Singing Bridge (Myall River)

The Singing Bridge is the 304-metre road crossing of the Myall River between Tea Gardens and Hawks Nest — a concrete box girder span opened in 1974 that hums in a stiff westerly, which is where the name comes from. For land-based anglers the draw is the structure: bridge pylons, oyster-crusted timber, deep channels scoured by a hard tidal flow, and sandy edges where whiting and flathead sit. It is one of the few marks in the lower Myall you can reach on foot and still fish genuine current and depth, which is why it has a long reputation for bream, dusky flathead and whiting. The river funnels bait through the span on every tide change, and the fish know it. The fishing is done from the banks, the abutments and the foreshore either side — fishing from the bridge deck is not permitted.

Locals fish the incoming tide here, top to bottom — the rising water pushes clean bait in from Port Stephens and switches the bream and whiting on. Bait anglers work the pylons and the channel edges from the bank with live or fresh school prawn, yabbies pumped off the low-tide flats, and squid strips, drifting baits down the current rather than anchoring them dead. The lure crowd does well in the warmer months casting small surface poppers and walk-the-dog stickbaits across the shallow sand flats at first light for whiting and flathead, then switching to soft plastics and shallow hard-bodies parallel to the structure. Either side of the bridge fishes; pick the bank the current is feeding bait against and let the run do the work.

Yellowfin bream are the year-round mainstay, best on the run-in and through low light. Dusky flathead come on the sand and channel edges from spring into autumn, with surface lures drawing genuinely violent strikes in the warm months. Sand whiting school over the flats through summer and take poppers and live yabbies. Luderick move through in the cooler months for float anglers fishing green weed along the structure. Mulloway hold in the deeper holes around the bridge and fire on tide changes, especially after dark, while tailor push up around the oyster leases on the rising tide through much of the year.

The incoming tide is the one to plan around — set up an hour or two before the top and you will get the better bite. Fish the banks, the old abutments and the foreshore either side, because fishing from the bridge deck is not permitted and the walkways are there for walking. The Myall River sits inside the Port Stephens–Great Lakes Marine Park and there is a no-take sanctuary zone in both directions: the Jimmys Beach Sanctuary Zone about 1.2km downstream toward the river mouth, and the Myall River Sanctuary Zone roughly 3km upstream, both closed to fishing by any method. Neither is far in a boat or a long walk along the bank, so check the marine park zoning map or the FishSmart NSW app before you move off this mark. This bridge is a named boundary in the Port Stephens gear rules — the hoop-net closure runs to its downstream side, so check the DPIRD closures before you put any net in this river. Mulloway are 70 cm minimum with a bag of one per person, plus a boat limit of two per boat per day when two or more people are aboard. Keep your distance from anyone already set up under the span; it is a popular family spot and the good bank only holds so many lines. The deeper holes give up better mulloway than most people expect for a roadside mark, so it is worth a night session on a tide change.

Park on the Tea Gardens bank where the western abutment meets the river frontage, or at Moira Parade Reserve on the Hawks Nest side, a short walk from the eastern end. From there the bridge walkways and the foreshore are a flat, easy stroll of a few hundred metres on sealed paths, which makes this one of the more mobility-friendly marks in the region. The bridge carries two 1.5-metre pedestrian walkways, but fishing from the deck is not permitted, so the rods come out on the banks and the abutments. With public toilets at the Hawks Nest reserve, grass, shade and calm water close by, it is a genuinely kid-friendly spot to put a bait out.

This is sheltered estuary water, so swell is never the issue — wind and tide are. The river fishes best on a clean incoming tide with light wind; a strong westerly will have the railings singing and chop the surface enough to put the topwater bite down. Heavy freshwater after big rain is the real spoiler: the lower Myall can run dirty and deoxygenated after a big flood, so give it time to clear and flush before you bother. On a settled day with a rising tide and overcast light, it fishes about as reliably as estuary fishing gets.

This is calm estuary fishing, so the risks are the small ones that still ruin a day. The pylons and edges are thick with oysters — wear closed shoes and watch your hands, because oyster cuts on this river are a near-certainty if you are careless. The tidal current under the bridge runs hard on the big tides and is no place for kids to swim or wade unsupervised. The bridge carries road traffic and fishing from its deck is not permitted, so keep gear and casts well clear of the carriageway and treat the walkways as a route to the bank, not a platform. Watch for boat traffic in the channel, slap on sunscreen for the open foreshore, and after summer rain keep an eye out for bluebottles blown up the river from the heads.

Mainly yellowfin bream, dusky flathead and sand whiting, with luderick through the cooler months and mulloway in the deeper holes on the tide changes. Bream are the year-round staple; whiting and flathead are best from spring through autumn. You will need a NSW Recreational Fishing Fee to fish here, as you do anywhere in NSW.

The incoming tide is the one locals fish — the rising water pushes clean bait in from Port Stephens and switches the bream and whiting on. Aim to be set up an hour or two before the top of the tide. Low light on a rising tide is the prime window.

No — fishing from the bridge deck is not permitted. The two 1.5-metre pedestrian walkways are there to get you across, and the fishing is done from the banks, the abutments and the foreshore either side, which is where the current and the structure are anyway. Keep casts and gear clear of the road and watch for boat traffic in the channel below.

Yes. There is parking on the Tea Gardens bank at the western abutment, and Moira Parade Reserve on the Hawks Nest side is a short walk from the eastern end with parking and public toilets. The flat sealed paths make it an easy and kid-friendly spot, and the bank fishing starts a few steps away.

Dusky flathead have a slot limit of 36 to 70cm in NSW, with a daily bag limit of 5. Any fish over 70cm must be released, as the big females are the best breeders. Carry a brag mat and a NSW Recreational Fishing Fee, and check the current rules on the NSW DPIRD FishSmart app before you keep anything.