Whether for a day trip or overnight camping. Coongul Creek, is another of our favourite destinations on the western side of Fraser Island, Queensland, Australia.
Only 9 nautical miles (16.5 kilometres) from the Urangan marina. Makes Coongul Creek ideal for a family day trip and offers all the wonders of the harder to reach locations further to the north, minus the isolation.
Location
Coongul Creek lies just north of Moon Point. Just as the beach turns north east and later re-orientates north to gift us with Platypus Bay. Due to the angle at which Coongul Creek sits. You find yourself staring out into the southern end of Platypus Bay (north west). At night it is difficult to see the lights of Hervey Bay. Providing a sense of isolation but with the benefit of knowing you are not too far away from Hervey Bay.
Getting There
Departing from the Urangan marina in Hervey Bay. It takes between 20 to 30 minutes to reach the mouth of Coongul Creek. The time it takes to reach the creek is dependent on the wind and tides moving through the deeper channels between Big Woody Island and Fraser Island.
As an example; on our last trip to Coongul Creek we experienced light but variable south easterly winds of around 10 -15 knots. Coupled with a strong incoming tide. The trip took us a good 30 minutes. As with wind against tide the swell stood up in the channels making travelling any faster than 20 knots uncomfortable.
Getting into Coongul Creek
Like all creeks on Fraser Island the mouth of Coongul Creek has several sand bars which are constantly moving. Requiring you to use caution when entering or exiting the creek. The entrance to Coongul Creek is shallow and drains dry on a good low tide. So, you really need to time your run into or out of the creek.
Generally, 2 hours either side of low tide will provide enough water to sneak your boat into the creek. Once in the creek there are several areas, easily identified through Google Earth imagery, like the below. Which provide deeper holes which do not completely drain on low tide. Most boaties however are happy to see their vessel sit dry on the low tide. As the creeks base is mostly soft sand with a little mud in isolated spots. Just make sure the next high tide will be high enough to re-float your vessel.
Camping
Given the proximity of Coongul Creek, it is certainly our most frequented day trip location. However, if it is hard to pull yourself away from the pristine environment, crystal clear water and warm sun. Then camping overnight or even for a few days is certainly an option.
There are no facilities at Coongul Creek. While you can use puro tabs or boiled creek water for washing etc, you do need to be well prepared. Take more fresh drinking water than you think you will need. As the saltwater and warm sun really does take it out of you.
Coongul Creek can also be accessed from the north by 4×4 so do not be surprised if there are a few camper trailers parked along Coongul spit nestled amongst the shady casuarina trees. It also pays to keep an eye on the kids as 4×4’s travel along the beach, some at high speed, and of course there are dingoes in the area as well.
Camping
The camping area extends almost the entire beach side of the creek, there is always plenty of space. Camping spots are not individually marked, it is simply a case of picking some shade and setting up. There are a couple of areas marked as no entry due to revegetation taking place. We find that the further north you go into Coongul Creek and the closer you get to the swampy ground where the creek originates the more sand flies you will encounter.
Coongul Creek offers great protection from weather approaching from the south to north east but can become exposed if a strong north westerly starts to wind up. As with all camping areas on Fraser Island you will require a permit, available through the Department of National Parks, Sport & Racing website. It only costs a few dollars and is far better value than being on the receiving end of an infringement notice as the park rangers do visit Coongul Creek regularly.
Things To Do
Our boys love Coongul Creek as it has crystal clear, shallow water, perfect for swimming and racing around on their bodyboards. At low tide, with only a few deeper holes holding water the boys spend hours exploring, chasing crabs, catching bait fish in hand nets and racing through the shallow water using their bodyboards pushed like racing cars.
Fishing
Of course, it is an excellent fishing spot as well, there are plenty of yabby holes to provide fresh bait and many anglers fish close to the mouth for whiting, bream and flathead. Many people bring over inflatable tubes, stand up paddle boards, kayaks or canoes and use these to explore up and down the creek.
The casuarina trees provide ample shade for setting up a camp chair and enjoying a book or just sipping on a cold drink while staring out into Platypus Bay. For myself, I really enjoy stalking the creek edges for some of the larger flathead which move into the creek with the tide.
It is also quite common to spot tuna schools moving past Coongul Creek and with several good shallow reef marks located just outside of Coongul Creek there are plenty of fishing options.
Trip Essentials
While Coongul Creek has good mobile phone coverage, especially Telstra 4G coverage, it is vital to ensure you have another reliable form of communication. For us this takes the form of VHF radio and we always ensure that we log on with volunteer marine rescue Hervey Bay who monitor VHF channels 16, 73 (local area) and channel 22 (north of Fairway Beacon). Their radio room is manned daily from 0600 to 1800 hours, and after hours VTS Gladstone monitor channel 16 for emergencies only. They provide weather updates 3 times a day.
We always carry extra fuel and water. As a rule I always carry an extra 20% on top of what I calculate we will use. If you are camping for a few days, simply store your extra fuel and water at your campsite. When discussing camping supplies, the best thing about Coongul Creek is that if you forget anything, it is only a short trip back to Hervey Bay to grab what you need.
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