sunset

Maroochy River

The Maroochy River is mostly tidal and has a long paddlable section between the Bruce Highway and Maroochydore.

What to expect

The estuary at the river mouth can be up to 500 m wide, but as you head upstream this reduces to around 100 m for much of the journey up to Yandina. Due to the tidal reach, the current will significantly hinder progress unless you paddle with the tide.

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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 river itself noting that a full return trip of the tidal section from Maroochydore to the Bruce Highway is over 50 km, reduced slightly if you start at Bli Bli at 40 km.

Goat Island

Start
Picnic Point
Length
6.1 km
Type
Circumnavigation
Time
half day
Technical difficulty
Open Water I
Rating
Elevation Loss
N/A (tidal)
Notes
Southern side can be shallow at low tide.

Lower Maroochy

Start
Picnic Point
Turnaround
Bli Bli
Length
10.2 km
Type
Return
Time
half day
Technical difficulty
Open Water I
Rating
Elevation Loss
N/A (tidal)

Middle Maroochy

Start
Bli Bli
Turnaround
Coolum Creek
Length
13.5 km
Type
Return
Time
half day
Technical difficulty
Open Water I
Rating
Elevation Loss
N/A (tidal)
Notes
Turnaround is at the creek junction. It's another 1.0 km to Coolum Creek Boat Ramp.

Upper Maroochy

Start
Lake Dunethin
Turnaround
Bruce Hway
Length
11.1 km
Type
Return
Time
half day
Technical difficulty
Grade I
Rating
Elevation Loss
N/A (tidal)
Notes
Turning around at the north south branch junction cuts 1.5 km off the trip.

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Logistics

There are multiple spots along the river to put in, mostly around the lower sections and operated by Sunshine Coast Council.

The following are likely the better spots to put in, but there are some other locations that you can use too. Refer to the Distance Table and the Interactive Map for additional details. Parking is easier away from the main built up areas.

Boat Ramps

1.0 km
Cotton Tree Park
3.0 km
Bradman Avenue (Eudlo Creek)
7.5 km
Bli Bli
21.8 km
Lake Dunethin

For those paddling solo trying for a longer trip, Translink provide a couple of options:

  • Bus Route 612 runs between Maroochydore and Bli Bli before heading up to Nambour. Bus Route 610 runs directly to Nambour.
  • Both the train and bus route 631 go between Yandina from Nambour, although access to the river at Yandina appears to be very difficult.

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Tides

There is a significant tidal influence for most trips, with care required near the mouth, and enough flow to provide a noticeable current in the tidal sections that are best paddled with the current. Tidal flows can peak around 3-4 kph in places.

Tidal info for Maroochy River Entrance
HAT
2.20 m
MSL
1.01 m
MHWS
1.70 m
MHWN
1.30 m
MLWN
0.60 m
MLWS
0.30 m
December
22
Sun
00:52
1.17 m
06:30
0.66 m
12:59
1.54 m
19:50
0.57 m
December
23
Mon
moon icon
02:08
1.20 m
07:38
0.76 m
13:47
1.45 m
20:39
0.55 m
December
24
Tue
03:23
1.28 m
08:55
0.81 m
14:42
1.37 m
21:27
0.51 m
December
25
Wed
04:24
1.39 m
10:13
0.81 m
15:39
1.31 m
22:14
0.47 m
Tides for selected locations on the Maroochy River for Sunday, 22nd December
Picnic Point
01:55
1.17 m
08:22
0.66 m
14:02
1.54 m
21:42
0.57 m
Eudlo Creek
Bradman Av Boat Ramp
02:09
1.17 m
08:38
0.66 m
14:16
1.54 m
21:58
0.57 m
Bli Bli
02:27
1.17 m
08:55
0.66 m
14:34
1.54 m
22:15
0.57 m
Coolum Creek
02:48
1.17 m
09:20
0.66 m
14:55
1.54 m
22:40
0.57 m
Lake Dunethin
03:06
1.17 m
09:38
0.66 m
15:13
1.54 m
22:58
0.57 m
Nth/Sth Junction
03:11
1.17 m
09:42
0.66 m
15:18
1.54 m
23:02
0.57 m
Tide predictions are estimates only. The tidal datum is for Mooloolaba. Tide predictions are calculated from Mooloolaba with times adjusted by 0 minutes for low tide and minus 1 minutes for high tide. Other locations use a similar offset calculation.
Please refer to the Bureau of Meteorology and Australian National Tide Tables for official tidal information.
© Commonwealth of Australia

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River sunset

Quick Stats

Source
Yandina
Elevation 4.2 m
Mouth
Maroochydore
Elevation 0 m
Length
26.2 km
Navigable
26.2 km
Catchment
638 sq km

Current Flow

Yandina
1.03m / 252 MLD
Eumundi
0.54m / 90 MLD
Dunethin Rock
0.86m
Stoney Wharf
No Data
Dangers
Other boats
First Nations
Kabi Kabi
19.8°C
Feels like 21.7°C
19.8°C
12:40am
29°C
Forecast
Light Breeze
WNW at 6 kph
Strongest Gust: 7 kph WNW at 12:35am
0.0 mm since 9am yesterday
Today
Sunny.
0%
19°C
29°C
Mon
Sunny.
5% chance 0 mm
19°C
30°C
Tue
Partly cloudy.
10% chance 0 mm
21°C
29°C
Wed
Mostly sunny.
5% chance 0 mm
21°C
27°C
Thu
Partly cloudy.
5% chance 0 mm
21°C
28°C
Fri
Partly cloudy.
5% chance 0 mm
20°C
29°C
Sat
Sunny.
5% chance 0 mm
21°C
32°C

Sun and Twilight Times

04:50—18:42 / 13hr 51m
Civil: 04:25—19:07 / 14hr 41m
Nautical: 03:53—19:38 / 15hr 44m

Moon Info

Waning Gibbous
11:02am 11:35pm
Banner image is of kids fishing on the Maroochy River at sunset
© Thomas and Olivia Williams
Some rights reserved CC BY

Distance Table

The very bottom section is wide and you can take either the northern or southern route around Goat Island. Both are about 4.3 km from the mouth to the Maroochy River Bridge and are separated in the table below.

At Yandina, the river splits into a north and south branch.

  • The North Maroochy River is paddlable to Ninderry Crossing (~4 km) fairly easily, but it is extremely unlikely that one could make it to Eumundi (~15 km) or above without significant effort.
  • The South Maroochy River becomes shallow just past the Bruce Highway around high tide (0.9 km). Wappa Dam that is 7 km from the bridge but no paddling is allowed on the reservoir.

The following distance table has some key locations. Distances are shown from the river mouth and also Bli Bli, along with tidal offsets.

Location * Features Tides Distance (km) §
Low High Leg Bli Bli Total
Southern Shoreline
River Mouth 0:000:00 -7.7 0.0
R Cotton Tree Park Boat ramp, Maroochydore
0:400:21 1.0 -6.7 1.0
R Cornmeal Creek, Maroochydore 0:500:28 0.2 -6.5 1.2
R Picnic Point Esplanade Canoe Ramp, Maroochydore
Toilets and BBQ upstream
1:360:54 1.1 -5.4 2.3
R Picnic Point Boat Ramp, Maroochydore
1:521:03 0.4 -5.0 2.7
R Maroochy Water Canal, Maroochydore 1:531:04 0.2 -4.8 2.9
R Bradman Avenue Ramp, Maroochydore
1:541:05 0.1 -4.7 3.0
R Chambers Island Footbridge, Maroochydore
1:561:06 0.2 -4.5 3.2
Northern Shoreline
River Mouth 0:000:00 -7.7 0.0
L Mudjimba Foreshore Reserve, Maroochy North Shore
1:000:34 1.3 -6.4 1.3
L Twin Waters Boat Ramp, Twin Waters
1:350:53 1.0 -5.4 2.3
Maroochy River Bridge, Sunshine Motorway 2:031:14 2.0 -3.4 4.3
R Bradman Avenue Boat Ramp, Maroochydore
2:081:17 0.5 -2.9 4.8
R Eudlo Creek 2:101:19 0.4 -2.5 5.2
R Petrie Creek 2:161:25 0.9 -1.6 6.1
L Muller Park Boat Ramp, Bli Bli
2:251:35 1.4 -0.2 7.5
David Low Bridge, Bli Bli 2:271:36 0.2 0.0 7.7
R David Low Way Boat Ramp, Bli Bli
2:271:36 0.0 0.0 7.7
R Maroochy Wetland Sanctuary Pontoon, Bli Bli
2:341:43 2.0 2.0 9.7
Bli Bli Islands
Two large and one small island
2:381:46 0.9 2.9 10.6
Stony Wharf, Bli Bli 2:411:48 0.8 3.7 11.4
Unnamed Island, Bli Bli
Single large island
2:431:50 0.3 4.0 11.7
R Twin Ridges Creek 2:441:51 0.3 4.3 12.0
L Coolum Drain, Marcoola 1.6 5.9 13.6
L Coolum Creek
2:501:56 0.3 6.2 13.9
L Yandina Creek 2:572:02 1.8 8.0 15.7
Cane Train Rail Lift Bridge 3:072:11 3.5 11.5 19.2
R Dunethin Rock Recreation Area Boat Ramp, Maroochy River
Toilet and picnic tables 200 m downstream of entrance, near small pontoon
3:082:14 2.2 13.7 21.4
R Ashtons Wharf, Maroochy River 3:112:16 0.9 14.6 22.3
North and South Maroochy River Junction, Yandina 3:122:19 3.9 18.5 26.2
South Maroochy River
Vee Road 1.2 19.7 27.4
North Maroochy River
Coulson's Wharf Park, Yandina 0.4 18.9 26.6
George Best Park, Ninderry Rd, Yandina 3.4 22.3 30.0

* 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).
Most of the features were taken from the Sunshine Coast Council pages.
Tide times are offset from the river mouth that are in turn offset from the Bureau of Meteorology tide tables.
§ Distances have been manually calculated from the Maroochy River.

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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.

  • River Mouth
  • Cornmeal Creek
  • Sunshine Cove
  • Maroochy Water Canal
  • Chambers Island
  • Twin Waters
  • Maroochy River Bridge
  • Eudlo Creek
  • Petrie Creek
  • David Low Bridge, Bli Bli
  • Bli Bli Islands
  • Unnamed Island
  • Twin Ridges Creek
  • Coolum Drain
  • Coolum Creek
  • Yandina Creek
  • Cane Train Bridge
  • Lake Dunethin Jetty
  • North and South Maroochy River Junction
  • Boat Ramps
  • Kayak Ramp or Paths
  • Access Point
  • Pontoons

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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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Wildlife

Two birds
A pair of Australian Wood Ducks (Chenonetta jubata).
Birds on water
Pacific Black Ducks (Anas superciliosa) hanging out in the water.
Bird on a tree
A flock of Little Corellas (Cacatua sanguinea) make for a great yet noisy encounter.
Bird on rock standing on one leg
Masked Lapwing (Vanellus miles) on a rock.
bird on branch
Red-backed Fairywren (Malurus melanocephalus) having a micro-pause on a branch.
bird flying
White-bellied Sea Eagle (Haliaeetus leucogaster) taking off.

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Tributaries

The most significant is Petrie Creek that flows from the range at Mapleton (30 km). Aerial photographs hint at the possibility of making it all the way to Nambour (14.8 km), albeit the Bruce Highway represents roughly the end of the tidal reach about 3.3 km downstream of the town. This itself has a small side tributary, Paynter River that could allow for another 3 or 4 km of explorable river.

Just downstream of Petrie Creek is Eudlo Creek, a short tidal section of about 5.7 km can be expected. Heading upstream you can find Twin Ridges Creek and Coolum Drain. Both could provide short side trips at high tide. Coolum Creek runs behind Mt Coolum and has a lot longer waterway to explore, 5.8 km to Yandina-Coolum Rd. The small Yandina Creek could have a very short explorable section.

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