Cape Upstart & Upstart Bay
Cape Upstart is a 738 m headland about halfway between Bowen and Townsville, and the obvious place to break the run. NGA describes an anchorage for vessels with local knowledge off a sandy beach close south of the cape. Behind it, Upstart Bay has two small-boat creek entrances, Molongle Creek and Wunjunga. Both have current notices about a moving seabed.
- 1Cape Upstart · OSM (Nominatim).
- 2Reno Bay west cardinal (submerged rocks) · MSQ NtM 513/2023.
- 3Molongle Creek ramp · TMR boating facilities (BW61).
- 4Molongle Creek channel · TMR boating facilities (BW60).
- 5Wunjunga offshore special mark · MSQ NtM 054/2024.
At a glance
| What it is | Headland anchorage and a bay with two creek entrances |
| Anchorage | 7 to 13 m off a sandy beach close south of the cape, for vessels with local knowledge (NGA) |
| Hazard | Submerged rocks in Reno Bay, marked by a west cardinal (NtM 513/2023) |
| Creeks | Molongle Creek and Wunjunga: mobile seabed, depths change (MSQ) |
| Rescue | MRQ Burdekin (VHF 80 log on/off) or MRQ Bowen |
Getting in
- Log on/off: VHF 80 or phone (07) 4783 1014. MRQ says it keeps a listening watch 8 am to 5 pm on weekends and public holidays and covers Cape Cleveland to Abbot Point
- MRQ Bowen (Cape Upstart to Dingo Beach) monitors VHF 16, 21 and 73; any time: 131 MRQ (131 677)
- Emergency: VHF 16 or Triple Zero (000)
The anchorage. NGA says vessels with local knowledge can anchor in 7 to 13 m off a sandy beach close south of the cape. The Reef Authority lists a Public Appreciation Special Management Area on the western side of Cape Upstart.
Reno Bay. A west cardinal mark, Q(9) 15s, marks submerged rocks at 19°46.143'S 147°44.646'E (MSQ NtM 513/2023).
Molongle Creek. MSQ says the channel is shoaling and the seabed is dynamic (NtM 308/2025). The TMR facilities list shows a ramp with a pontoon on the south bank, managed by the Molongle Creek Boat Club. NGA notes a light on the east side of the creek entrance.
Wunjunga. MSQ laid an offshore special mark (Fl Y 4.3s) and lateral marks W1 to W6 to show the waterway. The seabed at the entrance is mobile and depths will change (NtM 054/2024).
Along the coast
- Burdekin River. NGA says the bars at the mouths of the Burdekin break in easterly winds.
- Cape Bowling Green. Low and sandy, at the north end of Russel Island, with a light near the island's south end. Small vessels with local knowledge can anchor in the lee of Russel Island (NGA). The Reef Authority warns that the spit shifts, so it shouldn't be used as a reference for zone boundaries.
- Abbot Point. To the east, launches from the Bowen Orbital Spaceport activate a safety exclusion area, broadcast by Abbot Point VTS on VHF 12 and 16 (MSQ NtM 321/2025). See the Bowen guide.
Tropical North Queensland in brief
- Marine park. Almost all of this water is in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and the matching Queensland marine park. Check the zone on the Reef Authority zoning map before you fish or anchor.
- No-anchoring areas. These are mostly marked by white pyramid buoys with a blue label. Don't anchor inside them; use the public moorings (blue buoys), which have time limits and vessel-size classes (Reef Authority).
- Crocodiles. The Queensland Government says crocodile habitat starts near Gladstone and runs north, and no waterway in their range is crocodile-free. Keep arms and legs inside the boat, use the boat or trailer as a barrier at ramps, avoid small craft like kayaks, never clean fish at ramps, and stay more than 10 m from any crocodile. They're more active at night and in the September to April breeding season (Be Crocwise).
- Stingers. Marine stingers are present all year, with higher risk from November to May. Swim at patrolled beaches and in stinger nets and wear a full-body lycra suit. If someone is stung, call Triple Zero (000) and pour vinegar on the sting; Irukandji symptoms can take 20 to 40 minutes to show (Queensland Government, page updated 2 October 2019).
- Cyclones. The official season runs from 1 November to 30 April, though cyclones can form outside it (Bureau of Meteorology). On 30 October 2026 the Bureau had not yet published its 2026–27 tropical cyclone outlook. Have a cyclone plan before you leave a boat here in summer.
Ashore
What's within about a 15-minute walk (1.2 km) of each marina, ramp or landing on this page, measured along streets and footpaths in OpenStreetMap. Addresses are from OpenStreetMap where it has one; where it doesn't, we show the name and distance only. Listings as fetched from OpenStreetMap on 30 October 2026; check opening hours before you walk.
Nothing mapped within the 15-minute walk of: Molongle Creek ramp.
OpenStreetMap shows no bars, restaurants, shops or marine stores within a 15-minute walk of the landings on this page.
No marine stores or chandlers are mapped in OpenStreetMap within the walk.
Places, types, addresses and walking distances: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), fetched 30 October 2026.
About this page
These are free planning notes written by a working delivery skipper from public sources. They are not for navigation. Use the official chart, current MSQ notices to mariners, official tide tables and local advice. Spotted something out of date? Please use Report a correction below.
Official links
Check these before you go. They beat anything on this page.
- MSQ notices to mariners: North Queensland outside pilotage areas
- Reef Authority zoning Map 8: Cape Upstart
- Reef Authority: Townsville and Whitsundays site-specific management
- Queensland notices to mariners, all areas (subscribe)
- Bureau of Meteorology: Queensland coastal waters forecasts
- Bureau of Meteorology: Queensland warnings (incl. marine wind warnings)
- Bureau of Meteorology: tide predictions
- Bureau of Meteorology: tropical cyclones in Australia
- Reef Authority (GBRMPA): zoning maps, all areas
- Queensland Government: boating in crocodile habitat
- Queensland Government: dangerous marine life (stingers)
- Marine Rescue Queensland: rescue units
Sources & credits
Written in our own words from MSQ notices to mariners for North Queensland outside pilotage areas (513/2023, 054/2024 and 308/2025, read in full), NGA Pub. 127 Sailing Directions (Enroute) East Coast of Australia and New Zealand, 16th edition (2025, updated to 30 July 2026), the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority zoning maps, site-specific management pages and moorings and no-anchoring maps, the Queensland Government (TMR) recreational boating facilities list (fetched 30 October 2026), Marine Rescue Queensland unit pages and OpenStreetMap, all read on 30 October 2026. NGA Pub. 127 Sector 7 (7.42) for the cape, Upstart Bay and the Burdekin.
Maritime Safety Queensland. Contains Maritime Safety Queensland data (notices to mariners, and the port procedures and information for shipping for Abbot Point, Townsville, Lucinda, Mourilyan, Cairns, and Cape Flattery, Cooktown and Port Douglas) © State of Queensland (Department of Transport and Main Roads), licensed under CC BY 4.0. Facts restated and summarised in our own words. Not endorsed by MSQ or TMR.
Transport and Main Roads. Ramp, jetty and pontoon details from the Recreational Boating Facilities Queensland dataset © State of Queensland (Department of Transport and Main Roads) 2021, licensed under CC BY 3.0 AU, fetched 30 October 2026. Not endorsed by TMR.
Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority. Zoning, site-specific management, plan of management, no-anchoring area and public moorings information © Commonwealth of Australia (Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority), licensed under CC BY 4.0, summarised in our own words. Zoning maps are linked, not reproduced; the official maps and the zoning plan prevail. Not endorsed by the Reef Authority.
Queensland Government. Crocodile and marine stinger safety advice from qld.gov.au (CC BY 4.0), summarised. Marine Rescue Queensland unit details from the MRQ website, checked on the date shown in each rescue box.
Bureau of Meteorology. Tropical cyclone season information, forecasts, warnings and tide pages are linked, not reproduced.
NGA. Background from NGA Pub. 127, Sailing Directions (Enroute) East Coast of Australia and New Zealand, U.S. National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, a US Government work in the public domain. Parts of it are old; where a page leans on it, we say so. Not endorsed by NGA.
OpenStreetMap. Map tiles, facility positions and the Ashore lists © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Last checked: 30 October 2026.
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Townsville, Magnetic Island & the Palms cruising guide
Townsville is northern Queensland's main port and the base for this stretch: Breakwater Marina sits by the harbour entrance, and Ross Creek, behind the port's swing basin, has the yacht club and ramps. Every vessel in the port keeps a watch on VHF 12 and 16. Magnetic Island, across Cleveland Bay, has Nelly Bay Harbour, public moorings and marked no-anchoring areas. North-west, the Palm Islands have anchorages on their west sides, with Orpheus Island's best-known bays now partly marked as no-anchoring areas.
- 1Townsville: Breakwater Marina & Ross Creek · Ship port + marinas
- 2Magnetic Island · Island bays + boat harbour
- 3Palm Islands & Orpheus Island · Island anchorages
Guides in this region, south to north
Townsville: Breakwater Marina & Ross Creek
Ship port + marinas
Townsville for small craft: Breakwater Marina, Ross Creek, Ross River channel, VTS on VHF 12 and current dredging. Not for navigation.
Magnetic Island
Island bays + boat harbour
Magnetic Island by boat: Nelly Bay Harbour, Horseshoe Bay, public moorings, no-anchoring areas and the wreck. Not for navigation.
Palm Islands & Orpheus Island
Island anchorages
Orpheus, Pelorus, Fantome and Great Palm: anchorages, Reef Authority no-anchoring areas and moorings. Not for navigation.
Entrances and hazards to plan around
- Townsville: Breakwater Marina & Ross Creek: Breakwater Marina channel by the white sector light; Ross Creek through the swing basin, not while the port busy signal shows (MSQ). Ross River channel 1.2 m (NtM 549(T)-2026).
- Magnetic Island: No-anchoring areas at Florence Bay, Picnic Bay and Arthur Bay; 6 kn buoys in Horseshoe Bay (Reef Authority; MSQ).
- Palm Islands & Orpheus Island: No-anchoring areas at Pioneer Bay and Yanks Jetty on Orpheus (Reef Authority). Challenger Bay 7.3 to 9.1 m, sand (NGA).
Read the current MSQ Townsville notices before you go: dredging runs in the channels and the Ross River through November and December 2026.
Neighbouring regions
- South: Bowen & Cape Upstart
- North: Hinchinbrook & the Cassowary Coast
- Whitsundays to Cooktown (section map)
- All cruising guide sections
About these guides
These are planning notes written by a working delivery skipper from public sources: Maritime Safety Queensland notices and port procedures, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, Transport and Main Roads boating facilities data, Queensland Government croc and stinger advice, Marine Rescue Queensland, the Bureau of Meteorology, NGA Pub. 127 and OpenStreetMap. They are not for navigation. Use the official chart, current notices, official tide tables and local advice. Each page shows when its facts were last checked.
Sources & credits
Maritime Safety Queensland. Contains Maritime Safety Queensland data (notices to mariners, and the port procedures and information for shipping for Abbot Point, Townsville, Lucinda, Mourilyan, Cairns, and Cape Flattery, Cooktown and Port Douglas) © State of Queensland (Department of Transport and Main Roads), licensed under CC BY 4.0. Facts restated and summarised in our own words. Not endorsed by MSQ or TMR.
Transport and Main Roads. Ramp, jetty and pontoon details from the Recreational Boating Facilities Queensland dataset © State of Queensland (Department of Transport and Main Roads) 2021, licensed under CC BY 3.0 AU, fetched 30 October 2026. Not endorsed by TMR.
Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority. Zoning, site-specific management, plan of management, no-anchoring area and public moorings information © Commonwealth of Australia (Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority), licensed under CC BY 4.0, summarised in our own words. Zoning maps are linked, not reproduced; the official maps and the zoning plan prevail. Not endorsed by the Reef Authority.
Queensland Government. Crocodile and marine stinger safety advice from qld.gov.au (CC BY 4.0), summarised. Marine Rescue Queensland unit details from the MRQ website, checked on the date shown in each rescue box.
Bureau of Meteorology. Tropical cyclone season information, forecasts, warnings and tide pages are linked, not reproduced.
NGA. Background from NGA Pub. 127, Sailing Directions (Enroute) East Coast of Australia and New Zealand, U.S. National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, a US Government work in the public domain. Parts of it are old; where a page leans on it, we say so. Not endorsed by NGA.
OpenStreetMap. Map tiles, facility positions and the Ashore lists © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Need a boat moved through the Townsville, Magnetic Island & the Palms region?
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Cruising guides: Whitsundays to Cooktown
Free planning notes for the run north from the Whitsundays to Cooktown, written by a working delivery skipper. There are 14 place guides in 5 regions: Bowen and Cape Upstart, Townsville with Magnetic Island and the Palm Islands, Hinchinbrook and the Cassowary Coast, Cairns and Fitzroy Island, and Port Douglas to Cooktown. It's reef country inside the Great Barrier Reef, with working ship ports at Townsville and Cairns, shallow river bars, crocodiles, stingers and the cyclone season. Pick a region, or click a spot on the map.
- Bowen & Cape Upstart
- Townsville, Magnetic Island & the Palms
- Hinchinbrook & the Cassowary Coast
- Cairns & Fitzroy Island
- Port Douglas to Cooktown
- 1Bowen · Bowen & Cape Upstart
- 2Cape Upstart & Upstart Bay · Bowen & Cape Upstart
- 3Townsville: Breakwater Marina & Ross Creek · Townsville, Magnetic Island & the Palms
- 4Magnetic Island · Townsville, Magnetic Island & the Palms
- 5Palm Islands & Orpheus Island · Townsville, Magnetic Island & the Palms
- 6Lucinda & the Hinchinbrook Channel · Hinchinbrook & the Cassowary Coast
- 7Cardwell & Port Hinchinbrook · Hinchinbrook & the Cassowary Coast
- 8Dunk Island & Mission Beach · Hinchinbrook & the Cassowary Coast
- 9Mourilyan Harbour & Innisfail · Hinchinbrook & the Cassowary Coast
- 10Fitzroy Island · Cairns & Fitzroy Island
- 11Cairns & Trinity Inlet · Cairns & Fitzroy Island
- 12Port Douglas & Dickson Inlet · Port Douglas to Cooktown
- 13Low Isles · Port Douglas to Cooktown
- 14Cooktown & the Endeavour River · Port Douglas to Cooktown
Regions, south to north
Bowen & Cape Upstart
Bowen's boat harbour, Edgecumbe Bay, Abbot Point and Cape Upstart · 2 guides
Region overview →Townsville, Magnetic Island & the Palms
Townsville's marinas and Ross Creek, Magnetic Island's bays and the Palm Islands · 3 guides
Region overview →Hinchinbrook & the Cassowary Coast
Lucinda, the Hinchinbrook Channel, Cardwell, Dunk Island, Mission Beach, Mourilyan and Innisfail · 4 guides
- Lucinda & the Hinchinbrook Channel
- Cardwell & Port Hinchinbrook
- Dunk Island & Mission Beach
- Mourilyan Harbour & Innisfail
Cairns & Fitzroy Island
Fitzroy Island and Cairns, with Trinity Inlet and Marlin Marina · 2 guides
Region overview →Port Douglas to Cooktown
Port Douglas and Dickson Inlet, Low Isles, and Cooktown on the Endeavour River · 3 guides
Region overview →Entrances and hazards on this stretch
The whole stretch is inside the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park: check the zoning map, keep out of the no-anchoring areas and use the public moorings where they're laid (Reef Authority). Townsville and Cairns are working ship ports with VTS on VHF 12 and 16; Abbot Point has a coal terminal and a space-launch exclusion area that is broadcast when active. River and creek entrances shoal and shift: the Johnstone River bar at Innisfail, Enterprise Channel at Lucinda, Molongle Creek and the Daintree are all subject to current notices about mobile seabed. Cooktown is a small river port that NGA strongly advises against entering without local knowledge. From April to November the south-east trade current sets north-west at about 0.5 to 1.2 kn north of Cairns; the cyclone season runs from 1 November to 30 April (NGA Pub. 127; Bureau of Meteorology).
Weather, cyclones, crocs and stingers
The official tropical cyclone season runs from 1 November to 30 April, though cyclones can form outside it (Bureau of Meteorology). On 30 October 2026 the Bureau had not yet published its 2026–27 tropical cyclone outlook. Check the Bureau's coastal waters forecasts and warnings before every leg.
Crocodile habitat starts near Gladstone and runs north, and estuarine crocodiles can be in any waterway or the sea in that area. Marine stingers, including box jellyfish and Irukandji, are in tropical Queensland waters all year, with higher risk from November to May (Queensland Government). Read the croc and stinger advice linked on each page before you swim or take the tender ashore.
Other sections
The Australian coast is split into 8 sections, from north to south and then west into Victoria. 8 Australian sections planned, 6 written, plus Tonga:
- Whitsundays to Cooktown (this section)
- Bundaberg to the Whitsundays
- Mooloolaba to Bundaberg
- Tweed to Mooloolaba
- Tweed to Newcastle (planned)
- Newcastle to Wollongong
- Wollongong to Gabo Island (planned)
- Gabo Island to Melbourne
Pacific: Tonga (4 regions, 11 place guides)
See all sections on the map →How to use these guides
Every guide is a planning aid: what to expect, who to call, and where to look for the official word. None of it replaces the current chart, the MSQ notices to mariners, the Reef Authority zoning maps, the tide tables or a chat with the locals.
Spotted something wrong or out of date? Report a correction.
Sources and credits
Maritime Safety Queensland. Contains Maritime Safety Queensland data (notices to mariners, and the port procedures and information for shipping for Abbot Point, Townsville, Lucinda, Mourilyan, Cairns, and Cape Flattery, Cooktown and Port Douglas) © State of Queensland (Department of Transport and Main Roads), licensed under CC BY 4.0. Facts restated and summarised in our own words. Not endorsed by MSQ or TMR.
Transport and Main Roads. Ramp, jetty and pontoon details from the Recreational Boating Facilities Queensland dataset © State of Queensland (Department of Transport and Main Roads) 2021, licensed under CC BY 3.0 AU, fetched 30 October 2026. Not endorsed by TMR.
Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority. Zoning, site-specific management, plan of management, no-anchoring area and public moorings information © Commonwealth of Australia (Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority), licensed under CC BY 4.0, summarised in our own words. Zoning maps are linked, not reproduced; the official maps and the zoning plan prevail. Not endorsed by the Reef Authority.
Queensland Government. Crocodile and marine stinger safety advice from qld.gov.au (CC BY 4.0), summarised. Marine Rescue Queensland unit details from the MRQ website, checked on the date shown in each rescue box.
Bureau of Meteorology. Tropical cyclone season information, forecasts, warnings and tide pages are linked, not reproduced.
NGA. Background from NGA Pub. 127, Sailing Directions (Enroute) East Coast of Australia and New Zealand, U.S. National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, a US Government work in the public domain. Parts of it are old; where a page leans on it, we say so. Not endorsed by NGA.
OpenStreetMap. Map tiles, facility positions and the Ashore lists © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Natural Earth. Locator and card maps drawn from Natural Earth (public domain).
Need a boat moved between the Whitsundays and Cooktown?
Get a delivery quoteNeed a delivery skipper for this coast? Get a quote from Garry Hartshorne, AMSA Master <45.