The Western Boat Ramp is the one most visitors to Hinze Dam use: it is close to the dam wall recreation precinct on the Nerang–Murwillumbah Road, about 15 km from Nerang, with toilets, a water tap, ten marked bays and the picnic grounds and lookout nearby. The ramp itself is a single concrete lane onto a lake that is almost always near full.
Seqwater's rules apply on the water. Electric-powered craft, sailing craft and paddle craft are permitted; petrol motors are not, so the lake is quiet and the fishing is done from electric-powered boats, canoes and kayaks. A Stocked Impoundment Permit is required to fish, and the dam is currently catch and release only because of naturally occurring mercury in the fish. Bass and saratoga are the targets among the drowned timber in the arms of the lake.
The Eastern Boat Ramp on Gilston Road is the alternative, with no facilities. There is no marine rescue on the lake; emergency is 000, and the recreation area has staff on site during opening hours.
A note on these photographs
The photographs above are from Wikimedia Commons and are used under their Creative Commons licences; each caption gives the year, because the facility may have changed since.
