One Stop Shop for Lake Mac Info

[Brainless]

Here is an place to put helpful information regarding Lake Macquarie such as

Public Moorings
Charts
Pump Out Stations
Marina information
Bridge Information
Anything else that may be useful

This is not an place for a lot of discussion and I will endeavor to prune this topic and keep it to just helpful information

Current Warnings and Important Information

Swansea Bridge

One other thing to note is that the RMS (Maritime) have a notice out that during May the Swansea Bridge has very restricted openings, like only once or twice a day, as they are repairing the wooden buffers on the entrance and exit approaches to the bridge. This isn't a joke about Seaka hitting it there is a real notice out and the Variable Message Signs on the road approaches to the bridge are indicating that from last saturday 20th April 2013.

Razor Clams

The Razor Clams that are now an extensive problem and have been seen in the sand as far north as the Belmont 16 footers. They are increasing in numbers and Sydney University are researching them but are not removing them because they want to see if there is natural reduction in them. They are now the most numerous in the last 20 years. Commercial fishing trawlers have been stopped and there is a theory that the nets used to disrupt them. One person Interviewed by 1233 ABC Newcastle said he was tired of getting his feet cut getting out of the dinghy and getting stitches. The beach on the NE side of Pulbah Is and Browns Bay are the worst areas I've seen in the lake.

Blue Ring Octopus

Blue ringed octopus are now in plague proportions in the lake. The main areas are on the eastern side of the lake from Marks Pt to Valentine. At the Belmont 16s the grounds man said that most of the time they are washed up on the waterfront. Don't turn over any shells or rocks and wear shoes for razor clams and blue ringed occies. The previous owner of Oberon, John Lewis) said he found them in the cooling water intake of a previous boat he had.

Sharks

There are bull sharks in the south part of the lake and the good news is there are less in the north. Hammer heads have been seen in the north part along Coal Pt when my son Adam has been sailing 16 footers. Two junior races were called off when sharks were sighted in Belmont Bay this summer.

Can confirm I have observed several Hammerheads over the few years when out fishing in the southern section (mainly around Pulbah and Murrays Beach), to date there have been no attacks that I am aware of, yet to see an Bull Shark but as there is Dolphins, Seals and Hammer Heads im sure they are lurking below as well

Channel Information

There has been recent dredging in the channel and the least depth I've noticed has been 2.2 m when the lake was at its average depth in Jan 2013. The depth on the coal seam is 1.6m at zero tide (tide datum, from Marine Rescue Swansea).

Weather and Tide Information:
There are no predictable tides in Lake Mac. The lake level is governed by the average height of the ocean and inflow volumes. THe lake level is mostly governed by barometric pressure and wind direction. If a low pressure is over the lake it sucks the water up. In summer if a high pressure system hangs over the Hunter area the lake level will drop significantly drying sand banks and exposing vast areas of weed. Day to day the tidal range is only about 200mm. If there is a strong southerly blowing, the water is blown from the south lake to the north. If this follows a strong blow from the NW which pushes the water to the south part, the lake will "slosh" up and down the lake like when you were a kid in the bath and tried to make the water slosh over the ends.
The Tide Gauge for Lake Macquarie is located at the yacht club under the starters hut
http://www.bom.gov.au/fwo/IDN60233/IDN6 ... .plt.shtml

Swansea Heads
http://www.willyweather.com.au/nsw/hunter/swansea-heads.html

Lake Macquarie - Within the Lake
http://www.willyweather.com.au/nsw/hunter/lake-macquarie--within-the-lake.html

Bridge Information

Opening Times

Weekdays
On the hour from 6am – 7pm, Bridge Operator requires 1 hour notice. Does not open on weekdays in peak

Weekends and Public Holidays
Automatic opening at:-

6am
7am
8am

4pm
5pm
6pm
7pm

Note: If bridge is required to be open after 7pm or before 6am – Bridge Operator requires 6 hours notice.

Bridge Operator – Contact Details
Telephone (02) 4971 3498

You can book the bridge opening through Lake Macquarie Marine Rescue, contact on Ch 16

Pumpout Information

Lake Macquarie Pump out Locations

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HydroGraphic Survey from RMS

swansea_channel_bridge_to_pelican_sept_2012.pdf

Hydrograph - Swansea Bridge to Pelican - Sept 2012

(1.43 MiB) Downloaded 1343 times

swansea_channel_pelican_to_marks_pt_sept_2012.pdf

Hydrograph - Pelican to Marks Point - Sept 2012

(1.27 MiB) Downloaded 1161 times

Boating Map - Printable Version
Front

lakemacq_front.unlocked.pdf

Lake Macquarie Boating Map - Front - Printable - Nov 2012

(1.19 MiB) Downloaded 1086 times

Back

lakemacq_back.unlocked.pdf

Lake Macquarie Boating Map - Back - Printable - Nov 2012

(1.01 MiB) Downloaded 1159 times

Mooring Management Plan
North

Lake_Macquarie_Moorings_North.pdf

Lake Macquarie Mooring Management Plan - North

(232.61 KiB) Downloaded 1506 times

South

Lake_Macquarie_Moorings_South.pdf

Lake Macquarie Mooring Management Plan - South

(225.48 KiB) Downloaded 1121 times

[Brainless]

Public Mooring Locations

If you have more information on moorings to put here, please post and i will update

Pulbah Island

Pulbah Island - Public Moorings

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Two Public Moorings, one on North Side and one on South Side, both great locations, Find the North Side generally quieter as fishing is generally better on north eastern and southern sides there is not as many boat movements

Kilaben Bay

Kilaben Bay - Public Moorings

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Murrays Beach

Two public moorings, tucked in close show and to the public wharf (deep water, Good Buffers Front 3 Sides, fresh water taps, public toilets, no pump out),
Lake House Cafe a short walk up the hill is open from 9am till 4pm Daily and Open for Dinner Friday and Saturday Nights
Can recommend the breakfast and coffee, I frequent here regularly for Breakfast
http://www.lakehousecafe.com.au/

Murrays Beach - Public Moorings

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Wangi Wangi

Wangi Wangi Bay - Public Mooring

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[Brainless]

Public Wharfs

Frying Pan Bay

Features

Pump Out Station
Boat Ramp
Public Toilets
Italian Restaurant
Newsagency
Post Office
BottleO
Service Station

Comments:

On Exit or entry from the bay itself do not be tempted to cut inside the marker on the northern side even on high tide, this is an rock shelf from the point to the marker

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Murrays Beach

Features

Public Toilets
Good Buffers on Wharf
Cafe/Restaurant (See comments in public Mooring Section)

Comments:

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Lake Macquarie Yacht Club
http://www.lmyc.com.au/

Features

Pump Out Station
Bias Boating short walk up road @ 638 Pacific Hwy Belmont

Comments from Tophatters

LMYC at Belmont has a pumpout on the NW corner of the marina but it is usually not working. It has good southerly protection near the Etchell crane. It has good northerly protection on the finger nearest to the carpark and has just enough water to float a Top hat with about 300mm below the keel.

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Rathmines - Kilaben Bay

Features

Public Toilets with Showers (Cold)
Free Electric BBQ
Small Shopping complex less than 1km away, located at Cnr of Rosmary Row and Fishing Point Road Rathmines

Comments:

Its not recommended to leave your boat here overnight and its best to anchor off

Be carefull coming into the inner berths at the F wharf as it get real shallow towards the shore.
Keep close to the end of the wharf as you enter. The inner arm may be to shallow on the shore side.

There is quite a lot of weed there too so be careful to not stir it up and suck it into the water intake. This is another stop for the Belmont Christian School's fast catamaran. You may need to leave space on one of the faces about 8am and 3pm. This ferry creates a charastic low powerful wash that rolls the boat heavily, be careful it doesn't spill the coffee.
There is a public mooring a short distance off the wharf that is made of a railway wheel in about 2.5m of water. Most times you can actually see the wheel as the water is clear here. If the mooring is taken and you have to anchor the mud is poor holding this side of Styles point so I've been told and I've seen power boats having to set anchors time and time again. On the boat ramp side of Styles point I've seen large yachts snugged in the small cove in apparently good holding bottom. The private mooring off the wharf at Styles point is also accompanied by a Coastal Cruising Club of Aust mooring next to it. You may occassionally find other cruising boats on it.
A good spot to anchor is further south in front of the Rathmines Catamaran club. The bottom is good holding in sand and provides protection and a weather shore in westerly winds behind a line of pine trees. The beach shelves quickly so don't approach the beach too fast.

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Styles Point

Features

Pump Out Station

Comments:

It was recommended to me that Styles bay is the only secure rough weather bay in Lake Mac.

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Belmont - Macquarie Street

Features

Coles
Woolworths
Lowes
Many small shops and eateries
Porta Potty Dump Point
MacDiarmid Sails Approx 3 Blocks away @ 3/468 Pacific Highway Belmont http://www.macdiarmidsails.com.au/

Comments

The time limit for berthing at wharves is 2hours in any 24 hour period but this is not heavily policed. The Belmont Christian School ferry, a Fast catamaran, drops off here at about 8am and 3pm on the southern side so please keep it clear. The best side to berth on is the north side and a channel has been dredged there. 25 meters to the north is a very shallow sand bank near the baths. By the way the baths don't have a net on them, just a string of buoys to keep boats out, not sharks. There is a dump point here for "Porta Potties".

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Croudace Bay

Features

Toilets
Bowling Club

Comments

Croudance Bay. Toilets are primitive, smell heaps and are dirty, but ok to dump the portapotty.
Emergency use only and the showers have no heads, but can be used with care.
Don't know what the female side is like, but suspect it maybe the same.
I anchored in soft mud inside the line of the wharf opposite the Bowling Club with 200mm under SEAKA.
Didn't get to try the Club.

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Gwandalan Bowling Club Wharf - Crangan Bay - Not Suitable for Docking TopHat

Features

Bowling Club
Bakery
Chemist
Small Supermarket
Takeaway
Post Office

Comments

The "bowlo" puts on a good lunch at times but its variable I'm told. You can't approach closer than 50m as the bottom shoals with oysters and rocks. There is a special mark to the NE of the wharf showing the edge of the rocky reef. I've cleaned off the fouling from the bottom of the keel here. The only alternative is to anchor off to the south of the wharf and dinghy in.

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Toronto

Features

Cafe's
Lifestyle Marine - http://www.lifestylemarine.com.au/ (Mainly Trailer Boat Parts)
Major Shopping complex short walk Coles/Woolies, BP/Caltex

Comments

This has to be one of the best constructed wharves in the lake. It has good buffers all round it. It is the home of the Classic and Wooden boat fest held every Easter. It is in a park that is adjacent to town and directly off the end of the main drag through town.. The standard time limit of 2 hours in any 24 hour period applies but there is room for about 6 Top Hats moored along the wharf so there is no pressure. It is very open to wash from passing stink boats and the Nor easter.
Toronto has Foreshore Marine adjacent to the wharf that has mainly trailer boat parts and a multiple slip way. They have rental moorings if you need to leave the boat and a bus service connects from the foreshore to Fassifern Station on the Newcastle to Sydney rail line. Trains run about every hour to Sydney.
Toronto is the major financial center for the west lakes. It has Coles, Woolies all the banks. Petrol stations ie BP and Caltex, are a short walk through town.
The wharf is open to the south and south westerlys even though it looks like Coal Pt would protect it and affords no protection. Similarly winds from the NE to the SW effect the wharf.

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Belmont 16footers - 2 Wharfs
Wooden Near Club is TopHat No Go
Pontoon Wharf only accessable if Tide is High enough and Silting up Not Recommended

Features

16 Footers Club

Comments

The fixed wooden wharf nearest the club does not have enough water to float a Top Hat in fact you wont get within about 50m of it before running aground. The pontoon wharf to the east of the club will only just allow you access if the lake is high enough. The best side to berth on is the Eastern side. Currently this is silting up so be careful approaching it. The boat ramp and wharf are for public use.

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Warners Bay - Unable to Dock Top Hat

Features

Shops
Cafe's
Service Station
Ice Creameries

Comments
There is another very short wharf at Warners Bay but you can't get within cooee of it with a Top Hat. You have to anchor off and dinghy in.
Bob Fussell is on the waterfront about 1km west of Warners Bay wharf at the roundabout. He does sail repairs and manufacture, rigging and has a host of useful hardware.

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[Dolphin]

Its also worth mentioning the "F" wharf at Kilaben Bay at the old flying boat base. It has toilets and free electric BBQs and is less than about 1km from a small group of shops at Rathmines. Its not recommended to leave your boat here overnight and its best to anchor off.
It was recommended to me that Styles bay is the only secure rough weather bay in Lake Mac.

LMYC at Belmont has a pumpout on the NW corner of the marina but it is usually not working. It has good southerly protection near the Etchell crane. It has good northerly protection on the finger nearest to the carpark and has just enough water to float a Top hat with about 300mm below the keel.
The Tide Gauge for lake mac is here under the starters hut and can be viewed at ;
http://www.bom.gov.au/fwo/IDN60233/IDN6 ... .plt.shtml

There are no predictable tides in Lake Mac. The lake level is governed by the average height of the ocean and inflow volumes. THe lake level is mostly governed by barometric pressure and wind direction. If a low pressure is over the lake it sucks the water up. In summer if a high pressure system hangs over the Hunter area the lake level will drop significantly drying sand banks and exposing vast areas of weed. Day to day the tidal range is only about 200mm. If there is a strong southerly blowing, the water is blown from the south lake to the north. If this follows a strong blow from the NW which pushes the water to the south part, the lake will "slosh" up and down the lake like when you were a kid in the bath and tried to make the water slosh over the ends.

There is a good wharf at Belmont at the end of Macquarie St. between LMYC and the Belmont 16 footers. It is a stones throw from Belmont Shops where you will find Coles, Aldi, Woolworths, Lowes and many small shops and eateries. The time limit for berthing at wharves is 2hours in any 24 hour period but this is not heavily policed. The Belmont Christian School ferry, a Fast catamaran, drops off here at about 8am and 3pm on the southern side so please keep it clear. The best side to berth on is the north side and a channel has been dredged there. 25 meters to the north is a very shallow sand bank near the baths. By the way the baths don't have a net on them, just a string of buoys to keep boats out, not sharks. There is a dump point here for "Porta Potties". The fisherman love it when you do that!

There are 2 wharves at the Belmont 16s. The fixed wooden wharf nearest the club does not have enough water to float a Top Hat in fact you wont get within about 50m of it before running aground. The pontoon wharf to the east of the club wiil only just allow you access if the lake is high enough. The best side to berth on is the Eastern side. Currently this is silting up so be careful approaching it. The boat ramp and wharf are for public use.

[Phillip]

There are showers [cold] in the toilets at Kilaben bay.

You can book the bridge opening through Lake Macquarie Marine Rescue, contact on Ch 16.

[Brainless]

There are showers [cold] in the toilets at Kilaben bay.

You can book the bridge opening through Lake Macquarie Marine Rescue, contact on Ch 16.

Just to be sure, the toilets and showers are at the F wharf. Correct.

[Dolphin]

I'm not sure about the Styles pt Toilets having showers but there are none that I remember at Killaben Bay F wharf.

More on Wharfs.
The Croudace Bay wharf is good. Bear and Phillip should be able to give you more info. There is a bowling club here that you can get a good dinner at.
Ryan, what about the wharf at Wangi on the South side adjacent to the boat ramp. That is a short walk from the shops. its a handy pickup point for transfering people to Pulbah Is.

There is another very short wharf at Warners Bay but you can't get within cooee of it with a Top Hat. You have to anchor off and dinghy in.
Bob Fussell is on the waterfront about 1km west of Warners Bay wharf at the roundabout. He does sail repairs and manufacture, rigging and has a host of useful hardware.

Another note for LMYC.
Bias Boating is located directly up the hill, a short walk from the yacht club. Go up Ada st and past the Gunyah hotel, turn left at the highway.

Another note for Macquarie St Wharf at Belmont.
Macdiarmid sails are about three blocks from the wharf.

[Brainless]

Thanks for the info keep it coming, I am currently in Mudgee and when I get back I will add the wharfs that you have suggested along with info about wharfs not to try

In regards to the wharf on the southern side of wangi I have never pulled up on it nor been there in my tinny, do you know if there is enough water under it to support a tophat?

[Phillip]

There are clean working showers at the F Wharf.

Be carefull coming into the inner berths at the F wharf as it get real shallow towards the shore.
Keep close to the end of the wharf as you enter. The inner arm may be to shallow on the shore side.

Croudance Bay. Toilets are primitive, smell heaps and are dirty, but ok to dump the portapotty.
Emergency use only and the showers have no heads, but can be used with care.
Don't know what the female side is like, but suspect it maybe the same.
I anchored in soft mud inside the line of the wharf opposite the Bowling Club with 200mm under SEAKA.
Didn't get to try the Club.

[Dolphin]

re the F wharf,
I agree with Phillip the F wharf is shallow. There is quite a lot of weed there too so be careful to not stir it up and suck it into the water intake. This is another stop for the Belmont Christian School's fast catamaran. You may need to leave space on one of the faces about 8am and 3pm. This ferry creates a charastic low powerful wash that rolls the boat heavily, be careful it doesn't spill the coffee.
There is a public mooring a short distance off the wharf that is made of a railway wheel in about 2.5m of water. Most times you can actually see the wheel as the water is clear here. If the mooring is taken and you have to anchor the mud is poor holding this side of Styles point so I've been told and I've seen power boats having to set anchors time and time again. On the boat ramp side of Styles point I've seen large yachts snugged in the small cove in apparently good holding bottom. The private mooring off the wharf at Styles point is also accompanied by a Coastal Cruising Club of Aust mooring next to it. You may occassionally find other cruising boats on it.
A good spot to anchor is further south in front of the Rathmines Catamaran club. The bottom is good holding in sand and provides protection and a weather shore in westerly winds behind a line of pine trees. The beach shelves quickly so don't approach the beach too fast.

Gwandan Bowling Club Wharf. (Crangan Bay)
The "bowlo" puts on a good lunch at times but its variable I'm told. You can't approach closer than 50m as the bottom shoals with oysters and rocks. There is a special mark to the NE of the wharf showing the edge of the rocky reef. I've cleaned off the fouling from the bottom of the keel here. The only alternative is to anchor off to the south of the wharf and dinghy in.

Toronto Wharf.
This has to be one of the best constructed wharves in the lake. It has good buffers all round it. It is the home of the Classic and Wooden boat fest held every Easter. It is in a park that is adjacent to town and directly off the end of the main drag through town.. The standard time limit of 2 hours in any 24 hour period applies but there is room for about 6 Top Hats moored along the wharf so there is no pressure. It is very open to wash from passing stink boats and the Nor easter.
Toronto has Foreshore Marine adjacent to the wharf that has mainly trailer boat parts and a multiple slip way. They have rental moorings if you need to leave the boat and a bus service connects from the foreshore to Fassifern Station on the Newcastle to Sydney rail line. Trains run about every hour to Sydney.
Toronto is the major financial center for the west lakes. It has Coles, Woolies all the banks. Petrol stations ie BP and Caltex, are a short walk through town.
The wharf is open to the south and south westerlys even though it looks like Coal Pt would protect it and affords no protection. Similarly winds from the NE to the SW effect the wharf.

(The ice creamery has closed down so there is no longer any need for us to make the trip across the lake (don't put that in Ryan)