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Packrafting in Queensland

The Queensland flat-water centrepiece is the upper Noosa River, better known as the Noosa Everglades. The water is stained dark amber by the wallum heathland it drains, and on a still morning it holds a reflection sharp enough to fool a camera.

7 trip guides

Lake Somerset seen from The Spit picnic area near Somerset Dam, south-east QueenslandQLDShiftchange, CC0

Packrafting Lake Somerset

Lake Somerset is a large water storage on the Stanley River in the Somerset Region of south-east Queensland, about an hour and a half north-west of Brisbane. It sits upstream of Lake Wivenhoe, and the two dams work together for water supply and flood mitigation on the Brisbane River.

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Dead tree trunks from the forest drowned around 1958 standing above the surface of Lake Tinaroo, Atherton Tablelands, QueenslandQLDVmenkov, CC BY-SA 3.0

Packrafting Lake Tinaroo

Lake Tinaroo is the large reservoir behind Tinaroo Falls Dam on the Barron River, up on the Atherton Tablelands in far north Queensland. Its long, branching shoreline of bays and inlets sits among farmland, rainforest and state forest, with the air noticeably cooler than on the coast below.

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The Brisbane River at Moggill, seen across the water from Joseph Brady Park at Barellan Point, QueenslandQLDKerry Raymond, CC BY 4.0

Packrafting the Brisbane River

The Brisbane River runs out of the ranges north-west of the city, through Wivenhoe Dam, and down a long farming valley past Fernvale and Lowood before it turns tidal and winds through Brisbane to Moreton Bay. The stretch below the dam is the part worth a packraft.

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The Logan River looking downstream from the old bridge at Jimboomba Lions Park, south-east QueenslandQLDShiftchange, CC0

Packrafting the Logan River

The Logan River rises in the Scenic Rim ranges on the Queensland and New South Wales border and runs north past Rathdowney, Beaudesert and Jimboomba, through Logan City, to southern Moreton Bay. It is a winding rural river for most of its length, turning tidal and wide in its lower reaches south of Brisbane.

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The sandy bank of the Maroochy River estuary at Cotton Tree on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, under a grey skyQLDKgbo, CC BY-SA 4.0

Packrafting the Maroochy River

The Maroochy River drains the hinterland behind the Sunshine Coast, running from the ranges west of Yandina through cane country and mangroves to the sea at Maroochydore and Cotton Tree. For most of its lower length it is a tidal estuary, wide, shallow and slow.

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The Mary River looking north from the Kidd Bridge at Gympie, Queensland, between tree-lined banksQLDSue Allen, CC BY-SA 3.0

Packrafting the Mary River

The Mary River rises in the ranges behind the Sunshine Coast hinterland and runs north through Kenilworth, Gympie, Tiaro and Maryborough to the Great Sandy Strait. Through the Kenilworth and Gympie country it is a winding rural river of long pools, gravel runs and deep, tree-lined banks.

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Tannin-dark water and paperbarks on the upper Noosa River, the Noosa EvergladesQLDBernard Spragg, CC0

The Noosa Everglades by packraft

The upper Noosa River sits inside the Cooloola section of Great Sandy National Park, Queensland, under a name that surprises people: the Noosa Everglades. It is often described as one of only two everglades systems in the world. Tannins from the surrounding wallum heathland and paperbarks stain the water dark amber, and on a calm morning it holds a near-perfect reflection of sky and tree line. The colour, the stillness and the way the river narrows as it reaches into the park make this one of the more striking multi-day paddles in south-east Queensland.

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About paddling in Queensland

The route runs up through Lake Cootharaba into the narrowing river inside Great Sandy National Park, with campsites strung along the upper reaches. Permits and camp bookings are managed by the park, so the trip takes planning rather than luck. The paddling itself is calm and unhurried, which is exactly what a touring packraft is for. Heat is the hazard to respect: start early, carry water, and treat the afternoon sea breeze on the lake crossing with caution. A Seeka Solo, Tourer or Duo all suit this water.

The Noosa Everglades in numbers

The Upper Noosa River waterway runs 27.7 km one way, from Lake Cootharaba north into the Noosa River system. Queensland Parks suggest allowing about five hours of paddling for the full run.

Launch from the Elanda Point car park, reachable in a 2WD. Kinaba Information Centre is 4.5 km across the lake. From there the river carries you past Fig Tree Point and Harrys Hut to a chain of numbered campsites running up to campsite 15.

Cross Lake Cootharaba early in the morning, when it is most likely to be calm, and stay close to the shoreline as you head north. Past campsite 3, motorboats must run on electric motors, so the upper reaches stay peaceful.

Camping permits and park rules

Book your Upper Noosa River campsite online with Queensland Parks before you launch. Advance bookings are recommended for holiday periods.

Upstream sites such as campsite 4 are river-access camping for canoes, kayaks and electric-motor boats only. Mobile coverage is generally not available, so download your booking and tell someone your plan before you launch.

Look after the riverbanks. Land only at defined canoe landing sites or jetties and respect the no-landing zone. Where there are no facilities, tie your packraft up rather than dragging it over the fragile sedges. Treat all water before you drink it.

Park alerts cover jetty works, pest control and access changes in Cooloola. Read them the week you go.

Seasons, storms and heat

Plan around summer storms and the official tropical cyclone season, which runs from November to April. Queensland Parks warn that during and after heavy rain, creeks can rise fast with strong currents, and that park waters are not patrolled.

Whatever the season, start early, carry plenty of water, and be off the open lake before the afternoon breeze builds.

Crocodile country starts at Gladstone

Estuarine crocodile habitat begins near Gladstone and runs north to the Torres Strait, across Cape York and through the Gulf of Carpentaria. The Queensland Government says crocodiles can be in any waterway, and the sea, in that area.

Its advice for boaters is direct: avoid kayaks, paddleboards and other small craft in crocodile habitat, because the smaller and less stable the craft, the greater the risk. Never bring any craft within 10 metres of a crocodile.

That makes the south-east the place for a packraft. Noosa, the Brisbane River, the Maroochy and the Mary all sit well south of Gladstone, and the trip guides on this page cover them.

Official links

Rules, closures and fees change. Check these before every trip.

Other regions

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