⚠ NOT FOR NAVIGATION. Use official charts and tide tables. This page is a planning aid only. Navigate with the current AHO chart, MSQ notices to mariners, official tide tables and local advice.

Bribie Island & Pumicestone Passage

Official MSQ Beacon to Beacon mapsMB-1 map (PDF)PP-4 map (PDF)PP-6 map (PDF)PP-7 map (PDF)Free official PDFs from Maritime Safety Queensland. Each button opens the right sheet.
Bridge-limited passage · two marinas · VMR base · rampsLast checked: 18 October 2026Report a correction

The Pumicestone Passage is the long, skinny bit of water between Bribie Island and the mainland, open to Moreton Bay at the south end and to the sea over the Caloundra bar at the north. This page covers the southern half: Bongaree and Bellara on the island side, the Bribie Island Bridge, Sandstone Point, and the passage north past Toorbul, Ningi and Donnybrook. It's lovely country for a shoal-draft boat. For a delivery skipper the big questions are whether the mast fits under the bridge and whether there's enough water for the keel.

Map of the southern Pumicestone Passage with numbered markers for the Bribie Island Bridge, Spinnaker Sound Marina, VMR Bribie Island, public ramps at Bellara, Sandstone Point, Toorbul and Donnybrook, and two pump-out stations.
The southern Pumicestone Passage from Bongaree to Donnybrook. Navy: marinas; orange: pump-out; red: rescue; green: ramps; purple: bridge. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Positions are approximate and for orientation only. Not a chart. Not for navigation.
  1. 1Donnybrook ramp · 2 lanes, toilets, tide-limited (TMR).
  2. 2Pump-out station (north) · Listed only; not confirmed.
  3. 3Toorbul, Freeman Rd ramp · 2 lanes, pontoon, toilets (TMR).
  4. 4VMR Bribie Island · Marine rescue base (OSM).
  5. 5Bellara, Marine Parade ramp · 4 lanes, toilets, not tide-limited (TMR).
  6. 6Spinnaker Sound Marina · Fuel marked on MSQ's enlargement.
  7. 7Sandstone Point ramp · 4 lanes, toilets (TMR).
  8. 8Bribie Island Bridge · 4.8 m at HAT (G. Hartshorne, Oct 2026).
  9. 9Pump-out station (Bongaree) · Listed only; not confirmed.

At a glance
What it is Shallow tidal passage behind Bribie Island, entered from Moreton Bay
Bridge Bribie Island Bridge, Bellara to Sandstone Point. Vertical clearance 4.8 m at HAT (skipper's local knowledge, G. Hartshorne, Oct 2026); check current MSQ notices and signage before you go under
Marks 115 MSQ aids, 43 lit (MSQ open data)
Marinas Spinnaker Sound (Sandstone Point side) and Pacific Harbour (Banksia Beach)
Rescue VMR Bribie Island at Bellara
Map age MSQ Beacon to Beacon maps PP-4 to PP-7 current to 2022–2023
Last checked 18 October 2026

Getting here

Come in from Moreton Bay past Skirmish Point and Bongaree and follow the marks up the passage. MSQ's open data has 115 aids in this stretch, 43 of them lit. The passage is shallow. MSQ's map soundings give medians of well under 2 m over most of the PP-4 to PP-6 maps, and the bank edges shift, so treat it as a rising-tide trip if you draw much. MSQ notes there are no depth contours in the creeks and canals.

The bridge. The Bribie Island Bridge crosses from Bellara to Sandstone Point and is the limit for masts coming in from the south. Bribie Island Bridge vertical clearance 4.8 m at HAT (skipper's local knowledge, G. Hartshorne, Oct 2026), so check the current MSQ notices to mariners and signage before you go under.

Other things MSQ's maps flag:

  • ⚠ A very low overhead cable and piles near Ningi.
  • The north end of the passage, towards Caloundra, shoals to under half a metre in places (see the Caloundra page).

Recent notices:

  • ⚠ September 2026: Ningi Creek No. 10 port mark was moved.
  • ⚠ November 2024: a lit yellow special buoy (Fl Y 2s) was established at the entrance to Pacific Harbour (Dux Creek) to mark a rock wall.
  • ⚠ April 2025: a special mark over an underwater obstruction in the passage was repositioned.
  • ⚠ February 2025: two passage beacons were permanently removed.
  • ⚠ July 2025: water-quality buoys were laid in Ningi and Elimbah creeks.

Temporary notices may have been cleared since. Check the current list.

Anchoring and moorings

Our sources don't name an anchorage in the southern passage or give holding and shelter, so this is one for the Skipper's notes. The marine park has mooring areas at Ningi/Bongaree (MGA06), White Patch (MGA05), Toorbul (MGA04), Elimbah Creek (MGA03) and Donnybrook (MGA02).

Skipper's notes

Garry's own observations from deliveries through Bribie Island & Pumicestone Passage. First-hand notes, dated, and no substitute for the chart.

Depth
[Garry to add: depths seen, state of tide and date.]
Holding
[Garry to add: bottom type and how the anchor held.]
Shelter
[Garry to add: wind directions it is good or bad in.]
Other notes
[Garry to add: anything else worth knowing, with date.]

Notes last updated: [date]

Facilities

  • Spinnaker Sound Marina is on the mainland side, about half a mile west of the bridge. MSQ's enlargement marks fuel there. We haven't confirmed visitor berths or depths.
  • Pacific Harbour Marina at Banksia Beach has its own MSQ enlargement. Watch for the rock-wall buoy at the entrance. Visitor details are not in our sources.
  • VMR Bribie Island is based at Bellara. MSQ's maps print its hours and radio channels. ⚠ As printed 2022–2023. Confirm current hours and channels.
  • Trades (directory listings, 16 October 2026): Southern Fish Marine (chandlery, Sandstone Point), Toorbul Marine (boatbuilder and repairer) and Queensland Fishing Brokerage (boat sales).

Fuel, water and pump-out

  • Fuel: marked at Spinnaker Sound on MSQ's enlargement. Hours and fuel types aren't in our sources.
  • Pump-out: two pump-out stations are listed, one at Bongaree and one up the passage towards Donnybrook. ⚠ We haven't confirmed either is working.
  • Water: not confirmed in our sources.

Boat ramps

From the Queensland Government (TMR) list:

  • Bellara, Marine Parade: four lanes, toilets, not tide-limited, with a floating walkway nearby.
  • Sandstone Point, Kal Ma Kuta Drive: two ramps, of two and four lanes, with toilets, not tide-limited. The four-lane ramp is managed by the Spinnaker Sound marina company.
  • Bongaree, Fifth Avenue: one lane, toilets, not tide-limited.
  • Toorbul, Freeman Road: two lanes, pontoon, toilets, not tide-limited, with a floating walkway.
  • Toorbul, First Avenue and Moffat Esplanade: one lane each, tide-limited.
  • Meldale, Way Street: two lanes, toilets, not tide-limited.
  • Donnybrook, Grant Lane: two lanes, toilets, tide-limited.

Rules in brief

  • Speed. Our sources don't list the passage limits. Check the MSQ speed-limit schedule. The schedule's general limit is 6 knots in canals, boat harbours and marinas.
  • Go slow. Tripcony Bight to Long Island is a go-slow area (GSN02).
  • Marine park. Most of this water is in the Pumicestone Channel conservation park zone (CPZ02), with a green zone at Tripcony Bight–Long Island (MNP02) and the Deception Bay green zone (MNP09) to the south. Check the zoning maps before fishing.

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 Bellara, Marine Parade ramp (boat ramp / dinghy landing)

NameTypeWalkStreet address (OSM)
Bars, pubs and clubs
Bribie Island HotelPub590 m–
Restaurants and cafes
Sylvan Beach Fish CafeTakeaway50 m–
Cazzabella's CafeCafe70 m–
Big Bun BakeryCafe940 m33 Benabrow Avenue
Supermarkets and provisioning
Bellara Corner StoreConvenience store1000 m–

From Spinnaker Sound Marina / Sandstone Point ramp (boat ramp / dinghy landing, marina)

NameTypeWalkStreet address (OSM)
Restaurants and cafes
Spinnaker Sound CafeCafe110 m–
Supermarkets and provisioning
7-ElevenConvenience store190 m–
Spinnaker Seafood MarketSeafood shop480 m–
Marine stores, chandlers and boat services
Southern Fish MarineChandlery / marine equipment †220 m–

From Toorbul, Freeman Rd ramp (boat ramp / dinghy landing)

NameTypeWalkStreet address (OSM)
Bars, pubs and clubs
Toorbul TavernPub480 m–
Supermarkets and provisioning
Thirsty CamelBottle shop490 m–

From Donnybrook ramp (boat ramp / dinghy landing)

NameTypeWalkStreet address (OSM)
Bars, pubs and clubs
Donnybrook Sports ClubBowls club400 m–

† 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 charts (Aus 236 and Aus 4602), 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.

Sources & credits

Written in fresh words from the facts in the Hartshorne Marine Sailing Directions area guide for the Bribie Bridge and the southern Pumicestone Passage (edition of 16 October 2026, Ashore data added 18 October 2026) and chapter 6 of the Tweed to Mooloolaba guidebook. Those draw on MSQ Beacon to Beacon maps PP-4 to PP-7 and MB-1 (current to 2022–2023), MSQ open data, MSQ notices to mariners to 16 October 2026, the Moreton Bay Marine Park layers, TMR boating-facility data, OpenStreetMap and directory listings (16 October 2026). The bridge and Pacific Harbour positions are from OpenStreetMap.

Maritime Safety Queensland. Contains Maritime Safety Queensland data (Beacon to Beacon guide, notices to mariners, nav-aid open data, pump-out map C2-335, speed-limit schedule, tide information) © 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.

Queensland legislation. Transport Operations (Marine Safety) Regulation 2016 and Transport Infrastructure (Waterways Management) Regulation 2012 © State of Queensland, CC BY 4.0. Summarised; the authorised versions at legislation.qld.gov.au prevail.

NGA. Background from NGA Pub. 127, Sailing Directions (Enroute) East Coast of Australia and New Zealand (2025), U.S. National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, a US Government work in the public domain. Parts of it are out of date; where a page leans on it, we say so. Not endorsed by NGA.

OpenStreetMap. Map tiles and some facility positions © OpenStreetMap contributors, data available under the Open Database Licence (ODbL).

Others. Facts from local authority pages and notices (for example the Gold Coast Waterways Authority), volunteer marine rescue sites and businesses' own websites are cited for fact only and restated in our own words. Listing a business is not an endorsement.

Spotted something wrong or out of date? Marks in this passage get shifted every year or so. Report a correction and tell us what you saw and when.
Last checked: 18 October 2026.

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