Getting to the Tangalooma Wrecks

[Wax_head]

Where is the best place to launch your boat from to travel to Tangalooma.

We just had a family holiday over there at the resort and really loved it and thought we could get there in our boat and camp down near the wrecks for the weekend. Kids could snorkle ect.

I have a 470 haines breeze with a honda 75 4 stroke on the back.

I live up at Caloundra. I was thinking of towing the boat down to Bribie Island and launch it there.

From the caloundra bar I think it would take about 1 or 2 hours. Not much fun for the kids and Wifey.

Any ideas would be appreciated.

Cheers,
Steve:)

[Angla]

If you are at Caloundra then I would suggest a trip down the M1 Gateway to the Nudgee road turn off (there is a freeway exit there) and the launch from Nudgee is pretty easy with the pontoon beside the ramp. The mouth of the Kedron brook can get a little shallow but you will be fine between the channel markers. It's a straight run from there with no sand bars in the way and you can do it easily in good weather but beware what the bay can throw at you when the wind gets up. 5-10 knotts would be the wind you would be looking for at worst.

Cheers
Chris

[TheRealAndy]

Quickest by far is scarborough. You can get their from bribie, but you need to argue with some sand bars (I have never done this, so cant comment).

Its a fair old hike from nudgee or shorncliffe. I can do shorncliffe to tangas in about 1 hour in my 4.5m polycraft with a 50hp yam, but it has to pretty flat day.

[Boab Bribie]

Hi Steve,
Hi go from Bribie all the time to Tanga's it is a good run. Just head around the Southern tip off bribie and head torwards the shipping channel. You will see the Northern end of Moreton once in the shipping channel follow it south its all deep water then cut across to Bulwer its a good run down the inside to Tanga's. If you have a chart plotter GPS the water depths on there are pretty true in reguards to the sand bars.
Cheers BOAB BRIBIE

[robfin]

Scarb is the closest boat ramp if you want to spend less time on the water and more time on the road. It's a 30 km run out so on a good day it takes my 4.2 runabout with a 40 on the back about 45 minutes or about an hour if it gets blowy.

[peterbo3]

If you are leaving your car & trailer for two days Nudgee would not be my first choice. Scarborough ramp is much more secure. More activity, good lighting & the police drop by often.

[Scalem]

If you are leaving your car & trailer for two days Nudgee would not be my first choice. Scarborough ramp is much more secure. More activity, good lighting & the police drop by often.

I'd second that, any time you leave car and trailer overnight preference has to be with a more secure ramp. I've often done the trip from Manly, recently from Scarby to cape Moreton, from Bribie to Cape Moreton, then did a full lap of Moreton from Manly, south passage bar, hutchies and back to Manly via Tangalooma wrecks. One thing remains the same, it's a long way across the bay whichever ramp. Just pick which one according to wind direction and which is likely to give you a smoother run.

But there are other spots to give the wife and kids a camping experience, a lot closer to the mainland. I'll give North Curigee a go soon I hope...

Scalem

[ROBENDOG]

Went out today from Scarby.

1st trip to wrecks from here so bit of caution on the way across as it was a low tide. Shollowest sounding was 2.5m.

Came back high tide (straight line wrecks to Scarby) 20 minutes at 29-30knots (55-60km/h).

Magic day!!!!!!!!;D

[White Pointer]

G'day,

I'd suggest Scarborough and launch at the ramp next to the Coastguard. If you're a member of a Coastguard or VMR pop in and give them your details including your car and trailer rego as well as a log of your trip plans and call sign. If you're not a member, join up. It doesn't cost much and its better than an insurance policy.

If you really enjoy this trip and want to go more often, I'd suggest joining Moreton Bat Boat Club at Scarborough. They have their own ramps in a secured area and they also have cabins at Cowan Cowan available for a reasonable tariff to members.

Getting to the wrecks from Scaborough:

Head out of the harbour and follow the channel markers to the last one.

Turn slightly left and aim towards the outer marker of Scarborough Reef. It's marked on charts and NAV cards.

Go around this marker and head south.

When you are off the Redcliffe Jetty set a course towards the ship transfer station and run towards it until you are about 2Nm from it.

Then turn due East and hold that heading until you can pick out the resort and adjust your heading to suit.

This course will keep you off the Western Banks (which can be nasty at any tide in some conditions.

Enjoy the trip.

Regards,

White Pointer

[Wax_head]

Went to brisbane today to pick up the new boat and was thinking to myself that somewhere out there someone would be having a great day.

Good one on your first trip to the wrecks, I will do that one very soon.
Cheers,

[AnthonyL]

Give a shout out on here when you decide to go for your first run as someone might be heading that way too that you can meet up with.

[mustang5]

As others have said, Scarborough is the best option, for me anyways.

Just dont point straight across towards tangalooma, head south to avoid the sandbars. A beacon to beacon shows you where to head, or if you have an Iphone pay $5 for the app that has all the moreton bay charts. If there is any sort of chop, you really feel it in those shallow areas. You end up in a washing machine which is not fun, and uncomfortable for sure.

But if its high tide and minimal chop(as it was today), heading straight across is no issue at all!

Another thing to consider is wind direction. If its a northerly, I always launch south and go across STH of Mud Island. It always seems like the better trip.

[PADDLES]

we run straight out from beachmere waxhead, it's a straight east/west run for us, don't worry too much about sand bars south this line, even at low water they're still a good metre or more deep so just keep it on the plane and you've got nothing to worry about. if you are running out of spinnaker though then there's a sneaky one in your way at low water, all you've gotta do is aim a bit south towards scarby reef for a bit until you hit that east/west line to tangas and you'll skirt around it. at anything over half tide though just keep her up on the plane and go straight and you're laughing from spinnaker. be aware though that our end of the bay is an ugly place in wind so stay safe.

[Wax_head]

One of my work mates has just done a trip over with a bloke from Maroochydore. They actually left from Mooloolaba ramp and it took them about 1hr 45 mins, he said it was a big trip and the next one he is taking his boat and I'll take mine with the families and camp over there for the night. We have decided on Bribie boat ramp as it will cut down the time on the wate for the kids and will make sure the weather is good on seebreeze for a couple of days.

Thanks,
Steve

[Seahorse]

i have done the trip a few times and left from clontarf.
I have always just headed in a straight line.
Would those sandbanks u are talking about be a bit further north from my run?
I want to do the run in the jet ski.

Cheers
Greg

[PADDLES]

yeah those banks are north of you seahorse, basically there's pretty deep water from the M9 to the west and even to the north is still pretty good for a fair way. it gets a bit shallow on the edges of the pearl channel in places but there is that one sneaky bank a bit further north again roughly in line between tangas and bribie passage, but it's not a problem on anything other than the bottom of the tides. you can scoot over most banks on the plane though, we've got a 7.6m, almost 3t boat and on the plane and going quick we still don't hit the bottom when the sounder is saying 0.6m