Woodgate Uncovered – Paul Chew 2017

It’s funny how time plays tricks on our memory, as my earliest recollection of Woodgate Beach was riding in the family’s XC Falcon, on a day trip that seemed to take forever to get there, a quick swim and chips on the beach, and the trip home also took an eternity.

Quite recently a good mate has taken over managing one of the local drinking establishments, so a few months ago we decided to go for a drive and see what had changed in the years since I had last been there.

The simple answer was, not a lot had changed, which is the main draw card for a lot of the return visitors here.

Situated about 3.5 hours from Brisbane, and 40 minutes from Bundaberg, Woodgate Beach resident population of around 1000, swells to 4000 during holiday times, and visiting this sleepy seaside town is like turning back the clock twenty years, in a good way.

It’s a place that is super dog friendly, which suits us to a tee, with the morning walk along the beach entailing frequent stops to say hi to other walkers up early to see the break of a new day.

Most of the establishments there have water bowls for the dogs to make them feel at home also.

The hotel also has some permanent leads attached to posts on the deck so you can sit outside with them.

Also everyone we have encountered do the right thing with their dogs, picking up after them, and having them on the leads at the appropriate places.

The off leash areas can be easily found on the Bundaberg Council’s website.

With kilometres of paved pathways along the top of the beach, hours can be spent riding or walking the dogs just taking in the views.

Whether you pop into the Tourist park café, the take away store for a milkshake, the bowls club or Woodgate Beach Hotel for a refreshing ale, the days just seem to slip by here, and you find the stresses of everyday life falling far behind you.

There are miles of national parks,  4WD tracks to explore, easy beach driving, with no permit required, and plenty of birdwatching available.

Fishing options

As far as fishing options go, Woodgate has plenty of options at your fingertips. With boat ramps opposite the Woodgate Beach Hotel (currently undergoing renovation), Theodolite Creek and at Walkers Point, launching into the Burrum River, there is always somewhere to escape the wind if it’s blowing.

With the Woodgate Artificial out front, and the gutters not too far, a feed of reef fish or mackerel is normally pretty easy to come by.

There is also good winter whiting and prawns close in during the cooler months.

Theodolite Creek holds a good variety of fish, with mangrove jack, barramundi, as well as plenty of bream, whiting and flathead for those in the know.

Also on a recent trip, queenfish and trevally were in plague proportions, and while not huge fish, so long as you found a bit of deep water, there were plenty there to keep you occupied.

The Zman 2.5″ Grubz and Slimswimz proving impossible for them to resist and being durable, landed plenty of fish before they needed changing.

As always, good fresh bait, and fishing early of a morning and late in the evening will put you in with a good chance of a fish.

Yabbies are easily pumped near the boat ramp once the tide drops a bit.

Fishing the mouth of the creek as the tide floods in should see you with a feed of bread and butter species, while pushing up into the top reaches will see you tangling with a few jacks and barra, and the odd trevally, and plenty of queenfish.

Early mornings are the go, with a small surface popper thrown along the mangrove edges, on a rising tide, should see plenty of action, with small paddle tail soft plastics, or prawn imitations like the Zman EZE Shrimpz will work a treat.

Fishing in the creek seems to be best a couple hours either side of high tide, as its by far easier to navigate the shallow creek.

From half tide down, the creek fades into shallow runs, interspersed with deeper holes in the upper reaches, while down towards the mouth you could wade for miles flicking a lure for a flathead.

Plenty has been written on fishing the Burrum, but jacks, barra, grunter and whiting are all available within a kilometre of the Walkers Point ramp.

Soft plastics are the easiest way I find to land a fish here, with the Zman 3″ Minnowz a great choice. Suspending hard bodies also account for plenty of fish fished slow and twitched down into the timber. Just be wary of the rock bars as you head upstream as there are plenty to bring you unstuck at low tide.

Fishing the Burrum is best from half tide down, to low and then often a short bite period just as the tide starts to run in.

Without doubt the easiest fishing at Woodgate is the humble beach fishing, and many anglers can be seen out early, casting freshly pumped yabbies into the surf.

Whiting, bream, tarwhine, and dart are regular captures, just remember to only take what you need for a feed, as cricket scores of dart are reasonably common once you find them.

Just of note, if you are taking the dogs in the boat, always take plenty of fresh water for them, particularly in summer, as is can get steamy up the creek, particularly if you let them out for a run on the sand banks as we often do.

We also now carry a short hose and fittings, to give them a wash down at the shelter sheds at Theodolite Creek after a paddle or ride in the boat.

Be sure to save the 15th September for the Woodgate Beach Hotel Fishing competition, as it’ll be an awesome weekend with loads of great prizes.

While there will be prizes for the biggest species in several categories, the emphasis on the competition will be on family fun and there will be lots of lucky draw prizes just for entering. We will be there with the puppies so come say hi if you see us.

Earlier this year, we were lucky enough to catch up with new business owners Lani and Les Chalmers, who have recently opened Woodgate Beach Kayak and Paddle Board Hire. We spent a great morning with them, and with some great one on one coaching managed to get both our Bull Mastiff pups onto the board solo. I can’t recommend these guys enough, friendly, knowledgeable and patient, with some great gear for hire.

It was without doubt the highlight of the weekend for us. With two sites approved for use, in front of the caravan park for more experienced users, and Theodolite Creek for more calm water paddling, they have the best of both worlds. Recently they have started up early morning Sunrise Kayak tours.

It’s a great way to spend a morning, and as I mentioned earlier, their experience and patience with the dogs was invaluable.

It’s amazing to see how much the dogs love the boards, with our two now just walking up onto the boards when we get there after just a couple of outings.

Hopefully our next trip to Woodgate will be for a week, where we can take the time to relax fully, wear the dogs out on the beach morning and evening, and catch a few fish and crabs as well.

A coffee from one of the beachside cafes watching the sun come up, and a few beers and garlic prawn pizza on the deck at the Hotel of an afternoon, life could hardly be more relaxing.

If you are looking for an affordable relaxing getaway, that is super dog friendly, you will go a long way before you find somewhere that fits the bill like Woodgate Beach.

Feel free to say hi if you see me out and about with the puppies, they are pretty hard to miss. Till next time.