middle if town, on the water next to boat ramp (cant use ramp at low tide) but at low tide you can walk the sand flats and flick for flatties, whiting in the creeks, pump yabbies and explore the coast line.

It's not like Moreton bay mud, it's beautiful soft sand.  

If you need to launch the tub at low tide just head up the road to tuan.

 

At high tide the water is waste deep for 100's of meters. Like peel island. 

Poona is a mad spot imo and you can see fraser just across the bay.  

[Drop Bear]

49 minutes ago, Old Scaley said:

One year when we were going to Wathumba the northerlies got up the day we were leaving Urangan and it started blowing up to 30 knots so just not wise to head across the Bay. We ended up going here https://parks.des.qld.gov.au/parks/mouth-of-kolan-river/camping/mouth-of-kolan-river

The campsites are nice, but no facilities, which I know won’t worry you guys.  You can only get there by boat so it was nice and quiet when we went. You can fish the mouth of the river or up the river if it is too windy to venture out the front. We got some good flathead in the river and some whiting off the beach. Take the crab pots - there are good muddies up the river. You can leave your car and trailer in the camp ground beside the boat ramp for security. From memory I think we just booked a couple of sites at the campground for the cars and trailers, but you could leave them at the ramp I guess. The river has lots of shoals between the ramp and the campsite where you are going so travel at high tide if possible. That will make unloading a lot easier as well. Anyway, it is a handy back up plan if Wathumba is a no go.

What an interesting looking spot! 

[Drop Bear]

32 minutes ago, Junky said:

I just purchased a block at poona. 

Beautiful spot if you like quiet. 

Caravan park is smack bang in middle if town, on the water next to boat ramp (cant use ramp at low tide) but at low tide you can walk the sand flats and flick for flatties, whiting in the creeks, pump yabbies and explore the coast line.

It's not like Moreton bay mud, it's beautiful soft sand.  

If you need to launch the tub at low tide just head up the road to tuan.

 

At high tide the water is waste deep for 100's of meters. Like peel island. 

Poona is a mad spot imo and you can see fraser just across the bay.  

I love that area but have not heard of Poona before. Very cool and awesome in a wind. Mud Crab city! 

[Drop Bear]

So the answer is not to Fraser....

We made a call last night. The wind is as bad as it gets and we cant find out much about the fires... 

In good news we booked Flinders for the week so that will be nice. I am taking the boat so hopefully I get some nice weather and can launch at adder rock and get a spanish or a few reefies. 

[Guest]

4 minutes ago, Drop Bear said:

So the answer is not to Fraser....

We made a call last night. The wind is as bad as it gets and we cant find out much about the fires... 

In good news we booked Flinders for the week so that will be nice. I am taking the boat so hopefully I get some nice weather and can launch at adder rock and get a spanish or a few reefies. 

Good luck Drop Bear , hopefully rods are bent reels are screaming and arms are stretched

[Drop Bear]

3 minutes ago, Sneaky1 said:

Good luck Drop Bear , hopefully rods are bent reels are screaming and arms are stretched

haha the problem is I need to take rods for 6 people...

6 beach fishing options

6 boat bottom fishing options/trolling options

6 whiting/bream options

1 bait jig rod

That is lots of rods...

 

[Guest]

5 minutes ago, Drop Bear said:

haha the problem is I need to take rods for 6 people...

6 beach fishing options

6 boat bottom fishing options/trolling options

6 whiting/bream options

1 bait jig rod

That is lots of rods...

 

Your going to need another car just to transport the rods haha

[Drop Bear]

So national parks finally got back to me. We made the right call. Tebbing and Wathumba are both closed. Even thought they don't say this on the website

https://parks.des.qld.gov.au/parks/kgari-fraser/camping/teebing-wathumba-spit

Flinders here we come! 

 

[Ed.]

Where would you put a boat in if you are staying in that area? and I assume you will be camping there?

[GregOug]

4 hours ago, Drop Bear said:

So national parks finally got back to me. We made the right call. Tebbing and Wathumba are both closed. Even thought they don't say this on the website

https://parks.des.qld.gov.au/parks/kgari-fraser/camping/teebing-wathumba-spit

Flinders here we come! 

 

Pardon my ignorance @Drop Bear but where is Flinders?

[ellicat]

Straddie

[Old Scaley]

Hope I am wrong @Drop Bear but I don’t like your chances of a beach launch early in the week. A couple of days drinking and resting could be on the cards. Looks like it turns easterly mid-week so you could always drop the boat in at Amity and fish Rainbow or even Rous. Twenty years ago we spent the September school holidays camping in the dunes at Flinders and it was just magic. No-one else close to us and perfect weather. I hope it goes well for you Robbie.

[Drop Bear]

5 hours ago, Ed. said:

Where would you put a boat in if you are staying in that area? and I assume you will be camping there?

Yep we will have the boat at the camp site

[Drop Bear]

4 hours ago, GregOug said:

Pardon my ignorance @Drop Bear but where is Flinders?

It is the northern beach on Stradbroke Island. If you don't know it you need to change that. You would love it mate. 

[Drop Bear]

3 hours ago, ellicat said:

Straddie

You know it. 

[Drop Bear]

3 hours ago, Old Scaley said:

Hope I am wrong @Drop Bear but I don’t like your chances of a beach launch early in the week. A couple of days drinking and resting could be on the cards. Looks like it turns easterly mid-week so you could always drop the boat in at Amity and fish Rainbow or even Rous. Twenty years ago we spent the September school holidays camping in the dunes at Flinders and it was just magic. No-one else close to us and perfect weather. I hope it goes well for you Robbie.

Yep the wind is poo for Monday and Tuesday. It couldn't be worse. 

We plan to set up on Sunday back behind the tree line. First few days will be chilling, swimming in the north gorge (bear cubs favourite) and perhaps bathers gorge, and fishing will be off the rocks on the south headland. 

I hope that Wed and Thurs will be possible for a boat launch at adder rock. @Junky has given me a few tips as well as the ones I already have from @tugger and a few options I alreay knew so hopefully we will get onto a fish or two. 

on Wed or Thurs I will put in at one mile and check out the lease and do some oyster work. also planning to do some yabby fishing near Myora. "magical mystery myora springs tour" (its a song we used to sing to the cubs...) We normally get a few bream, whiting and Crocodile Long tom there. I don't think I will take the pots as the wind is really cranky... See how I feel in the morning when I pack up. 

I am buying a new rod from @Angus tomorrow. It is a Nordic Stage Scout. They are nice and long and pack a punch so will be idea for casting plastics from the headland for a chance at a kingy, trev or Mulloway. 

Well that is the plan... I actually have low hopes with the company I am taking and the messed up wind conditions so if I get one decent fish I will be happy. 

[Drop Bear]

5 hours ago, Ed. said:

Where would you put a boat in if you are staying in that area? and I assume you will be camping there?

Oh sorry I misread your question. 

If you have South Easters you can normally launch at adder rock. It is the first rock as you head east on Flinders Beach. 

Otherwise there is a good ramp at Amity and another at Dunwich. 

Amity sees you crossing the SPB (south passage bar) and I only do that if conditions are good and they don't look good so I wont be doing that. 

Hopefully the when the wind swings south on Wed we can put out from Adder Rock... Fingers crossed. I don't have an experienced crew and have an open 5m tinny so will only do this if conditions are really good. 

[GregOug]

52 minutes ago, Drop Bear said:

It is the northern beach on Stradbroke Island. If you don't know it you need to change that. You would love it mate. 

So many beaches. So little time!

[kmcrosby78]

Good luck Robbie, hope you have a ball mate.

[Drop Bear]

On 20/11/2020 at 9:20 PM, kmcrosby78 said:

Good luck Robbie, hope you have a ball mate.

We had a great trip. Mostly relaxing camping spending time with the misses and the cubs. A great bonding experience. The schoolies were a bit rowdy at times but that was to be expected and didn't bother us too much. The family camping not far from us was a bit troubling when the husband started laying into his misses in front of the kids... we called 000... cops came. they left the next day... So sad to see. 

The only boating weather window was on Thursday. We caught about a dozen King fish at the 55cm mark. They were hanging around the eastern end of the group of Point Lookout. Plenty of fun but nothing to take for the pot. 

We trolled about 20 different lures at lot of different speeds for zero other fish. We went everywhere I could think of for about 8 hours. Shag, The Group, Boat and even did a few laps around flat rock just outside the green zone. But with sunburn on our cheeks and the tide coming in we called it a day. 

The highlight of the fishing was using my new Nordic Stage Scout. 9 foot cracker of a rod. So light and  can fling a 1/2 ounce lure out of sight. I caught 2 of the kingfish on it and while not a challenging fight at only 55cm was a great lot of fun on this very long very light rod. So much fun. It is such a delight to use premo gear. I can't wait to throw some slugs at the spotties that have apparently turned up in the bay west and south of St Helena. 

 

[kmcrosby78]

3 hours ago, Drop Bear said:

I can't wait to throw some slugs at the spotties that have apparently turned up in the bay west and south of St Helena. 

West of St Helena?

Good trip Robbie apart from the nob laying into his missus. Shame you didn't get at least one bigger fish on your lures but sounds like it wasn't through lack of trying. 

[Drop Bear]

On 27/11/2020 at 8:48 PM, kmcrosby78 said:

West of St Helena?

soz South East. Good pickup. 

[Drop Bear]

On 27/11/2020 at 8:48 PM, kmcrosby78 said:

Shame you didn't get at least one bigger fish on your lures but sounds like it wasn't through lack of trying. 

We used to catch stacks trolling lures around out there. Admittedly it was around Christmas so I might be too early but I have done quite a few trips now with not much success. I think I will do more live baiting now... 

[AUS-BNE-FISHO]

Good job Robbie, sounds like a really fun relaxed camping trip!

The kingies still would've been good fun.

Cheers Hamish  

[Guest]

On 27/11/2020 at 5:44 PM, Drop Bear said:

We had a great trip. Mostly relaxing camping spending time with the misses and the cubs. A great bonding experience. The schoolies were a bit rowdy at times but that was to be expected and didn't bother us too much. The family camping not far from us was a bit troubling when the husband started laying into his misses in front of the kids... we called 000... cops came. they left the next day... So sad to see. 

The only boating weather window was on Thursday. We caught about a dozen King fish at the 55cm mark. They were hanging around the eastern end of the group of Point Lookout. Plenty of fun but nothing to take for the pot. 

We trolled about 20 different lures at lot of different speeds for zero other fish. We went everywhere I could think of for about 8 hours. Shag, The Group, Boat and even did a few laps around flat rock just outside the green zone. But with sunburn on our cheeks and the tide coming in we called it a day. 

The highlight of the fishing was using my new Nordic Stage Scout. 9 foot cracker of a rod. So light and  can fling a 1/2 ounce lure out of sight. I caught 2 of the kingfish on it and while not a challenging fight at only 55cm was a great lot of fun on this very long very light rod. So much fun. It is such a delight to use premo gear. I can't wait to throw some slugs at the spotties that have apparently turned up in the bay west and south of St Helena. 

 

It's a shame there are still idiots that beat up on women,  good on you for getting the coppers in there , a holes  like that belong in a crab pot. Hey that new rod sounds pretty flash   9ft would send slugs into orbit. Sounds like you guys had fun , nothing more important than family time.

[WilliBoaz]

On 18/11/2020 at 10:46 AM, Junky said:

I just purchased a block at poona. 

Beautiful spot if you like quiet. 

Caravan park is smack bang in middle if town, on the water next to boat ramp (cant use ramp at low tide) but at low tide you can walk the sand flats and flick for flatties, whiting in the creeks, pump yabbies and explore the coast line.

It's not like Moreton bay mud, it's beautiful soft sand.  

If you need to launch the tub at low tide just head up the road to tuan.

 

At high tide the water is waste deep for 100's of meters. Like peel island. 

Poona is a mad spot imo and you can see fraser just across the bay.  

Hi mate, I've also just got a spot up at Poona as well. Do you ever take the boat out to the northern parts of Fraser?

[Junky]

4 hours ago, WilliBoaz said:

Hi mate, I've also just got a spot up at Poona as well. Do you ever take the boat out to the northern parts of Fraser?

G'day mate. 

Haven't taken the boat up yet.

We only purchased a block of land and we're still in the process of clearing it.