Category Archives: Fishing Spots

Town of 1770, Queensland

Spectacular Round Hill Head near Agnes Water and the town of 1770 have great fishing for landbased and boating anglers.

The area has a mix of tropical and sub-tropical species.

Beach fishing produces dart, permit, bream, tarwhine, mackerel, sharks, summer and winter whiting, and dusky, sand and bartail flathead.

Blue salmon, tailor, steelback and jewfish are also caught.

It is a relatively short walk from the carpark to the best rock platforms.

The rocks produce spanish and spotted mackerel, mack tuna, giant herring, golden and giant trevally, cobia, queenfish, jewfish kingfish and tailor.

Offshore, coral trout, sweetlip, emperor, snapper and cod abound – best in late spring/early summer.

The 1770 public ramp is useable on all tides for small boats, but half tide up is best for big boats.

National parks in this region have tidal creek fishing for barramundi, mangrove jacks and bread-and-butter species.

To reach Eurimbula National Park and Eurimbula Creek, drive out of Agnes Water along Round Hill Road for 10km and turn at the sign. A 14km track leads to Bustard Bay camping area at Eurimbula Creek mouth.

The track is sandy in places but standard vehicles with high clearance usually get through.

There are toilets and water at the camping area.

Eurimbula Creek is a crab sanctuary. It is OK for bank-launched cartopper dinghies but is not navigable at low tide.

Middle Creek is reached via a turn-off 6km from Round Hill Rd (9km before the Bustard Bay camping area).

The 4WD track is 12km, slow and impassable after heavy rain.

Deepwater National Park offers 4WD access to the coast, from Agnes Water drive south along Springs Road, turning on to Rocky Point Road.

The turn-off to Deepwater National Park is 1km down on the right and then another 2.5km by 4WD to the park. Tracks to the left give access to the beach, but before negotiating the steep drive down, check the track on foot.

Flat Rock is a long shelf along the beach that produces reef and beach fish.

Middle Rock has basic camping without facilities.

Wreck Rocks has camp sites, shower, toilets and water and is accessible from the south by sealed road.

Camping areas are popular in the holiday season with sites booked months ahead.

Town of 1770 region fishing GPS marks

It is about 32 nautical miles to the Great Barrier Reef and Lady Musgrave Island, where there is a large, safe anchorage.

It is about 45 nautical miles to Lady Elliot Island (a green zone).

Places of interest to fishermen and/or divers…

*Pinnacle at 24 06.794S 152 22.029E (26nm).
*Mackerel over contours at 24 06.511S 152 03.073E (10nm west) and 23 58.515S 152 01.818E (14nm n-w).
*The Wides 23 49.940S 152 00.497E and 23 50.624S 151 58.756E (20nm north)
*Boult Reef 23 44 100S 152 15.135E
*Lamont Reef 23 36.490S 152 00.970E
*Fitzroy Reef boat entrance 23 36.445S 152 09.440E
*Fitzroy inner shoal 23 42.787S 152 03.058E
*Banana Gutter 24 06.880E 152 11.100E
*18-Mile 24 07.630S 152 12.790E
*Mackerel Shoal 14.5nm s-e 24 15.999S 152 06.925E

*The Cetacea and Tranquility wrecks are just 7nm off Round Hill Head. See the North Australan FISH FINDER book for more wrecks.

Town of 1770 tides
Town of 1770 coastline
QLD fishing regulations
QLD marine parks
GBRMPA marine parks
Deepwater National Park
Eurimbula National Park
Back to Queensland fishing map

Email corrections, additions, pictures or video here.

Australia’s biggest barramundi

Australia’s biggest barramundi are caught in Queensland’s stocked impoundments, but NT and WA wild waterways also produce 120cm+ fish regularly.

A history of line-class records show that Queensland’s Tinaroo, Monduran, Kinchant and Peter Faust dams produce most of the big barra.

Lake Awoonga also has a history of trophy fish.

Keep in mind that each dam is affected by floods and droughts, with big barra leaving dams when the walls breech, unless barrier nets are installed.

Here’s a few line-class records over the years …

23.7kg 117.5cm Lake Tinaroo 21 September 2011 Mark Hope
25.2kg 116cm Lake Tinaroo 24 August 2011 Mark Hope
29kg 132cm Lake Tinaroo 2 September 2014 Mark Hope
40.7kg 136cm Lake Tinaroo 28 July 2012 Mark Hope*
28.3kg 127.5cm Lake Tinaroo 7 January 2012 Mark Hope
29.85kg 127cm Lake Tinaroo 15 October 2000 Noel Ritchie
30.8kg 126cm Lake Tinaroo 4 September 2014 Jason Kuchel
41.5kg 135cm Kinchant Dam 14 October 2011 Willem Reichard
44.64kg 134cm Lake Monduran 21 December 2011 Denis Harrold
27.6kg 121.5cm Lake Tinaroo 2 September 2012 Mark Hope

In the NT, proven big-fish waters are the Daly, Mary, Adelaide and all Kakadu rivers.

Strangely enough, the NT’s stocked Manton Dam rarely produces fish over a metre.

In WA, the Ord and Fitzroy Rivers produce many big wild barramundi.

The Ord’s Lake Kununurra is stocked and produces fat 120cm fish.

For a shot at trophy wild barramundi in Queensland, the Fitzroy River is the logical choice.

Also, try Gladstone’s Boyne River after the Lake Awoonga dam wall has breeched, as escaped fish spread throughout the river and into Gladstone Harbour.

See the Monduran monster here.

The Mt Isa region also produces some monsters … see a 2022 report here.

*Note that the biggest Tinaroo fish listed above was caught in winter, and Tinaroo is a high-country impoundment. While warm to hot weather is always best for barramundi, they can be caught in cool weather.

Northern Territory barramundi fishing guides and accommodation

Every year North Australian FISH FINDER publishes a list of its recommended NT, NQ and northern WA barramundi fishing guides, bluewater charters, boat hires, remote camps and accommodation suitable for visiting fishermen.

Bookmark this page if you are planning a northern fishing holiday.

Here’s the 2019 list …

Darwin and NT boat hire services ….
Barra Boat Hire …. details here.
Darwin Boat Hire …. details here.
Top End Boat Hire …. details here.
Outback Boat Hire …. details here.
Corroboree Boat Hire …. details here.
Offshore Boat Hire …. details here.
Mary River Houseboats …. details here.
Katherine Boats and Floats …. details here.
Mixed Bag Boat Hire …. details here.

Bluewater fishing charters out of Darwin ….
Arafura Bluewater Charters …. details here.
Equinox Charters …. details here.

Barramundi fishing guides out of Darwin ….
Spring Tide Fishing Safaris …. details here.
Darwin North Australia (DNA) Barramundi Fishing Tours …. details here.
Darwin Barra and Crab …. details here.
Obsession Fishing Safaris …. details here.
Insight Fly Fishing …. details here.
Daly River Barra Resort …. details here.

Aerial tours with fishing ….
Outback Floatplane Adevntures …. details here.
Helifish …. details here.

Remote NT charters ….
Cobourg Fishing Safaris …. details here.
Cannon Charters …. details here.

Accommodation for people fishing Bynoe Harbour ….
Crab Claw Island Resort …. details here.
Sandpalms Roadhouse …. details here.

Accommodation for people fishing the Adelaide River ….
Goat Island Lodge …. details here.
Accommodation for people fishing Kakadu ….
Cooinda Lodge Kakadu …. details here.
Accommodation for people fishing out of Nhulunbuy ….
Walkabout Lodge …. details here.

Accommodation for people fishing the Daly River ….
Woolianna on the Daly …. details here.
Daly River Barra Resort …. details here.
Banyan Farm …. details here.

Accommodation for people fishing the Roper River ….
Roper Bar Caravan Park …. reopened in 2021.
Tomato Island Campground (Munbililla) only vans and tents …. details here.

Accommodation for people fishing the McArthur River ….
King Ash Bay Fishing Club …. details here.

Accommodation for people fishing the Mary River region ….
Corroboree Park Tavern …. details here.
Remote NT private camps ….
Wiligi Arnhem Land …. details here.
Cobourg Fishing Safaris …. details here.
Lorella Springs Station …. details here.
Limmen Fishing Camp …. on the Limmen Bight River has fuel, riverside camping and very basic accommodation 25km from the Savannah Way Cox River crossing. Ph 08 8975 9844.
Seven Emu Station …. details here.
Manangoora Station …. access to the Wearyan River, Gulf of Carpentaria and Vanderlin Island. Phone: 08 8975 9549.