Between Bundaberg and the Whitsundays lies the least-visited stretch of the east-coast cruising route and, for a Yachtmaster candidate, one of the most instructive. Gladstone is a heavy industrial port with LNG tankers and strict traffic rules. Great Keppel Island and the Keppel Bay anchorages off Yeppoon are the first tropical islands on the way north. Then the coast bends past Cape Manifold and Port Clinton into Shoalwater Bay (a military training area with published closures) and Broad Sound, where the tidal range reaches nearly 9 m, the largest on the east coast. Mackay, at the northern end, has a big marina and a tidal range of 6 m that empties the harbour approaches twice a day. This is the stretch where a skipper who has been casual about tides learns not to be.
The waters
Gladstone and Curtis Island
A busy industrial port with a marina; the Narrows behind Curtis Island is a shallow, tidal short cut that dries in the middle and is crossed at high water only.
Keppel Bay and Great Keppel Island
Rosslyn Bay (Yeppoon) has the marina; Great Keppel’s beaches and anchorages are the classic first tropical stop. Exposed to the south-east in fresh trades.
Shoalwater Bay and Port Clinton
Remote, beautiful and periodically closed for military exercises; anchorages at Pearl Bay and Island Head Creek. Strong tides.
Broad Sound and the Percy Isles
The biggest tides on the coast; anchorages at Middle Percy Island (with its famous A-frame) and the Duke Islands. Streams of several knots between the islands.
Mackay
A large marina and commercial harbour with 6 m tides; the approach channel is dredged but the surrounding flats dry for a mile.
Training here
This coast is sailed as part of passage-making courses north; it is the stretch where tidal planning becomes unavoidable and where anchorages must be chosen with a 6 to 9 m range in mind.
What an exam here looks like
Passages for the logbook
| Passage | Miles | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Bundaberg to Great Keppel Island | 110 | Overnight north across the Tropic of Capricorn. |
| Great Keppel to Middle Percy Island | 110 | Past Shoalwater Bay; check the military closures. |
| Middle Percy to Mackay | 65 | Qualifying passage into the big tides. |
| Mackay to Airlie Beach | 70 | Qualifying passage into the Whitsundays. |
Conditions
| Tides | Semi-diurnal, range 3 m at Gladstone rising to 6 m at Mackay and nearly 9 m in Broad Sound. Streams of 3 to 5 knots between islands and in the Narrows. |
|---|---|
| Weather | Trade winds from April to October, often 20 to 25 knots; cyclone season from November to April. Anchorages exposed to the south-east are uncomfortable in fresh trades. |
| Facilities and rescue | Gladstone Marina, Rosslyn Bay (Keppel Bay Marina), Mackay Marina; volunteer rescue bases at Gladstone, Yeppoon and Mackay. |
Boat licence
Questions about Mackay, Keppel and the Capricorn Coast
Why is the tidal range so big around Broad Sound?
The coast and the reef funnel the tidal wave into a narrowing bay, amplifying the range in the same way the Bay of Fundy or the Severn do. Mackay and Broad Sound have the largest ranges on the east coast as a result.