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I've been told there is a shallow gravel bank to watch-out for at the northern end of Lake Cootharaba. I want to avoid hitting the bank when I sail from Elanda Point. Can anyone supply a GPS mark with the approximate location of the gravel bank? I suspect it is somewhere close to the spot shown below...
What breeze are you planning to sail in? How big is your fin? I've windsurfed, sailed and motor boated all over the lake and have never come across a gravel bank... Nonetheless it could only really cause a problem in a south easter by the looks of it (from elanda point). In a Nor-Easter (best wind at the lake for blasting IMO) you will just pass far under that point anyway... The only issue is that there is a fair distance out from the point that is shallow and eventually turn to gravel from memory. If the lake is down this can be a problem with a big fin but otherwise you should be fine....
There is a gravel bank (more like large stones) from Mill Point extending towards your pin,although i am pretty sure your pin is ok but the closer you get to Mill Point the more chance of hitting it.
Last time i sailed there a large motor craft was stuck on the bank.
I have sailed with a 40cm fin and have hit the bank,there is a broken sign in the water (probably a shallow water sign).
Best bet is to keep clear of Mill Point by at least 300 metres.
There used to be a red marker off the point there which I assume was warning of the rocks (never realised why they had actually put it there in the past). But that is/was a fair distance out of the way from my recollection??? My suggestion is to just sail from Boreen point 
SailCoothara,
In the West we only have gravel on the roads!
I think you'll be able to jump clear over any gravel bank in that lake if you're riding
a 2011 Starboard Futura 122, that's a great pick up!
Cheers for a very informative post.
I can tell you there definitely used to be something near there, not sure if it still exists. About 15 years ago I was windsurfing with 2 friends and it was blowing easterly so we were running up and down the full length of the lake on the way back from the top end to boreen camping area I ended up further down wind, was happily planing along on about a 6.5m. Sail with 30cm fin and bang straight over the handlebars took skin off my knees trashed the fin and was lying in about 5cm of water. I had to drag my gear a few meters across this like underwater road until
I got to the deeper water again. One of the scariest things I have ever hit as you
Couldn't see it. One of my friends clipped the edge the other one was fine as he was upwind of that red marker.
Now I never sail inside about where you have your pin marked on the map. I think the only time
It would be a problem is on an easterly like when I hit it. I also seem to recall there was some sort of submerged sign that was obviously supposed to be a warning. It wouldnt matter what size fin you had the day I hit it as there was such a small amount of water covering it but it wasnt visible at all.
Thanks for that, I almost sailed past Mill Point close in from Elanda a few weeks ago, sounds like I just misssed disaster 
will remember next time I'm there.
Geez all you Lake regulars never mentioned this on my visits! I'd been blissfully sailing around thinking there was nothing to hit...
Give me good old deep water Queens beach anyday. Nothing to hit out there... except the odd turtle; oh, and there's the rays too - cleaned up a few of those; and then there was that big grey thing with fi... oh, never mind.
Thanks all for your posts. I'm still unsure where the bank is and I do prefer to sail from Elanda Point. I've updated the map and shown my last track - where I didn't hit anything with a 44cm fin. You can see I went both side of the red beacon without any problems...
I am quite sure it is inside the red beacon ie western side closer towards mill point pylons, (not as far out as your yellow marker) although it was a long time ago so can't be absolutely sure. Your track only shows 1 run between there so you could have missed it, or maybe it isn't there now? Water levels could also be higher in the lake since back then.
To be sure I always just stay on the outside of the red beacon when I am up that end of the lake and luckily have never hit it again.
Your marker showing Mill Point Jetty Pylons is approximately
where i hit the bank.If you stay south of this you should be ok.
However i have seen others sail over the bank between
Mill Point and the Jetty Pylons marker without hitting anything.
If you are staying at Elanda Point there is a nautical chart up on the wall just to the left of where you book in. It displays water depths, channel markers etc as at time of map production. Over the years I have seen the water level rise and fall depending on a number of factors.
When the water level is on the low side there are often pelicans standing in shallow water to the west of your marked red beacon.
The Mill Point area can be a little deceptive as it is deepish where the submerged pylons are, then rising to very shallow gravel to the south west.
Hey Waterloo, good point re nautical charts. I'll check the charts from the boat and update the google earth overlay if there is anything marked. Thanks all for your comments. I reckon we can save some poor windsurfer a fin and some skin with this post!
Okay, checked the nautical chart in the boat and found there are shoals marked, here's a screenshot...
I also found that the chart shows a second red beacon closer to Elanda Point. I have never seen this 2nd beacon, but I have heard there is a broken post in the water around this location, so I guess this is a "broken red beacon". I have added this and the gravel shoals from the nautical chart to my google earth map...
So next time I sail from Elanda Point, I reckon the plan is to steer clear of the area from Mill Point to the remaining red beacon, otherwise take it nice and slow! If anyone wants a copy of the google earth points, message me and I'll email the kmz file. The coordinates of the gravel bank are approximately as follows...
Your research is pretty spot on ... been on the water there since late 70,s in various craft and have ripped not only the fin but a significant bit of ar$e out of a board on that bank. There was another red marker. It is better not to go there. We used to get sucked in because we were on wallys and the like... low speed approach. You probably know the lake floods up to the fence at the house and can go out so the beach is 50m wide. If you were there over Xmas (we were for a week) the level was high enough to sail off the beach, ie it varies a lot.
