sunset

Burpengary Creek

The Burpengary Creek is situated about 35 km north of Brisbane, just south of the Caboolture River. It rises in the D’Aguilar Ranges and flows in an easterly direction towards the coast, passing through Burpengary and entering Moreton Bay at Deception Bay.

What to expect

The lower Burpengary Creek is tidal and diminishes as you navigate away from the ocean, where the river becomes somewhat steeper and ephemeral D’Aguilar Ranges. While it has a small catchment, the river is prone to rapid flooding with heavy rains.

The tidal reach will create a small current that is best done with the tides to maximise the depth in the creek. The creek wonders and a number of cuttings have formed in the lower sections.

Little Burpengary Creek is about 11.3 km but only the very lower section is navigable.

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Logistics

There is a single boat ramp on the creek. There are a couple other boat ramps on the bay and lower Caboolture River. These are run by Moreton Bay Council.

Boat Ramps

7.4 km
O'leary Av, Burpengary

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Tides

There is a tidal influence for most trips, with care required near the mouth, and enough flow to provide a small current but the extra depth is probably the biggest consideration.

Tidal info for Burpengary River Mouth
HAT
2.70 m
MSL
1.33 m
MHWS
2.20 m
MHWN
1.80 m
MLWN
0.80 m
MLWS
0.40 m
October
18
Fri
04:06
0.14 m
10:00
2.48 m
16:38
0.33 m
22:07
2.20 m
October
19
Sat
04:43
0.16 m
10:46
2.53 m
17:28
0.40 m
22:51
2.02 m
October
20
Sun
05:18
0.22 m
11:32
2.52 m
18:20
0.51 m
23:36
1.82 m
October
21
Mon
moon icon
05:54
0.33 m
12:20
2.45 m
19:16
0.63 m
Tide predictions are estimates only. The tidal datum is for Brisbane Bar. Tide predictions are calculated from Brisbane Bar with times adjusted by 19 minutes for low tide and 6 minutes for high tide.
Please refer to the Bureau of Meteorology and Australian National Tide Tables for official tidal information.
© Commonwealth of Australia

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Distance Table

The following distance table has some key locations. Distances are shown from the river mouth.

Location * Distance (km) §
Leg Total
Burpengary Creek Mouth 0.0
R Little Burpengary Creek 2.4 2.4
R O'leary Av Boat Ramp, Burpengary (Tidal) 5.0 7.4

* Side represents either the left / port (L) or right / starboard (R) sides when facing downstream of the main river or the specified direction of travel for bays or lakes (usually anticlockwise).
§ Distances have been manually calculated from the river mouth.

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Trip Details

Lower Estuary

Start
O'leary Av
Turnaround
Deception Bay
Length
15 km
Type
Return
Time
half day
Technical difficulty
Open Water I
Rating
Elevation Loss
N/A (tidal)

Quick Stats

Source
D’Aguilar Ranges
Elevation 341 m
Mouth
Deception Bay
Elevation 0 m
Length
36 km
Navigable
8 km
Catchment
87 sq km

Current Flow

Dale St
3.39m
Council Areas
First Nations
Turrbal
Directions
Caboolture
25.6°C
Feels like 26.8°C
17.3°C
05:42am
28.4°C
12:56pm
Light Breeze
NE at 11 kph, gusts to 24 kph
Strongest Gust: 32 kph NNE at 2:14pm
0.0 mm since 9am
Today
Late shower or two.
(17°C)
29°C
Sat
Shower or two.
50% chance 0 to 2 mm
18°C
33°C
Sun
Possible shower.
40% chance 0 to 1 mm
18°C
28°C
Mon
Partly cloudy.
30% chance 0 to 1 mm
17°C
27°C
Tue
Possible shower.
40% chance 0 to 1 mm
15°C
27°C
Wed
Possible shower.
40% chance 0 to 1 mm
15°C
28°C
Thu
Possible shower.
40% chance 0 to 1 mm
16°C
31°C

Sun and Twilight Times

05:08—17:58 / 12hr 50m
Civil: 04:45—18:21 / 13hr 35m
Nautical: 04:17—18:49 / 14hr 31m

Moon Info

Waning Gibbous
▼ Sat 6:00am ▲ 8:05pm
Banner image is of Caboolture River Mouth
© Stephan Ridgway
Some rights reserved CC BY

Map

Explore the key locations in the map below. Most locations will have a photograph after being visited that can be seen by clicking on the icon or number in the map itself.

  • Caboolture River
  • Burpengary Creek
  • Little Burpengary Creek
  • Boat Ramps

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What to take

Ensure electronic devices and gear have waterproof containers / dry bags if needed.

What to wear

  • Sunscreen / Chapstick *
  • Sunglasses *
  • Hat *
  • Swimwear or shorts †
  • Sun protective clothing (rashie) †
  • Water shoes †

What to take

  • Water
  • Snacks
  • Phone
  • Camera
  • Watch
  • Sponge
  • Rain jacket
  • Spare clothes / Towel

Safety

  • PDF (life jacket) *
  • Whistle
  • Paddle float ‡
  • Bilge pump ‡
  • Paddle lease
  • Spare paddle
  • Light (night paddling)

* Highly recommended (aka required)
† You should wear clothing and footwear that you can comfortably swim in.
‡ These are for self or assisted rescues where you can't easily reach the shore.

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Tributaries

Little Burpengary Creek is the only significant tributary.