Paradise Point & Sovereign Islands

Paradise Point is where the Broadwater starts to narrow and split up into the islands and channels of the north. It's got the busiest public ramp in this part of the world, the gated canal estates of the Sovereign Islands and Ephraim Island, and the two mouths of the Coomera River, which lead up to Sanctuary Cove, Hope Island and the Coomera boatyards. It's a pleasant spot to pass through and a handy pick-up point, but it's shallow in places, it's busy, and the marks around the Coomera mouths have been shuffled around a fair bit lately.

At a glance

Getting here

From the south, take the channel up the western side of the Broadwater past Crab Island and Hollywell (see our Runaway Bay page). It brings you to the Paradise Point Channel, between Paradise Point and the islands, which is a 6-knot zone for all boats.

From the north, the main marked route is the western channel past The Aldershots and Rat Island. MSQ's map shows pink suggested tracks along it, but they only show which side of the marks to pass. The channel is marked by lit port and starboard beacons, with east cardinals near Rat Island and the Paradise Point Channel.

Recent changes to the marks (MSQ notices):

• ⚠ November 2024 and May 2025: South Branch buoys off Paradise Point were withdrawn, moved and re-laid. The 2020 map may show them in the wrong place.
• ⚠ December 2025: the lit starboard beacon south of Ephraim Island was permanently changed to a buoy.
• ⚠ May 2026: MSQ warned that aids in the Coomera River had been knocked off station by high flows. We found no cancellation of that warning.
• ⚠ July 2026: a new unlit port beacon was put in the North Branch mouth because of shoaling. The 2020 map already prints "Shoals" and "Shallow" there.

Depths and clearances

MSQ's map key says the Broadwater channels here were surveyed in 2019–2020, with other contours from Gold Coast Waterways Authority (2018), and warns that depths may change after floods. There are no contours in the canals. MSQ's 2017 soundings snapshot gives a median of only about 1.6 m in the Paradise Point Channel by the Ephraim Island bridge and about 2.4 m around the North Branch mouth, with drying patches in both. Those are old numbers; use the chart and the tide.

Bridges: MSQ's maps print 5.0 m above HAT at the Sovereign Islands bridge, 5.9 m at the Ephraim Island bridge and 3.3 m at a bridge on the western edge of the North Branch map. Anything with a mast stays out of the canals.

Anchoring

There's no anchorage symbol at Paradise Point itself. The nearest are across the Broadwater: the Currigee shore of South Stradbroke Island and the Browns Inlet lagoon north of Brown Island (see our South Stradbroke page). MSQ's map also shades buoy mooring areas at Paradise Point and on its Coomera side.

Time limits (Waterways Management Regulation):

• The Coomera River and its tributaries (both branches and Wasp Creek), the canals, Paradise Point Boat Harbour and water within 100 m of the Sovereign Islands or Ephraim Island: no more than 24 hours in any 30 days.
• South of Rat Island: the "northern Broadwater" 7-days-in-60 limit applies.
• North of Rat Island: you're into the Moreton Bay Marine Park, and GCWA notes there are anchoring restrictions there too. Check the official zoning map for where the boundaries fall.

Facilities

• Sovereign Island Marina (at the entrance to the Sovereign Islands): 30 berths from 10 to 45 m, short and long stays, with power and water at every berth and three-phase on the biggest (marina website, October 2026). Book 24 hours ahead; insurance minimums apply. ⚠ February 2026. A magazine reported that a new 32-berth private marina is planned to replace it, with construction expected from mid-2026. Check it's still taking visitors before you plan on it.
• AMT Marine shares the Sovereign Island Marina address: yacht brokerage plus shipwright work (refits, fibreglass and gelcoat, paint and teak).
• Salacia Waters and Ephraim Island have private marinas for residents. As far as we can tell, there's no visitor access to either.
• Paradise Point Boat Harbour has a boatyard mapped beside it in OpenStreetMap (operator unknown) and is home to jet-ski tours, parasailing and hire boats, so expect traffic.

Rescue. MSQ's 2020 map prints VMR Jacobs Well, VMR Southport and Coast Guard Southport for this area. ⚠ As printed in 2020. Confirm current channels and hours before you go.

Fuel, water and pump-out

No marine fuel and no pump-out in this stretch in our sources. The nearest fuel we know of is the Runaway Bay Marina fuel jetty, a couple of kilometres south, or Sanctuary Cove Marina up the Coomera River. Sovereign Island Marina has water at its berths for its customers.

Boat ramps

• Paradise Point, Donald Avenue (Paradise Point Boat Harbour): three lanes, floating walkway, toilets, not tide-limited (TMR). ⚠ April to July 2026. MSQ advised a marine construction zone at the ramp, with one lane open at all times. We haven't confirmed the works are finished.
• Paradise Point, Turana Street (Coomera side): one lane, pontoon, not tide-limited (TMR).

Both are managed by City of Gold Coast. MSQ's open data also lists two temporary "distance-off" special-mark buoys off the Paradise Point ramp.

Rules in brief

• Speed. 6 knots in the Paradise Point Channel and off the northern tip of Paradise Point. Between the Sovereign Islands and Rat Island, near Coomera Island and the South Branch: 6 knots for boats 6.5 m and over, 30 knots under 6.5 m. North Branch: 6 knots for boats 8 m and over. Wasp Creek: 6 knots for all.
• No waterskiing in the Coomera River south arm, and no freestyling or wave jumping near the Sovereign Islands, in the canals or in the Coomera River.
• Marine park. North of Rat Island you're in the Moreton Bay Marine Park. On our reading of the 2019 zoning plan the open Broadwater here is a habitat protection zone, where line fishing, crabbing and trolling are allowed. The marine national park zone (no fishing) runs along South Stradbroke Island. Check the official zoning map.

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. ⚠ As at 18 October 2026: we haven't confirmed each place is still trading, so check before you walk.

From Paradise Point Boat Harbour ramp (boat ramp / dinghy landing)

From Sovereign Island Marina (marina)

From Salacia Waters marina (private) (marina)

Nothing mapped within the 15-minute walk of: Paradise Point, Turana St ramp.

† From our own marine business directory (live directory listings and business websites checked 16 October 2026), not OpenStreetMap; walk measured the same way from the listed position. Where no street address was published, only the suburb or nothing is shown.

Places, types, addresses and walking distances: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), fetched 18 October 2026.

About this page

This page is a planning aid written by a working delivery skipper from public sources. It is not for navigation. Use the official AHO chart (Aus 814), 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, Southport (current list)
• Gold Coast Waterways Authority: anchoring and mooring
• MSQ: crossing a coastal bar (safety advice)
• Queensland notices to mariners, all areas (subscribe)
• MSQ Queensland tide tables
• Bureau of Meteorology: tide predictions
• Bureau of Meteorology: Queensland warnings (incl. marine wind warnings)
• Bureau of Meteorology: Queensland coastal waters forecasts

Sources & credits