Can anyone recommend some anchorages in Morton Bay for South to SE winds? Thanks.
I am really only familiar with the Southern part of the bay, so :
Blakeseas anchorage - Western shore of Nth Stradbroke island, due East of the Northern tip of Macleay island. Nice sandy beach. Sandy bottom with good holding. Bit exposed if the breeze comes through the S- SW. Good for SE through NE. Strong tidal flows at times.
Northern side of Coochiemudlo Island - no beach access, but good protected area for SE through SW
Northern side of Peel Island - no beach access, but good protected area for SE through SW
Multiple areas around Lamb and Macleay Island also - too numerous to mention. Good for SE - SW, lots of current though.
Further down towards the Goldcoast you have lots of other options, but I haven't got that far south to be able to recommend them.
Hope that gets you started. Have a great trip.
Working your way north:
Blakesleys is pretty good, although be careful going in as its easy to run aground. Nice and soft if you do touch, though!
Lazarette Gutter on the north side of Peel Island is cosy but there's not a lot of room and sometimes it gets crowded.
As long as the SE isn't too strong (say 15-20kt), and is not too easterly, you can get quite good shelter anywhere on the NE side of Peel Island, ie E of the Lazarette channel markers.
Myora Point on Stradbroke is one of the best.
Tangalooma is worth considering especially if the easterly component is strong, but it can be very rolly from passing shipping. Forget about inside the wrecks (almost always too crowded), but anywhere along the beach between the Tangalooma resort and Shark Spit can be OK.
Over closer to the mainland:
Raby Bay is good, and close to a marina with public wharf and shops (send me a PM if you come in here, we live close by)
The NW side of Mud Island is OK.
Although I've never used it, I believe that Scarborough, just off the boat harbour, is quite sheltered.
Enjoy!
Thanks,
We have just arrived at Gold Coast from nsw, starting to head up the broadwater slowly today. Want to get out of the way of the southerly that's due tomorrow. Lucas doesn't have much on Morton, so thanks for the help. Will probably go to Raby Bay for fuel, funny enough thats where Sea Trek III is originally from, well that's where I brought her. We draw 1.8 mtrs.
We have a blog.
trekkingthesea.blogspot.com/
Wouldn't mind some more fish & chips from Raby Bay :)
The Karragarra passage.....
between karragarra and macleay islands.
golf, bowls club, pub and IGA on macleay.....shops on russell and lamb....nothing on Karra
large water taxis and barges getting around but till late...so it can be noisier than say..Blakesleys etc.
nice sandy white beach on karragarra near the boat ramp/jetty and bbqs
not a tropical paradise away from it all by any means...but it is a great place with some human life when stuck in a blow. (kids/missus going insane etc)
nothing worse than being stuck in a 30 knot southerly...nothing better than a hamburger and hot chips and a sneaky beer or twenty!!!
the passage runs roughly east west.
Last time I was in Raby Bay Marina [2011] they charge me $50 for the key and when I went to sign out, only gave me $40 back! 
Said they had a key charge as well as the normal fee [only marina on the east coast that I known who has one],
after much argument I went away without that $10. 
Mind you, the public wharf looked ok if you have no need for marina supplies.
It's actually MorEton Bay 
Big Sandhills, Lucinda Bay, Tangalooma all on western side of Moreton Island for SE....S gets a bit rolly. Get a horrid morning SW swell but in calm weather, it's fine. If you can get in nice and tight behind the wrecks at Tangalooma, you can avoid the morning swell somewhat. Too many people for my liking though...resort and villas plus perpetual commute of the vehicular barge, Micat. Plus the volume of boats on weekends is just unbelievable.
Blue Hole just SW of Big Sandhills north of (think it's called) Crab Island is a good calm weather anchorage. Day's Gutter is only accessible to shallow-draft boats.
All of these anchorages are the prettiest in the Bay. Sandy beaches, dugongs, turtles, dolphins, treasure, peace and tranquillity (bar Tangalooma).
I live in Scarborough Boat Harbour and yes, outside the Harbour is a well-used anchorage in anything from the south.
Caboolture River is a good all-weather anchorage....shallow again.
Don't be tempted by Bribie (Pumicestone) Passage in a SE...you WILL drag and it roars up the Passage.
Have fun
See if you can get hold of a Beacon to Beacon Seatrek. They are becoming rarer than hens teeth now the Qld Gov has ditched them. Full of anchorage info throughout the bay.
Cheers
Ken
Select to expand quotenswsailor said..
Last time I was in Raby Bay Marina [2011] they charge me $50 for the key and when I went to sign out, only gave me $40 back!
Said they had a key charge as well as the normal fee [only marina on the east coast that I known who has one],
after much argument I went away without that $10.
Mind you, the public wharf looked ok if you have no need for marina supplies.
Hi Phillip, come to think of it I had problems with the key there as well, l lost mine and there was such a fuss and carry on! Luckily someone found it and handed it in. With that in mind we are now at east coast marina in Manly. I'm doing a oil change today and off to Morton island tomorrow followed by Mooloolaba.
I love "Morton" island, but am always **** scared to go to tangalooma etc because of the old "aaarrghh...I tells ya what sonny...if ya gets caught over at Morton and she starts a blowin...you'll be stuck there for the rest of the month I tells ya!"
Is it really that bad? Or just an unpleasant sail home? Does get kinda lumpy out the back of green.
Select to expand quoteslainte said..
Beacon to Beacon They are becoming rarer than hens teeth now the Qld Gov has ditched them.
Ken
You have got to be kidding!!! Why is that happening?? Is it some legal liability thing??
It is a great cruising guide and covers a heap of coastline north of Moreton Bay.
Where have you been cisco, this has been an issue for at last a month now.
I believe that there is a petition being organized somewhere around Brisbane.
There were about 10 copies available at Whitworths, Breakfast Creek last week.
Does anyone know the details of the petition??
Select to expand quotebrizzydave said..
I love "Morton" island, but am always **** scared to go to tangalooma etc because of the old "aaarrghh...I tells ya what sonny...if ya gets caught over at Morton and she starts a blowin...you'll be stuck there for the rest of the month I tells ya!"
Is it really that bad? Or just an unpleasant sail home? Does get kinda lumpy out the back of green.
[/quote
OMG...I've never heard that one! I've been going over there since I was a little feral....from either Shorncliffe or Scarborough.
I have to admit that, whilst living at Manly, was disinclined to take the little Sunmaid 20 that we had back then over there. Just seemed too far...and I was pregnant.
Quite frankly brizzydave, Tangalooma has turned into a dump. The water vis is always substandard now...high hooman concentration I guess. It's a tragedy as I can remember anchoring in 25ft of water and seeing the bottom when I was a kid. Price of "progress"!!!! It sucks! Although, having said that, I have swum with turtles through the wrecks on occasion...awesome. The traffic on the weekends is crazy...people are basically anchored on top of each other.
Big Sandhills and Lucinda Bay (Brisbane Roads) are far more pristine.
Lucinda - just south around the corner from Tangalooma - is where the 'wild' dolphins that are fed at Tangalooma (gggrrrrr....don't get me started!!!)each evening hang out for the rest of the time. We have sat on the deck for hours at night just listening to their 'ppffs' of breathing. They're in and out during the day. Heaps...I mean hundreds....of big rays bask in the shallows. Very tame. They don't like you swimming with them but they're quite happy for you to drift over the top of them in a kayak.
Bird life is prolific - Brahminy and Whistling Kites, Whitebellied Sea Eagles, Sandpipers, Curlews, etc., etc. Shell diversity is fantastic...you may even be lucky enough to find a spent sea urchin.
The rubbish situation is tragic. My girls and I usually scour the beach and bring back at least 10 bags of rubbish. Hooman intervention again!!! I really do encourage everyone to do a bit and, even if each person picks up three pieces of rubbish, it's a start.
brizzydave, it would be very rare to get caught at Moreton. The chances of it suddenly blowing out of the west are very remote but, I suppose, if you're down the southern end of the Bay, it's a long beat home.
Enjoy
Badinfluence, I like your thinking. I will avoid Tangalooma and try your other suggestions, going over tomorrow.
Moreton Island isn't unique as having lots of junk left behind. I lost count how many times I filled up my kayak hatches with rubbish left on Green and St Helena Island. Same issue on Peel and Blakeseas too. Thanks for the Moreton tips, looking forward to sailing over there once the Westerlies finish this winter.
My favourites in Moreton Bay-
Little Sand Hills on Moreton- NE, E, SE( and S if close to oyster beds up to 25K.)
Above to Comboyouro Pt, with E.
Wrecks, or just N of , to avoid crush. Watch forecast for W or T.storms
In W or strong conditions, move over to Mud Is. 10 mile away, as there is good holding and anchorages for all conditions- good crabbing too!
Watch out for t.storms in Nov. Dec. At Mud it's easy to see them coming and to prepare.
Had a enjoyable stay at the Big Sandhills on Sat night, now in Mooloolaba. My apologies for my incorrect spelling of Moreton :)
Glad you enjoyed it
the spelling is often mistaken. However, there is some historical incongruity about the spelling.
Can't recall exactly, but i think the person who the Bay was named after was called morton! A mistake was then made in some important document spelling it with the 'e'. And thus it remained.
So perhaps a spin is that you are an historically correct purist
Just been to the Sydney Boat show where I spoke to a bloke on the BOAT BOOKS AUSTRALIA stand and he said that not only Beacon to Beacon but also the Small Ships Manual was under threat of finishing.
The good news is that he said they were negiotiating to publish Beacon to Beacon with a sponsor.
He didn't say anything about the Small Ships Manual. 
Also mentioned was that Crawfords last Chart book of NSW [Jervious to Port Stephens] would be the last to be published as they had 1500 copies left, so they would not be doing any more!
