Russell Island Mooring
There are three Great Barrier Reef Marine Park public moorings available here. Situated off the beach on the northwestern side of the island, the moorings are semi exposed to south easterly winds and can be rocky. No significant current where the moorings are located. Easy to locate, we had no issues picking up the mooring line. (Peter did a great job of getting this shot of a cargo ship on the horizon, seen here between Catalina Rocks on the left and Russell Island on the right).
Dunk Island Anchorage & Mooring
There are two public moorings available in Brammo Bay near the island jetty, however when we arrived both were in use. So, we anchored nearby in sand one night and scored a mooring for the second night. No problems with the anchorage, quite sheltered with good holding.
Hinchinbrook Island – Zoe Bay Anchorage
Good holding in mud, though the bay is exposed to winds east to northerly so not recommended unless winds from here are under 10 knots. (That white dot you can see in the photo is Sea Goddess anchored in the middle of the bay).
Fantome Island
We anchored in Juno Bay at the northern end of the island near the channel between Fantome and Orpheus Islands. Good holding in sand. Though the anchorage is exposed to south easterly winds, it was calm due to the short fetch. When accessing the beach via dinghy be aware of coral and rocks close to shore.
Orpheus Island
Mooring balls were at a premium and were all taken when we arrived. So we dropped anchor in 10 metres of water towards the northern end of Pioneer Bay away from the coral reef. Holding was good and the island itself provided shelter from south easterly to north easterly winds. Beach access is relatively straight forward, just be aware of coral reef at low tide.
Rattlesnake Island
We anchored in sand on the northeastern side of the island in 6 metres of water off the beach. Wind was south-south easterly at 15 knots which increased overnight. Holding was average, and overnight we dragged anchor away from the beach. Not recommended unless in calm conditions. Beach access is subject to tidal surge and be aware of reef at either end of the bay.
Magnetic Island
We initially attempted to anchor in the middle of Horseshoe Bay but couldn’t get the anchor to set correctly. So, we moved to White Lady Bay which essentially is just an extension of Horseshoe Bay at the northern end. Good holding in muddy sand at a depth of 6 metres (put out 40 metres of chain). Well protected from east to south west winds, very little swell here.
