Great Sandy Strait, QLD
strait’s hazardous sandbanks on their
way to the Mary River and Port of
Maryborough. The lighthouses ceased
operation in 1959 and 1987 and their
remains, together with associated
buildings, telegraph lines and several
grave sites, are heritage-listed.
A small undeveloped bush camping
area (with no facilities) at Jefferies
Beach on the south-east side of Big
Woody Island provides a base to
explore the island and its surrounds.
Camping permits are required and fees
apply. Due to its high conservation
value, camping is not permitted on
Little Woody Island, which lies within a
marine park green zone (no fishing).
To the west of Big Woody are vast
drying sandbanks, small reefs and
narrow gutters that make navigation
through this area difficult or impossible
over the lower stages of the tide, and
once past the north cardinal beacon,
there are no navigation aids to guide
you along the western shore.
Just north of Big Woody Island
lies the Roy Rufus Artificial Reef, a
sunken jumble of car bodies and tyres,
concrete rubble and large vessels. It is
the largest of its kind in the southern
hemisphere and a popular site forscuba diving and fishing in the Great
Sandy Strait.
Beyond the reef, the northern
entrance to the Great Sandy Strait
opens up and the water clarity and
colour soon turns the shade of
turquoise associated with a sand
bottom. Here, the mariner’s choices
are: proceed north into the wide-open
waters of Hervey Bay; veer north-east
through Moon Point Bank and Pelican
Bank shoals and hug Fraser Island’s
western shore to Platypus Bay and
Sandy Cape; or yield to the temptations
of civilisation that beckon from the
west and head for Urangan Boat
Harbour and the sprawling metropolis
of Hervey Bay.URANGAN BOAT
HARBOUR
Urangan Boat Harbour is the largest
boat launching facility in Hervey Bay,
boasting two excellent four-lane boat
ramps, two adjacent pontoons and a
sizeable car park dedicated to cars with
boat trailers.
The harbour is accessed from the
north by a well-beaconed waterway
and is protected on the eastern side
by a substantial rock wall. Even so,strong south-east trade winds can
over-top the wall during spring tides,
and in severe cyclonic conditions the
east-facing harbour can be seriously
compromised. Urangan is a Standard
Port in the official Tide Tables, its tides
being a little later and higher than
Bundaberg’s. A spring high tide of 4.2m
is common with a potential range of
4m.
Anchorage within the harbour is
not permitted but is possible outside
the harbour where you’re clear of
the approach channel during calm
weather. Dinghies can be taken to the
public pontoon, which is handy to all
facilities. Berths are available to casuals
at three marinas within Urangan
Harbour – Great Sandy Strait, Hervey
Bay Boat Club and Fisherman’s Wharf- all with access to essential nautical
services.
THE WRAP
The Great Sandy Strait may be only
70km long but there is so much to see
and do along this magnificent world-
class waterway that it could take you
days or weeks to experience the lot –
the opportunities for marine adventure
and recreation are endless.50 tradeaboat.com.au