TIN CAN BAY AND
SNAPPER CREEK
The waterfront town of Tin Can Bay is
a popular boating and fishing port on
the peninsula between Snapper Creek
and Tin Can Inlet. A fleet of prawn and
scallop trawlers operate out of here on
a seasonal basis, and there are good
fishing and crabbing opportunities for
amateur enthusiasts around the bay.
The public boat ramp at Norman
Point is popular for its large trailer
parking area and boat-washing
facilities. An added attraction is the
appearance each morning of rare Indo-
Pacific humpback dolphins in front of
Barnacle’s Café, which can be fed under
free supervision.
Norman Point also accommodates
the Tin Can Bay Yacht Club, a public
jetty and fuel pontoon, houseboat
hire, and the Volunteer Coastguard
base. Further along the south-east
bank of Snapper Creek are slipways,
trawler berths, a chandlery, Tin Can
Bay Marina, a fishing cooperative and
the local IGA for re-stocking supplies.
Unsurprisingly, Snapper Creek is too
crowded and busy for anchoring in
the channel, although anchorage is
sometimes possible south of Norman
Point where a dinghy can be landed
near a park at high tide.KAURI CREEK
Tin Can Inlet and Pelican Bay debouch
onto the Great Sandy Strait at the green
marker, known locally as “Big Mick”,
and for many kilometres northward the
main channel is wide, handsome and
easy to navigate.
The entrance to Kauri Creek soon
appears on the port side as a break
in the mangrove forest and opens
into a navigable channel that allows
penetration for several kilometres to
the west. There is a bar at the entrance
so check your tide chart first. The flats
on both sides of the entrance are Go
Slow Zones to protect the dugongs and
turtles, and be aware of the signposted
speed limitations in the creek itself –
they are enforced.
Regarded by many as one of the
best creeks in the strait, Kauri is a
popular haven for fishermen, yachties
and houseboat holidaymakers for the
privacy of its extensive backwater,
protection from the elements when the
weather blows up and bush camping
on the banks of the Tuan State Forest,
at Log Dump and Hedley’s. Both camps
have easy trailer access to the creek and
boats up to 6m can be launched from
firm, rubble banks. Shoal draft vessels
may explore beyond the access points
on a rising tide.
The Kauri Creek estuary is a wetland“Regarded by many as one
of the best creeks in the strait,
Kauri is a popular haven for
fishermen, yachties and houseboat
holidaymakers...”
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT The journey
begins; Watch out for turtles and dugongs
in the picturesque Great Sandy Marine
Park; There’s no shortage of facilities and
activities in the area; You probably won’t
be alone out on the water.42 tradeaboat.com.au