The Broadwater

The Broadwater is a large shallow estuary that stretches from Southport to the southern end of Moreton Bay in the north. The estuary is separated from the ocean by South Stradbroke Island.

The southern entrance is Seaway that was constructed in 1986 to stabilise the shifting river mouth of Nerang River. The northern entrance, Jumpinpin Channel, is still in its natural state after forming recently from spring storms in 1896, likely due to the salvage activity for the Cambus Wallace in 1894 that likely weakened the sandbar.

Wave Break Island is a man-made island built in 1985 to protect the area from storm surges coming in from the Seaway, but it's now naturalised and is a fantastic day trip with its white sand beaches and snorkelling opportunities.

What to expect

Wide estuary with white sandy beaches with plenty of islands and side creeks to explore.

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Paddling Options

There are multiple options from short trips based at one of the put-in locations, to longer trips of the main estuary itself noting that a full return trip is over 60 km, significantly longer if you explore along the way.

South Straddie

Length: 60 km
Trip: Return
Time: Two days
Start: Marine Stadium
Turnaround: Jumpinpin Channel
Technical difficulty: Open Water II
Type: Tidal
Rating

Tipplers

Length: 17.2 km
Trip: Return
Time: One day
Start: Coleman Road Reserve
Turnaround: Tipplers Island
Technical difficulty: Open Water II
Type: Tidal
Rating

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Logistics

There are multiple spots along the Broadwater and mostly operated by Gold Coast City Council though the very upper reaches encroach towards the Redland City Council region of Southern Moreton Bay.

The following are likely the better spots to put in, but there are some other locations that you can use too. The Blue Marker indicates the approximate distance from Main Beach on the Gold Coast. It's a 5 km paddle just to access the main Broadwater from Jacobs Well, but other access points get much closer as you head south and are on the Broadwater itself once you get south of the Coomera River.

Refer to the Interactive Map for additional details.

Boat Ramps

22 kmLions Park, Jacobs Well

17 kmColeman Road Reserve, Coomera

13 kmBoat Harbour, Paradise Point

08 kmHoward Street, Runaway Bay

03 kmMarine Stadium, The Spit

02 kmBroadwater Parklands, Southport

For those paddling solo trying for a longer trip, Translink provides regular bus services along the lower stretches below the Coomera River, but there aren't any services to the towns in the main middle and upper sections, meaning you would have to paddle all the way through to Redlands in Moreton Bay.

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Tides

There is a strong tidal influence for most trips, with care required near the Gold Coast Seaway and Jumpinpin Channel due to the strong current and ocean waves.

The tidal patterns are complex with channels to the north, south and centre. Tides are mostly calculated from either the Brisbane Bar or Gold Coast Seaway, although there are official predictions for Runaway Bay and the Gold Coast Operations Base at Southport too.

Tidal info for Brisbane Bar

October

Fri

03:47

0.14 m

09:54

2.48 m

16:19

0.33 m

22:01

2.20 m

October

Sat

04:24

0.16 m

10:40

2.53 m

17:09

0.40 m

22:45

2.02 m

October

Sun

04:59

0.22 m

11:26

2.52 m

18:01

0.51 m

23:30

1.82 m

October

Mon

05:35

0.33 m

12:14

2.45 m

18:57

0.63 m

Tides for selected locations on the northern Broadwater for Friday, 18th October

Cabbage Tree Point