Bathurst Heads – Princess Charlotte Bay Episode 6.

Episode 6 of our Princess Charlotte bay trip sees us parked up at Bathurst Heads, having one more go at the barra before our return trip to Cairns.

To see the trip from Episode 1 >> click here.

Bathurst Heads used to be a popular campground for anglers visiting the Cape.

The area is Aboriginal Land and was given back to the Traditional Owners.

Initially they were happy to share with campers, however littering and disrespect for the location has lead them to refuse further access to their homeland.

However you can still access the area by vessel as we did.

To access Bathurst Heads by vessel, unless you have a larger boat like Mood Swings, you have two options.

Camp at Annie River and head out the Kennedy River.

Or a beach launch from Cape Melville Camp sites.

It’s well worth the visit due to the spectacular rock formations on the shore.

Rock formations at Bathurst Heads

Fishing Princess Charlotte Bay

Bathurst Heads faces west and due to the strong easterly winds during our stay, provided good protection.

Bait can be sourced on the sand spits and beaches and while we were there, was abundant.

At times I’m sure the barra fishing is great here due to the rocks and structures and bait.

However on our visit we had extremely high barometer due to a massive high pressure system ridging up the coast.

And manged to jump a bunch of schoolies off because they were just nipping at the lures.

Something they do when they’re off their tucker.

Feeder Creeks leading into the Bay

Blackwood Island

Cape Melville

Cape Melville is a great spot for camping and launching your tinny from the beach to explore these special spots.

For more info on camping in this area visit our Cape Melville blog.

To find out what gear we used on this trip, check out our gear and tackle cheat sheet.