First trip to Gnaraloo

We are heading up to Gnaraloo Station this weekend for 6 nights, camping at 3 Mile Camp. Will have the yaks, as well as a 3.8m tinny. I'll be looking to head out wide and troll, say 1-3km out, as well as work plastics, lures and jigs around the inshore structure, what's around up there at the moment, and what do i need to know about the place? Any info would be great, i realise it will probably be breezy a lot of the time, blowing SSE mostly, so i'm expecting that. What's the 3 Mile Camp like? Is it rocky or sandy for the tent pegs!?

 

Any info or experiences would be great!!


just dhu it's picture

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rocky

Mon, 2010-09-13 18:28

Albee , yep three mile is okay for the surfys with all the reef and swell breaks , but there are some good areas you can get to , and the inshore reef hold up some good tailor.  ptherwise head up to the bay , north of the homestead, good protected bay and lots of bommies etc and channel out to the passage, this area would be alot more suitable, just keep an eye out for the santuary zones ,, enjoy

Albee Mangles's picture

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Cheers Mate

Mon, 2010-09-13 18:30

Yeah saw the Sanctuary Zones, take a fair slab of good ground out of the equation! Whats the bay like at 3 Mile? Is there a channel out at all, even a dodgy one.. lol

 

MJ's picture

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3 Mile Camp

Mon, 2010-09-13 18:35

3 Mile camp is a great spot to stay but it will be hit and miss with the weather at this time of the year. Take the snorkling gear and go for a swim at the northern end of the beach you will be amazed what is swimming around in that little section - low tide is best. Launching the tinny is interesting be careful not to get caught outside the reef if the weather picks up as this spot is very reefy and is well known as one of the Australia's best surf breaks for good reason.I would drag the boat up to Gnaraloo Bay and launch there but spend plenty of time observing the wave patterns before you get commited.

 

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sea-kem's picture

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Yep go the bay. Some of the

Mon, 2010-09-13 20:19

Yep go the bay. Some of the stuff we saw swimming around in there was awsome. We had a sailfish swim right past the boat coming back into the bay while trolling, headed for the lures but got spooked at the last moment. Skies the limit I reckon if you put in the time. You'll have a ball.

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Love the West!

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3-mile

Mon, 2010-09-13 20:22

3 mile is obviously well set up for the camper... the ground is reasonably compacted for the tent pegs, you should have no issue there.

some prefer the slots up by the windbreak at the southern end of the camp, esp if the wind is blowing

there is a shop which provides the usual essentials if you need them, like fire wood, beers, snacks etc at normal shop prices.

the toilet blocks (2 of them) have hot showers in the evening, they start the fires for those about 3pm

a different  (at similar price) option to camping at 3-mile is the swag cabanas at the homested - these are partially finished buildings, or there is the shearing shed.

 or lux it up in the new cabanas and a couple hundo a night for up to 3 people - nice luxury for place so remote - hot and cold fresh water showers, new kitchens,  parking spot for boat outside cabana etc

enjoy the trip - its a pretty awesome place to experience

 

Albee Mangles's picture

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Cheers guys,

Mon, 2010-09-13 20:38

some good info there, appreciate it. We have one of the sites on the right where the track down to the beach at the north end is, so will probably cop a bit of the sou easter there i'd expect, better view tho!

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wind

Tue, 2010-09-14 13:57

Gnaraloo is about wind - no getting away from it.... though its interesting in normal conditions that the wind only kicks in from about 10am in the morning

if you launch the boat from the bay (its about 8km north of 3-mile) then you can always use the fish gutting area at Gnaraloo homestead on the way back through - makes life easier gutting those big red emperor that are a favourite catch. 

scotto's picture

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cool place

Tue, 2010-09-14 14:26

as everyone else has said.... 

 

the 3 mile is awesome. my advice is to take a good rake or shovel to level out your sleeping area, especially if you are there for a while, as it sucks sleeping on the piss (not level), and extra guy ropes and pegs are a necessity often forgotten.

 

there are heaps of good places to fish from a yak, just gotta make sure the swell is low enough to do it safely. i've seen some BIIIIIGGG noahs up there too, so dont fall off.  my opinion would be head to the bay, and a few k's north of there (inside the reef) is some pretty nice looking bombies. use google earth for some rough way points. you could even drive down to the bluff and fish north or south of there on your yak. again, watch the turtle sanctuary (north of bluff) if you do that one.

Albee Mangles's picture

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Awesome guys cheers

Tue, 2010-09-14 15:11

for the great info. I've done a bit of research but its always good to get a heads up by those who have been there.

 

Scotto i know what you mean about the sharks, and when fishing areas like this, i have the Shark Shield with me at all times, rarely fish with bait if at all, and limit the berley. Looking forward to getting up there sunday, and getting out into it! New ground for me, lets hope i can nail a few decent fish, an Emporer from the yak would be nice!

 

What depths do you start to see a few Red Emps? Howe far out in the bay does it start to get deep?

chookc's picture

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I was under the impression you were

Tue, 2010-09-14 16:03

Not allowed to fish inside the bay and you are not allowed to fillet get rid of you fish carcases bait etc inside the bay. 

This is also to keep those big noahs from coming to close to the beach launch ramp as well..

scotto's picture

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yep, thats

Tue, 2010-09-14 16:39

correct. theres a big sign at the ramp telling everyone so.

Albee Mangles's picture

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Not sure about that..

Tue, 2010-09-14 18:45

Pretty sure you can fish all the way around the bay from east and straight out from a point about where the boatramp is, looking at the Ningaloo Sanctuary Zones Maps on that site, i understand the carcases rule, i think theres a filleting station at the station! Isn't that a rule for the Ningaloo Marine Park in general?

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filleting at the station

Wed, 2010-09-15 17:57

there is defo a filleting area at Gnaraloo station, its on the bay side of the station, so on your way back from the bayyou will see it once you come through the gate, up where the big trees are.

just be careful on the weather, the seas can get pretty choppy from end of Aug onwards - hopefully you get lucky cos if you get out then i am sure you will catch some great reds or mackies

Moohan's picture

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Not sure if you've left yet,

Fri, 2010-09-17 21:55

Not sure if you've left yet, but Red Bluff isn't far to drive from Three Mile and would be an easy option to launch a Yak. Protected inside the bay when the Southerlies whip up, and trolling outside the point, though I'd imagine you might do ok trolling inside the point too. Plenty of Spangs and the odd Baldchin close in too.