Maroochy River
The Maroochy is the Sunshine Coast's other river, a few miles north of Point Cartwright, and it's a beauty for a tinny or a shallow cruiser. For a keelboat it's a different story. The entrance is a designated coastal bar that MSQ flatly says not to cross without local knowledge, and NGA puts the usual depth over it at well under a metre. Treat this page as a guide for trailer boats and shoal-draft explorers, and for yachties who'd rather come in by road from Mooloolaba.
- Overhead clearances: MSQ's maps print figures from about 0.7 m to 8.6 m (above HAT) for footbridges and bridges on SC-2 to SC-4. These are read from the map text and not yet matched to each crossing on the map image.
- 1Maroochy River entrance (approx.) · Designated coastal bar.
- 2Picnic Point Boat Ramp · OSM.
- 3Twin Waters, Nojoor Rd ramp · TMR MA15.
- 4Cod Hole Boat Ramp · OSM.
- 5Maroochy Lions Park Boat Ramp · OSM.
- 6Maroochy Waterfront ramp · OSM.
- 7Muller Park Boat Ramp, Bli Bli · OSM.
At a glance
| What it is | Shallow river behind a shifting surf bar at Maroochydore |
| The bar | ⚠ Designated coastal bar. MSQ: local knowledge only. NGA: usually about 0.8 m, subject to change |
| Inside | Shallow, tidal, with banks that move. MSQ warns of dangerous currents near the mouth |
| Marinas | None for visiting keelboats |
| Map age | MSQ SC-1 to SC-3 current to 9 April 2018; SC-4 to 10 October 2019 |
| Nearest all-tide harbour | Mooloolaba, about 3 miles south |
Getting here
- Log on/off and bar conditions: VHF 73 or phone (07) 5444 3222
- Emergency: VHF 16 or Triple Zero (000)
MSQ prints "Maroochy bar is dangerous. Crossing should not be attempted except with local knowledge." Ring before you even think about it.
Contacts checked on the unit's official website on 18 October 2026.From seaward. NGA describes the Maroochy entering the sea 3 miles NNW of Point Cartwright, usable only by small boats in good weather with local knowledge, with a bar that usually carries about 0.8 m. Offshore, watch for Gneering Shoal (6.7 m, 2.5 miles NNE of Point Cartwright), which breaks in bad weather, and give the reefy patches off this bit of coast a wide berth when there's a swell running.
The bar. MSQ's SC-4 sheet carries two warnings in red: the bar is dangerous and should not be crossed except with local knowledge, and there are dangerous currents. Maroochy is on MSQ's list of designated coastal bars, so the lifejacket rules for open boats apply. MSQ has been busy here: ⚠ notice 105/2025 (21 March 2025) and 361/2026 (29 June 2026) both moved navigation aids at the entrance, and 275(T)/2026 (22 May 2026) covered dredging at the mouth. Marks move to follow the sand, so the map will be behind the water.
Inside. MSQ's soundings across the SC-4 frame (the mouth) have a median of about 0 m LAT, which tells you most of it is banks. Further up, SC-2 and SC-3 are a bit deeper in the channel, but MSQ warns of submerged logs, flood debris, many overhead cables and bridges, and no boat access above the cane tramway.
Anchoring and stopping
There are no anchorages marked for visiting keelboats in our sources, and the guide's soundings are old. Small boats stop on the sand around Pincushion Island and up towards Bli Bli on the tide. If you're in a yacht, Mooloolaba is the place to stop.
Skipper's notes
Garry's own observations from deliveries through Maroochy River. 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.]
- To check
- [Garry to add: Is the Maroochy bar ever sensible for a visiting keelboat, or is it "do not attempt"?]
- To check
- [Garry to add: Draft you would take up to Bli Bli, and any spot a yacht could stop overnight.]
Notes last updated: [date]
Facilities
No visitor marina. MSQ and the area guide list a couple of pump-out points and boat-hire businesses along the Bradman Avenue foreshore. For fuel, chandlery and haul-out, go to Mooloolaba.
Boat ramps
From OpenStreetMap and the TMR list: Picnic Point (Maroochydore), Cod Hole, Maroochy Lions Park and Maroochy Waterfront along Bradman Avenue, Twin Waters (Nojoor Road), Muller Park at Bli Bli, plus TMR ramps at West Coolum Road and Lake Dunethin further up.
Rules in brief
- Bar. Designated coastal bar; lifejackets compulsory in open boats under 4.8 m while crossing.
- Speed. General limits apply, and 6 knots in canals. Check the MSQ schedule for Eudlo Creek and the canals.
- Notices. Check the Brisbane list for Maroochy before you go.
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 Muller Park Boat Ramp, Bli Bli (boat ramp / dinghy landing)
| Name | Type | Walk | Street address (OSM) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Restaurants and cafes | |||
| Mai Bli Sushi | Restaurant | 660 m | – |
| Taco Boy | Takeaway | 670 m | – |
| The Pizza Shop Bli Bli | Takeaway | 670 m | – |
| Thai Point | Restaurant | 680 m | – |
| Da Cafe Time | Cafe | 710 m | – |
| Subway | Takeaway | 720 m | – |
| Entertainment | |||
| Sunshine Castle | Attraction | 990 m | – |
| Supermarkets and provisioning | |||
| Bli Bli Village River Markets | Shopping centre | 650 m | 320 David Low Way, Bli Bli QLD 4560 |
| BWS | Bottle shop | 670 m | – |
| United | Convenience store | 700 m | – |
| Bli Bli Butchery | Butcher | 730 m | – |
| Whites IGA | Supermarket | 750 m | – |
| Bli Bli Village Town Centre | Shopping centre | 800 m | 310 David Low Way, Bli Bli QLD 4560 |
From Picnic Point Boat Ramp (boat ramp / dinghy landing)
| Name | Type | Walk | Street address (OSM) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Restaurants and cafes | |||
| Smashed Crab Seafood | Takeaway | 720 m | – |
| Nok's Thai | Restaurant | 770 m | – |
| Tropicalia Brazilian Cafe & Bar, Latin Dance Studio | Cafe | 1.0 km | – |
| The Nines | Cafe | 1.1 km | – |
| Domino's | Takeaway | 1.1 km | – |
| Red Rooster | Takeaway | 1.2 km | – |
| Supermarkets and provisioning | |||
| Picnic Point Convenience Store | Convenience store | 720 m | – |
| BWS | Bottle shop | 1.0 km | – |
From Maroochy Lions Park Boat Ramp / Maroochy Waterfront ramp (boat ramp / dinghy landing)
| Name | Type | Walk | Street address (OSM) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bars, pubs and clubs | |||
| Waterfront Hotel | Pub | 560 m | – |
| Entertainment | |||
| Fishermans Road Market | Market | 320 m | – |
| Supermarkets and provisioning | |||
| BWS | Bottle shop | 560 m | – |
From Cod Hole Boat Ramp (boat ramp / dinghy landing)
| Name | Type | Walk | Street address (OSM) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bars, pubs and clubs | |||
| Maroochy Bridge Hotel | Pub | 1.1 km | – |
| Restaurants and cafes | |||
| Flume | Cafe | 530 m | – |
Nothing mapped within the 15-minute walk of: Twin Waters, Nojoor Rd ramp.
No marine stores or chandlers are mapped in OpenStreetMap within the walk; see the Facilities section above for marine businesses we know of.
Places, types, addresses and walking distances: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), fetched 18 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, Brisbane (covers Maroochy)
- MSQ speed limit schedule (PDF)
- 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
Written in our own words from MSQ Beacon to Beacon Sunshine Coast sheets SC-1 to SC-4 (read 19 October 2026; each sheet carries its own 'information current to' date, quoted on the page), NGA Pub. 127 Sailing Directions (Enroute) East Coast of Australia and New Zealand (2025), Sector 5, the MSQ notices-to-mariners listings on publications.qld.gov.au (titles and dates checked 19 October 2026), the Queensland Government (TMR) recreational boating facilities list (fetched 19 October 2026), Marine Rescue Queensland unit pages (checked 19 October 2026) and OpenStreetMap. Background from the Hartshorne Marine area guide for the Maroochy River (16 October 2026). NGA Pub. 127 para 5.33. MSQ notices 105/2025, 275(T)/2026 and 361/2026 identified by title and date.
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.
Last checked: 19 October 2026.
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