St Helens Beach is a small beach settlement of under 200 people reached by about 12 km of road from Calen on the Bruce Highway, 60 km north of Mackay. The ramp is at Carpet Snake Point at the southern end of the beach, and it was substantially rebuilt: in June 2018 Maritime Safety Queensland reconstructed the ramp and its causeway and added a new breakwater at a cost of $1.76 million. Council added solar lighting and CCTV in early 2022.
It remains a single lane, and the state register flags it as tide-limited; the causeway carries you out over the flats but St Helens Bay is shallow and the bottom of a big spring tide leaves sand a long way out. Parking is unformed on the point. There are no toilets or water at the ramp.
The bay gives a quieter route to the Newry Islands than Victor Creek, with Murray Creek and the St Helens Bay creeks for barramundi and crabs, and the islands and reef offshore. Marine Rescue Queensland Mackay monitors VHF 16. Crocodiles are present; stinger season is October to May.