Quobba (Quobba Station / Blowholes / Camp Rock)

Quobba is a working pastoral lease on the Gascoyne coast roughly 75 km north of Carnarvon, and it is the most famous land-based game fishery in the country. The cliffs run north from the Quobba Blowholes — a separate DBCA-managed reserve at the southern end of the road — past the station homestead and on toward Red Bluff, all of it Indian Ocean wall with bait pushing tight to the rocks. Anglers drive eleven hours from Perth to balloon live and dead baits off platforms like Camp Rock, The Ledge and High Rock for Spanish mackerel, samson and the occasional sailfish or cobia. The 'King Waves Kill' sign at the Blowholes T-intersection is not decorative; the cliffs have a long history of fatalities.

Cliff-top ballooning is the headline: a gas balloon carries a wire-traced, float-rigged garfish or live bait 100–200 metres downwind, then a southerly seabreeze drifts it across the bait schools and a Spanish mackerel cleans it up. Spinning large stickbaits and metal lures off the platforms produces samson, GTs and queenfish in summer and autumn. Bottom-bouncing whole squid or fillet baits from the lower ledges takes spangled emperor, pink snapper and the occasional jumbo dhufish in calmer windows. Beach gutters between rocky sections fish for tailor and mulloway in autumn with ganged mulies into dusk. Always watch a platform for several minutes before committing — the swell windows are short and the rocks are unforgiving.

Spanish mackerel and samson fish are the headline ballooning targets, with GTs and queenfish through the warmer months. Spangled emperor and pink snapper come off the lower ledges, with tailor and mulloway from beach gutters in autumn and squid in calmer pockets. Cobia, broadbar mackerel and the rare sailfish turn up off the cliffs in summer.

Treat the cliffs like a workplace, not a holiday — life jacket, partner, anchor lines on exposed platforms and a clear retreat plan. The station has a stainless safety wire along sections of the cliff edge and anchor points at High Rock; use them. Avoid the Blowholes lookout itself for fishing — the platform is high, the swell is unpredictable and several deaths have occurred there. Talk to the station office or the Carnarvon tackle shops before committing to an unfamiliar ledge.

Sealed road from Carnarvon along the North West Coastal Highway and Blowholes Road for around an hour to the T-intersection at the Blowholes. Quobba Station campground is roughly 14 km north on a station-maintained gravel road suitable for 2WD in dry conditions. Access to the cliff platforms beyond the station is unsealed 4WD station track and tyre deflation is sensible. Quobba Station charges nightly camping and entry fees; book through the station directly. The Blowholes Eco Reserve is separately managed by the Shire/DBCA. Drive from Perth is around 11 hours via the North West Coastal Highway with the last stretch by Carnarvon. Fuel and supplies in Carnarvon — none on the station road.

Full unfiltered Indian Ocean swell with no shelter — 2 m+ days make the lower platforms unworkable and 3 m days make the upper platforms questionable. Easterly mornings give the cleanest air for ballooning and the calmest water for stickbait work; a strong southerly afternoon seabreeze drifts the balloons across the productive water. Tidal range is roughly 1.5–2 m, larger than Perth, and concentrates bait through the rising tide. The Leeuwin Current keeps the water warm into winter, which is why mackerel and emperor stay around outside the typical tropical window. Cyclone season runs roughly November to April.

The 'King Waves Kill' sign reflects a real and ongoing risk — the cliffs have killed many anglers and a single rogue set can lift over a platform without warning. Wear a life jacket on every ledge, fish with a partner, watch the swell for ten minutes before committing and walk away when it looks wrong. Sharks are constant off the cliffs and tax hooked fish heavily, particularly when shark mackerel are running. Sun exposure and remoteness compound any problem — the nearest hospital is in Carnarvon, an hour back down the road. There are no crocodiles this far south.

Treated with respect, yes. Treated casually, no. The cliffs have a long history of fatalities and a rogue swell set will lift over a low ledge without warning. Wear a life jacket, fish with a partner, watch the swell before committing and accept that some days are not fishable. The station provides anchor points and safety wire on parts of the cliff — use them.

Quobba Station is a privately operated working pastoral lease and campground; nightly camping fees and an entry/access fee apply, payable at the station. The neighbouring Quobba Blowholes Eco Reserve is separately managed and has its own arrangements. Book the station directly before driving up — the campground fills in school holidays and weather windows.

No. Quobba sits in the Gascoyne Coast Bioregion, north of the closure boundary at Kalbarri. Gascoyne demersal rules apply: a 5-fish mixed demersal bag with emperors capped at 3 per day. Always verify current DPIRD rules before targeting demersals — the rules and bioregion boundaries have shifted in recent years.

Don't. The Blowholes platform is high, the swell is unpredictable and the area has accounted for multiple deaths. The 'King Waves Kill' sign sits at the T-intersection for a reason. Drive on to the station-managed cliff platforms further north where the safety wire and anchor points are set up for fishing.