Gold Coast Cruising

Boaters paradise

Nine. Count them. Down the hatch. That was my long-standing record for the number of blue swimmer or sand crabs I devoured in one session. That is, until I found the Gold Coast. A crabbing session around the Northern Bedrooms, my favourite local anchorage, saw me reach a new milestone. With ravenous abandon, I polished off 13 delicious, fresh-caught crabs that, only hours earlier, were cooked aboard. Even the wallabies watching from the beach behind our boat looked impressed. But gluttony and the Gold Coast have long been bedfellows.

An abundance of crabs and beachcombing wallabies are among the welcome discoveries I made during a weeklong cruise around the Gold Coast's unsung, even maligned, inshore waterways. Well, I found them otherwise. While the Gold Coast has been our starting point for passages north to Mooloolaba and Hervey Bay, south to Yamba or Sydney, and while I enjoyed a few fleeting weekend trips when we first took delivery of our own 42-footer from a local dealer, this was my first serious cruise of a waterway that I always thought held promise. And it doesn't disappoint.

To facilitate my long-held hunger to explore more of the Gold Coast, my cruising cohort and I put it to Australia's biggest boatbuilder, Riviera, whether they would lend us a boat. The powers-that-be obliged and a pre-loved Riviera 37, a perfect vessel for the job, was ready and waiting. It's just the kind of boat that you might think about taking north yourself. Our six-month old baby girl, Summer, even had a cabin to herself.

Funny thing: people seem to delight in telling you stories of how they or their friend or their friend's neighbour ran aground on the Gold Coast. Hit an unmarked sandbank and had to wait six hours for high tide. Sorry to say, no such thing, least not for us.

Drive carefully, travel on the flood tides and follow Beacon to Beacon (the navigation bible for this part of the world). Do these things and you won't come unstuck, or should that be stuck, on sand and mud banks.

But it gets better. The beauty of cruising here is that it's an inshore waterway, well protected in virtually all conditions, with no waves (though some boat wake) to worry about. There's a veritable maze of channels, backwaters, canals and islands to explore. And you can gad about all the way to Moreton Bay, as we have done.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. First the ritzy marinas...

MARINA CRAWL
We started our golden days on the Gold Coast with a couple of lazy days provisioning in high style. First stop: Southport Yacht Club, a great amenity for members and guests alike. We phoned ahead, arranged a visitor's berth, docked and trotted over to Tedder Avenue, a trendy dining precinct with loads of busy restaurants, cafes, delis, bars, great homeware and clothes shops for the shopaholics, and more.

Of course, Southport Yacht Club serves honest tucker. That I can attest. The night of our last visit there was a choice of three roast meats, vegies and gravy for $15. The servings were generous, the lamb moist and tender. Even Tom Cruise would approve.

In fact, if you're thinking of taking your boat north, you can't beat Southport Yacht Club (SYC) as a base. The marina has been renovated and now accommodates vessels up to 58 metres long. The showers are clean, the bar is busy and there are plenty of salty sailors willing to swap cruising stories and offer tips if you're making the pilgrimage north to the Whitsundays or Cairns. Two of our best boating buddies were met on the gangways at SYC, where a berth for their 40-footer costs them about $1000 a month.

Nearby, Mariner's Cove is well worth a visit, too. There's a big marina with yet more eateries, a tavern and well-priced fuel. Don't forget half-price Tuesdays at the restaurants in winter. And don't forget that you will pay a loading for fuel if you're boat isn't registered in Queensland. So, if you're planning a lengthy stay it will pay to register your boat locally.

If you're looking for something a bit more glamorous, Marina Oceanus at Marina Mirage is hard to beat. Visitor berths are available by prior arrangement and the adjoining shopping complex is home to three levels of designer shops and loads of top restaurants. Eat alfresco at that local institution, Omero Brothers, or one of the other nosheries overlooking the water. Down below, dozens of Sunseekers grace the gangways of this, their Queensland base. There are plans to overhaul the shopping complex to the tune of $50 million or so and the marina is also set to undergo an upgrade. Thus, things will get even better.

On the first, third and fifth Saturday of each month there are farmers markets in the Marina Mirage carpark. Fill up with fresh produce: the fat strawberries are to die for, the vegies freshly picked, organic meat and seafood is well priced, cakes, slices, spices, bread, jams - we sampled them all - are hard to go past.

Of course, no Gold Coast marina crawl is complete without swanning by fabulous Palazzo Versace. Berths are sometimes available for visitors, just call to check. Otherwise, stroll down from SYC or Mariner's Cove. The lobby is a work of art, as are the cappuccinos. The stunning marble bathrooms off the foyer are even better when you're boating.

If there's still room in the onboard icebox, dash next door to Peter's Seafood Market and stock up on prawns, fish and scrumptious Moreton Bay bugs. Or keep walking along to the trawler wharf where you can buy the best ever local ocean prawns direct from the trawlers for about $25 a kilo. After all that, our boat was kind of loaded.

If you don't mind negotiating the tedious Coomera River, there are more marinas at Hope Harbour, Sanctuary Cove and Hope Island. In typical Queensland fashion, the marinas welcome visitors and facilities are top notch.

Sanctuary Cove has a marina village, Hope Island boasts a Bi-Lo, and if you're into golf - play and stay aboard - then stow the clubs below decks. There are great courses at Hope Island and Sanctuary Cove. Then there's the Gold Coast City Marina, among the best boating facilities and perfect for, perish the thought, effecting repairs.

Interestingly, most of the Gold Coast marinas, including Horizon Shores at Jacob's Well, have big plans for major expansions to meet the influx of visiting boaties and the burgeoning local boating industry. If the dreams of developers are realised, 112 acres of parkland in the area north of Seaworld known as Marine Stadium will become a massive showcase marina for local boatbuilders, plus a superyacht facility and five-star accommodation for boatowners and visitors. Exciting stuff indeed.

DAY SAILING
Time to cast the lines and unshackle ourselves from those marinas. Even if you're just daytripping there are plenty of white sandy beaches with great swimming on The Broadwater. But be warned: on sunny weekends it seems like all the 212,000 registered boats in Queensland and 9000 personal watercraft are out and about! And the anchorages are thronging, as locals scramble to enjoy the warm water and sunny weather.

Yet, venture out mid-week as we did, and you will share these same idyllic spots with just a few other like-minded boaties. The best spot on the Broadwater for a daytrip is, unsurprisingly for locals, Wave Break Island. Anchor in about two metres of water, in the gutter or behind the sandbanks, on the northern side of the island. Here you will find wind, wave and wake protection, but pay out at least five times the depth in anchor chain as the tide runs thick and fast.

There's a deep hole just inside the northern breakwall on the island, too, but it's popular with scuba divers and tropical fish alike. Meanwhile, if you can pull yourself out of the water at Wave Break, a quick blatt in the tender to the Grand Hotel Jetty at Labrador will let you stock up on grog and, at Charis Seafoods, more delicious local prawns and bugs. See what I mean about perfect day anchorage?

There are beautiful anchorages on the inside of North and South Stradbroke Islands, with miles of white sand to stretch the legs and picnic ashore (mind the goannas) opposite Runaway Bay. Or, farther on, swing past Couran Cove Resort - sadly, no longer accessible to visiting boaties unless you buy a yearly membership or book a room at the resort - then turn to port up the channel to Tipplers Passage.

There are several popular anchorages along the shores near Tipplers and SYC has its own anchorage. Tipplers Resort, which seems to be popular with, well, the tipplers, is a must-see to get in the Queensland spirit of things. Hiccup!

On the top half of the tide you can continue north to Curtis Anchorage and another popular spot called the Bedroom (shallow-draft boats only). But do watch the tides as the water gets really skinny here. Back in the passage, I recommend Tiger Mullet Channel, another lovely calm anchorage where we have hunkered down for days and nights before.

BEDROOM BLISS
Meantime, back to the mission at hand - a serious sortie on the Gold Coast. We left Runaway Bay on our borrowed Riviera 37; provisions were quickly stowed after a marina crawl, and a swim at Wave Break Island. As usual, I was chief navigator and had my work cut out. The former owner of the boat had removed the GPS card containing all the electronic charts. Luckily we were travelling in convoy with friends on an Oliver Royal 41. And, of course, I had a copy of Beacon to Beacon, which shows all the navigation marks, sandbanks and best routes to each destination.

We pass ritzy real estate developments on Ephraim and Sovereign Islands before a special mark indicating the entrance to the Coomera River. If heading upriver allow for plenty of time as speed restrictions apply for big boats. It will take you about an hour to travel to Hope Island. If you can, avoid travelling upstream or west in the late afternoon, as you will be driving into the sun. Migraine comes gratis.

Our immediate plan is to head for a place called the Northern Bedrooms at the tip of South Stradbroke Island, so we give the Coomera River the flick and take the main channel past the entrance to Jacob's Well, home to Horizon Shores Marina, which need I tell you has big plans in store. About 40 minutes from Runaway Bay we reach the Bedrooms. Beyond our expectations, it doesn't disappoint.

Steep, white sand hills and stands of wind-breaking casuarinas slope down to gin-clear water. A lone boat is anchored just a few metres off the beach and a group of wallabies fossicking at the water's edge, munching on seagrass washed in from the previous tide.

At the very tip of the island, there are massive sandflats and you can hike across the dunes to the surf on the other side of South Stradbroke. We do neither, drop anchor just off the beach, and set about the important business of deploying crab traps. While we wait for the traps to fill we succumb to the call of the warm blue water. To the north, we can see Jumpinpin, the treacherous bar between North and South Stradbroke Islands. Under no circumstances should you try and cross this bar.

The hours pass quick as that. Time to check the traps. The first two yield 36 blue swimmer crabs. I kid you not. More crabs are forthcoming, along with a serious cull. Meantime, the weather is perfect, with nigh a breath of wind ruffling the surface. We decide to stay put for the night and raft up to our mates. But first, the pressing task of cooking those crabs. After which I set my new PB in the crab eating stakes and polish off 13, no less.

Some points to note. There are swarms of midgies (sandflies), so you will need to cook and eat outdoors before sunset and indoors thereafter, unless you have mosquito covers on your boat. And if the weather does come up at Bedrooms you can seek refuge in the nearby mangrove channels near the Short Islands.

Next morning, on the top of the tide, we cruise up Canaipa Passage and admire Slipping Sands, another popular anchorage, before a long shallow sandbank which you shouldn't negotiate if your boat draws more than 1.5 metres. Rather than venturing up the inside of North Stradbroke, as we have done before, we take the lazy option and return to the Northern Bedrooms for more swimming and crabs.

This time we strike gold. There's a bolthole just inside the tip of South Stradbroke Island in a natural basin where six metres of water ascends to the shore. Anchor down, you can now step off transom onto the sand flats or just wallow around in crystal-clear waist-high water.

FARTHER AFIELD
If more adventurous, take heed, there are plenty of islands to explore: Russel, Peel and Moreton are worth a visit. You can take the scenic but shallow Canaipa Passage, as we have done, or the more forgiving Main Channel, beginning at Redland Bay. Not far away is Peel Island, the most popular anchorage in Moreton Bay. Horseshoe Bay on the island has Bahamian blue water and a stunning white sandy beach.

Watch out for the dugongs, dolphins, turtles and whales that frequent the area. In fact, the bottom of Moreton Bay is home to the southernmost colony of dugongs. We saw them and turtles when cruising in the early morning. Quite some sight let me tell you,

In the right conditions, and providing that the wind doesn't come up from the west, Tangalooma on the inside of Moreton Island is a magic spot. Anchor behind the signature wrecks that provide some protection from the wind and offer great diving with plenty of tropical fish. There are huge white sandhills that you can climb and slide down. Or just sit on your boat and gaze into the azure water.

It's hard to believe that the nearest port to Tangles is Brisbane, as it feels more like Nassau, especially after a walk along the palm-fringed shore. The Tangalooma Wild Dolphin Resort has a bar and amenities open to visiting boaties. But unless you're a guest at the resort, you have to leave the island at dusk before the local dolphins drop in for their nightly feed.

THE LONG HOT SUMMER
As the TV ad espouses, Queenslanders are blessed with weather and water. Boating is at its best when we southerners are pulling out our winter woollies. The water is still warm in late May and the daytime temperature is generally mid 20ºC. Think about cruising around the time of the Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show.

Keep in mind, however, that the inshore waterway is not the best for deep-draft yachts. If your boat draws more than 1.7m, you should think about heading for the accommodating waters of Moreton Bay via the sea.

But, despite forecasts of doom and gloom, we never had any problems on our own Riviera 42, which draws about 1.5m, or the loan 37-footer, which has a similar draft. Having said that, it's easy to see why power and sail catamarans are such popular choices on the Gold Coast.

The anchorages are busy at peak times. If you're cruising north for the winter, which more and more southerners do, don't give the Gold Coast a wide berth. Leave home earlier and hang around for some golden days. You won't regret it. And take the crab eating challenge. Let's see if you can beat 13 in a session.

CRUISING INFORMATION:
The Southport Seaway is a notorious bar in rough weather. Traditionally, the safest route is around the south wall, but after the recent tumultuous storms there was a bar across the entire entrance.

Keep clear of the banks to the north where waves pitch and break well out to sea. Call Seaway Tower on Channel 16 or 88 if you are unsure. Also, watch for the surfers paddling across the Seaway for South Stradbroke Island - they're hard to spot in the afternoon sun.

A copy of the Maritime Safety Queensland's Beacon to Beacon Directory is essential for cruising around the Gold Coast. Follow the suggested routes and look at the section near the back for a summary of all the anchorages, complete with aerial images and information about which spots are best in which conditions.

Cruising the Coral Coast by Alan Lucas is another handy reference to keep on board. See www.alanlucascruisingguides.com

Above all, venture into unchartered or new water during the last third of the flood tide when, should you go aground, there will be more water coming on which to drift free. And travel slowly and enjoy the cruise.

For more information,
visit www.southportyachtclub.com.au;
www.marinamirage.com.au;
www.marinaoceanus.com.au;
www.palazzoversace.com.au;
www.meridienmarinas.com.au;
www.sanctuarycove.com;
www.hopeharbour.com.au;
www.hir.com.au;
www.gccm.com.au;
www.broadwatermasterplan.com; and, www.tangalooma.com