Townsville Coast and Rivers


Cape Cleveland Lighthouse

Palleranda Boat Ramp

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Garmin Etrex 20x GPS

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The Garmin Etrex 20x is a lightweight and compact GPS unit designed and constructed to be waterproof to IPX7 standards and holds up to a bit of rough handling.  The unit is powered by two AA batteries, which provide sufficient power for 2 full days of kayaking.  Furthermore this unit has mapping capabilities, is highly customisable and has all the functionality a kayaker could want in a GPS unit. The unit has a 3.5 x 4.4 cm colour display which is clean and crisp and can be backlit to improve visibility.  There are five buttons placed along the vertical edges and a joystick style thumb button mounted on the front face for scrolling, inputting and selecting.  When I was choosing a GPS device for kayaking, I ruled out the touchscreen devices right away as touchscreens don’t work very well when wet and they also have a lower battery life. There are rubberized covers on all of the buttons along with sealable covers for the battery compartment and USB ...
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Yanks Jetty

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Yanks Jetty is the name given to a floating pontoon positioned approximately 2km from the southern tip of Orpheus Island.   This area was the original site of an American WW2 Degaussing (demagnetising) Station for allied ships and submarines, hence the name.  It is located approximately 20.5 km from the Forrest  Beach Boat Ramp and has the following GPS coordinates  S18 39 04.2 E146 29 12.0  Google Maps Link. The pontoon consists of a 18 x 9 metre platform with an attached gangway connecting it to the beach.  There is a centrally shaded area containing several picnic tables and a snorkeling platform with easy access ladders.  The entire structure is moored approximately 55m from the shoreline on the edge of the surrounding reef.   There is a National Parks Camp Site located approximately 200m south of the pontoon where basic facilities such as a composting pit toilet and picnic tables are provided.  There used to be a gas BBQ at the c...
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Loading a Sea Kayak for an Expedition

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Despite their relatively small size, a sea kayak can carry an amazing amount of gear. One of the big draws of sea kayaking is that you can go and explore some of the most beautiful, wild and remote parts of the coast, for days or even weeks at a time and still live in relative comfort. The good thing about packing a sea kayak is that there are three hatches to stuff full of gear and there will usually be enough free space to pack a few luxuries (a little extra weight will still float just fine). The bad thing is the hatches are awkward shapes and nothing fits in them easily. Keeping Your Gear Dry The sealed hatches of a modern sea kayak are generally water-tight. However, leaks do happen. Your first line of defense against water ingress is to check that your kayak hatches are in good order and correctly fitted before setting off.  As a secondary precaution, dry bags or waterproof containers can be utilised to keep your gear dry. I use the general rule that if you ...
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