Inskip Point

Inskip Point is the sandy finger of land north of Rainbow Beach that points at the southern tip of K'gari, with the Wide Bay Bar entrance between them. Its beaches face the deep channel where the Great Sandy Strait meets the ocean, so every tide pushes bait, tailor, dart and trevally past within casting range. The sheltered estuary shore on the western side adds flathead and whiting. It is also where the K'gari barges load, so the beach can feel like a car park with a view.

Fish the northern beach on the run-in and around the top of the tide, with pilchards or strip baits on ganged hooks for tailor at dawn and dusk and small baits or worms in the gutters for dart and whiting. Cast metal slugs and poppers into the channel for trevally when the bait is up. Mulloway are a night fish on big baits around the deeper channel edges. On the western shore, fish soft plastics on the drop-offs for flathead as the tide falls.

Tailor are 35 cm (possession 20) and swallowtail dart 30 cm (30). Sand whiting are 23 cm (combined 30) and dusky flathead 40–75 cm (5). Trevally have no size limit but a combined possession of 20. Mulloway are 75 cm with a possession limit of 2.

The water around Inskip Point is in the Great Sandy Strait conservation park (yellow) zone of Great Sandy Marine Park — max 2 rods or handlines and 2 hooks in total per person. Cowra Point, across the strait to the west, is a green zone with no fishing at all. Camping in the Inskip Peninsula Recreation Area needs a QPWS camping permit, and dogs must be on a leash.

Inskip Point is about 13–15 km north of Rainbow Beach by road. The road reaches the recreation area by conventional vehicle; the beaches and the point itself are 4WD territory, and QPWS has closed and moved tracks after severe erosion — check the current Inskip park alerts before you go. Erosion has squeezed the barge-landing tracks into a single lane, and QPWS advises driving them only within about two hours of low tide. Pedestrians can walk the beaches.

The northern beach faces the Wide Bay Bar channel and catches swell and wind from the north and east, while the western shore is sheltered estuary. The current through the channel is strong mid-tide. South-easterlies are offshore on the northern beach and clean it up.

Inskip Point is prone to sudden nearshore landslides, where a large body of sand slumps into the channel and the shoreline moves inland fast. QPWS keeps a buffer zone along the coast with no camping or vehicles; stay out of it with your car, fish back from the edge of any fresh scarp, and leave if the sand starts to crack. QPWS posts marine stinger warnings for the area. Crocodiles are rare this far south, but a vagrant was reported at Inskip in February 2025; report any sighting on 1300 130 372. Watch for 4WDs and barge traffic on the beach.

Yes. It is in a conservation park (yellow) zone of Great Sandy Marine Park, with max 2 rods or handlines and 2 hooks in total per person.

It is prone to sudden nearshore landslides. Keep out of the QPWS buffer zone with vehicles and tents, fish back from fresh scarps, and check the park alerts before you go.

Tailor, dart, whiting, flathead, golden trevally and GTs, with mulloway at night around the channel.