A suburban ramp thirteen kilometres upriver from the city, and a quiet one. The water here is river rather than bay: no chop worth the name, no bar to cross, nothing between you and a flat morning but whether somebody got to the parking first.
Getting there and parking
Thirteen car-and-trailer bays, and they go early. Weekends and public holidays they are gone by mid-morning, and the overflow is on-street, fine on a Tuesday, a walk on a Sunday. The approach road is sealed and holds a low trailer without drama.
The ramp
Two lanes, a floating pontoon, and an eight per cent gradient, mild enough that a two-wheel-drive will get a moderate boat out on a dry ramp, steep enough to matter if the concrete is wet and your tyres are old. The load limit is five tonnes.
The state register rates this ramp usable on all tides, but the Brisbane River runs a long way inland to get here and the bottom of a big low still leaves less under the ramp than the photographs suggest, so plan the retrieve with the tide in mind.
On the water
Six knots for the first hundred metres off the ramp. The river's general limit is forty, but it drops back to six near bridges, near moored and passing vessels, and anywhere near swimmers, which in practice is most of the places you would want to open up. Ski zones are marked; the ski boats work weekends between about eight and five, and it is easier to fish somewhere else then.
Flow picks up after rain and the water carries debris for a day or two afterwards. A southeasterly over about fifteen knots will put enough chop on the wider reaches to be uncomfortable in a small boat, which is unusual for a river and catches people out.
Fishing
Bass, catfish and bream. The rock walls upstream fish best at first and last light, and the deeper holes near the Centenary Bridge hold the better fish. Two hours either side of the tide change is the window. Live bait does the work: yabbies and worms.
Water quality is worth a thought: after heavy rain, give it three or four days to clear before expecting much.
If something goes wrong
| Emergency | 000, or 112 from a mobile |
| Water Police | 07 3895 5300 |
| VMR Brisbane | VHF 16, or 27.88 / 27.91 MHz |
| Report a hazard (MSQ) | 1300 922 987 |
| Nearest hospital | Wesley, about fifteen minutes |
Check the Bureau's river height page before you go if there has been rain upstream, as the Brisbane River gets its water from a long way away, and it can be running hard here under a clear sky.