Garie, Era and Burning Palms shore fishing
The beaches between Garie and Burning Palms give you sand gutters for whiting, bream, tailor, salmon and mulloway. The points between them add weed-covered reef, close drummer holes and cleaner casting water beyond the wash. Those differences matter more than carrying a large collection of tackle and hoping something works.
Garie Road and the visitor precinct have reopened. The Coast Track between Garie and Little Garie now follows a realigned section behind the unstable cliff; the cliff-front passage remains unavailable. Current night closures also change the traditional mulloway plan, so check the planning note before organising a late session.
Choose your water and tackle
| Area | Water to look for | Starting approach |
|---|---|---|
| Garie Beach and Little Garie | Sand gutters and boulder corners | Summer worms for whiting and bream; winter pilchards for tailor and salmon; high-water low-light sessions only when open |
| North Garie and Thelma Head | Close reef holes with sand or gravel beyond | Small baits or weed for bream and drummer close in; squid or fish baits beyond reef; high water helps Thelma’s float drift |
| North Era, Mid Era and South Era | Beach holes, Mid Era’s breaking bank and rocky margins | Light baits on sand; pilchards in deeper lanes; Mid Era’s small-bait plan favours high water in low light when open |
| Burning Palms and The Tablet | Beach gutters beside a distinct reef-wash fishery | Beach baits for whiting and bream; lightly weighted animal baits or cabbage for drummer and luderick at The Tablet |
A worm outfit for sand and a pilchard outfit for deeper gutters are the useful beach pairing. Add the weed float only if you are planning a rock-wash session; it is unnecessary weight for a straightforward beach trip. Around Thelma Head and The Tablet, small crab or cunje baits need enough leader protection for close reef and only enough lead to stay in the feeding water. Larger mulloway baits require their own landing plan, and the current night closures govern whether that session is available. For float balance and bait presentation, see the blackfish guide.
For the beach plan, read the sand and breaking water before casting. The Wanda Beach photograph below is a nearby surf-beach example.
Garie, Little Garie and Thelma Head
Garie Beach and Little Garie
On Garie Beach, find the gutter first. A good-looking patch of beach does not necessarily have enough water to hold fish. Summer worms cover whiting, flathead and bream; in winter, whole pilchards in a deeper gutter are the tailor and salmon plan. Mulloway require a deeper hole, a substantial squid or fresh fish bait and patience.
The historical preference is low light and roughly two hours either side of high tide. That timing is useful only when the area is open. The current deer-control closure rules out the usual overnight plan on the specified nights.
At the south end, the boulders were fished with pilchards, garfish, mullet and worms towards the outer outcrops, especially around high water. The low shelf beyond has a deeper hole on one side and shallower sandbank water outside. Worms, nippers or small fish baits suit bream and flathead; pilchards cover tailor and salmon. The higher Little Garie Point reaches the outer bay water, where a larger bait was used for mulloway and a rising tide for bream. These fishing relationships do not reinstate the closed cliff-front passage.
Little Garie Beach has its own broken surf. The northern rip water is the bream target, while tailor and mulloway are more associated with the deeper bay. Fish the rising tide towards high water when the conditions and current access allow it.
Thelma Head: The Gutter and Greenie
The Gutter on the north side of Thelma Head is shallow, unlike the larger beach holes. Nipper or cunje baits suit bream and drummer. The account associates it with late afternoon rather than one narrow tide window.
The northeastern hole is more reef-studded. Crab or cunje can find bream and drummer, while high water makes a weed float for luderick worthwhile. The historical float presentation put the cabbage a couple of metres down. Adjust to the actual wash and depth rather than fixing a float to a number regardless of conditions.
Greenie is the main ledge farther around Thelma. Here the useful distinction is the sand and gravel visible farther out. A bait cast towards that cleaner ground is the snapper approach. A slowly retrieved pilchard covers tailor, trevally and bream without leaving the bait parked among the close reef.
North Garie
North Garie: sand outside, reef close in
At the northern beach corner, the boulders give you a choice between the wash close in and the clean sandy water beyond the break. A whole pilchard on the sand is a tailor, salmon or flathead bait. Smaller baits worked near the boulders suit bream and trevally. Summer whiting are a reason to carry worms and a lighter outfit for the sandy water behind the surf.
The account also identifies a washed hole behind breaking reef partway along the northern platform. Pilchard pieces or nippers belong in that hole for bream, trevally and drummer. It is a close target, separate from the long-cast beach fishing.
North Garie Ledge has reef at its feet and sand or gravel a short distance beyond. In summer, a large mullet bait or lawful live bait over that outer ground is the historical mulloway method, particularly on a rising tide. For snapper, fresh squid, pilchards or mullet cast beyond the reef are more useful than dropping into the rock immediately below.
Winter pilchards can be fished three ways here: under a bobby cork, slowly retrieved on ganged hooks, or on the sandy bottom. Choose the method for the water and fish you are covering. Tailor and salmon can take the moving bait; bream and trevally often make the slower presentation worthwhile. The weed-fishing wash stays a separate luderick and drummer option.
The neighbouring weed platform has the same close float-fishing water, with pilchards worked along its outside edge for bream, trevally and tailor. Across the small northern bight, the high finger reaches more outer water. The bight itself suits small baits for bream and trevally, while crab or cunje in the hole below the higher ledge is the drummer approach. Its height does not make it a place to retreat to when the sea builds.
Seldom Rock and the northern boulders
The boulder coast towards Seldom Rock is rough close in, with sand and scattered reef farther out. That gives two sensible plans: small crab or cunje baits in the close washes for drummer and bream, or larger fish and squid baits beyond them for snapper and mulloway. Pilchards also cover tailor, salmon and trevally in the outer water.
Seldom Rock is the old name for a freestanding, coffin-shaped rock. It has wash on both sides for luderick and drummer on weed. Pilchards worked outside cover the mixed winter fish. Fresh squid, fish strips or octopus cast wider are the larger-bait option, while the small hole to the north suits crab baits for drummer, bream and jackets. The old iron stake mentioned in the account is not a modern access aid or route instruction.
Era
North Era Point: the inside channel and outer sand
North Era Point has three different targets. The shallow northern gutter needs high water; a lightly weighted crab or cunje bait suits drummer and bream there.
Across the eastern face, a shallow reef ridge lies outside the platform, with a deeper channel between them. Fish that inner wash with weed for luderick and drummer, or small animal baits for bream and drummer. A wide cast from the eastern face still reaches reefy bottom. It is not the same as casting over sand from the southern side.
On the southern side, the cleaner gravel-and-sand water is beyond the breaking reef. Squid, pilchard or mullet baits can find trevally, bream, tailor, salmon, snapper and the occasional flathead. The historical preference is the run-out around dawn or late afternoon. The difficulty comes on the way back: fish hooked over clean ground still have to cross the rough reef close to shore.
North Era, Mid Era Rocks and South Era
North Era's old account places a deeper gutter towards Mid Era, with other holes along the beach. Use that as a reason to inspect the water, not as a promise that a particular gutter remains. Worms or nippers suit whiting, bream and flathead; pilchards and fish strips cover tailor and salmon.
Mid Era Rocks divide the two beaches. The key fishing feature is deeper water behind a shallow breaking sandbank. Small baits work the usual beach fish; larger mullet baits, whole pilchards or lawful live bait are the historical mulloway approach. The southern junction with Main Era has rip water where a modest berley trail and small worm, nipper or fish baits suit bream. Low light around high tide was favoured there.
Main Era, also called South Era, has the summer whiting, flathead and bream plan over sand, with mulloway in deeper water. Winter pilchards add tailor, salmon and trevally. The beach water and the Mid Era rock gutter should be treated as separate presentations, even if both are within view.
Semi-Detached Point: gutters, gravel and The Basin
The northern boulder run at Semi-Detached Point has rough water close and cleaner sand outside. Small crab or cunje baits near the boulders are for drummer. Squid or pilchard cast beyond the reef suits bream, trevally and tailor.
The northeastern gutter is a basin-shaped pocket beside shallow reef. It needs water over it: a cabbage float for luderick, or small animal baits for bream and drummer around high tide. Winter tailor and salmon are more likely beyond the wash. This gutter is distinct from the named Basin farther around the point.
The detached eastern ledges face patches of gravel. A wide squid, mullet, pilchard or octopus bait is the snapper or mulloway plan, while a lure or slowly retrieved pilchard covers passing fish in low light. On the southern face, cleaner sandy water beyond the reef also suits tailor and trevally.
The Basin itself is a reef hole below higher rocks. Crab or cunje is the close presentation for drummer, bream and leatherjackets. The washed outcrops beside it suit a cabbage float for luderick and drummer. Abrasion is a real problem here; a fish hooked close to reef can reach it immediately.
South Era to Burning Palms
The Walls, Slot and Block
The reef corner south of Semi-Detached Point again separates close wash from outer sand and gravel. Work crab, cunje or nippers close for drummer and bream. Fish pilchards or mullet farther out for bream, trevally and tailor, with a larger bait giving a chance at mulloway. A south-facing aspect can reduce northeast wind exposure, but it does not remove the swell.
The Walls are a high shelf with clean sand relatively close. That makes squid, slowly worked pilchards and mullet slabs useful for trevally, tarwhine, tailor, salmon and mulloway. Worms are worth a lighter outfit for bream and tarwhine. The northern wash has its own close bream and drummer fishing, with luderick possible on weed.
The Slot is a small basin where The Walls change direction. For spring and summer luderick, fish a weed float with a consistent weed berley trail. On the southern side, crab, nipper or cunje near the bottom suits bream, tarwhine and drummer. In winter, a whole pilchard in the outgoing wash is a different method for tailor, salmon, bream and trevally. The basin has limited room, so crowding it defeats the controlled presentation.
The high ledge before The Block was bottom-fished with pilchards for the mixed smaller species. Larger squid or fish baits over the outer water were the rising-tide mulloway method. The Block itself is an isolated rock near the northern Burning Palms point, with washed boulders for drummer and bream and weed-fishing water for luderick. Its limited standing space and unverified current approach keep it out of any promise of an easy public fishing station.
Burning Palms Beach and The Tablet
Burning Palms has beach gutters and boulder corners worth inspecting separately. Worms, nippers, pilchard pieces or mullet suit bream, with whiting and flathead over sand in summer. Winter whole pilchards cover tailor and salmon. The deeper gutters have a historical mulloway fishery on larger baits around high water, subject to the current night restrictions.
At the southern boulders, cast over the outer beach water with pilchards or squid for bream, tailor, trevally and school mulloway. A lighter worm outfit offers another plan for flathead, tarwhine and bream.
The Tablet is a partly exposed reef beside the first southern platform. The target is the wash between that rock and the platform. A small berley trail and lightly weighted cunje or nipper can bring bream, drummer and trevally onto the bait. A cabbage float follows the edge of the same wash for luderick and drummer. It is a defined pocket of water, not a reason to cast as far as possible.
The two southern platforms
The first platform has a low northern point and a higher eastern front, with a breaking reef to the south helping concentrate the wash. Winter pilchards around first or last light cover tailor, salmon, bream and trevally, with snapper possible. In warmer water, slowly worked pilchards or lures can find bonito and kingfish. Crab or cunje close to the ledge remains the drummer and jacket option; wider fresh squid, octopus or fish strips are for snapper and mulloway.
The larger southern platform has several more choices. Its inner reef shelves suit weed for luderick and drummer, or small animal baits for bream. The deeper bay is a bottom-bait snapper option. On the eastern front, floated or slowly retrieved pilchards cover the mixed fish outside the washes; larger fish baits or lawful live bait are the kingfish and mulloway approach.
The southern tip has an outgoing wash which can carry a pilchard or live bait clear of the rock. On the southern return side, a dawn or dusk berley trail may bring yellowtail within reach. A northeast breeze can be less troublesome on that face, but swell still wraps around the point. Neither platform is a place to fish when the standing area is being washed.
Planning the session
The official Great Southern Walk update confirms Garie Road, the visitor precinct and the realigned Coast Track are open, with no access along the Garie–Little Garie cliff front. Use the current NPWS visitor information and marked track arrangements, not the old magazine's shoreline directions.
Park alerts close Garie picnic area, Garawarra Farm and coastal areas from Garie to Figure Eight Pools from sunset to sunrise Monday to Thursday, excluding school holidays, through 18 December 2026. North Era campground is closed until further notice. Do not plan an overnight beach or rock session through those closures.
Bring legally obtained bait and check the Sydney South closure maps before collecting anything. Abalone gut is prohibited as bait. Blue groper must not be targeted or retained under the current NSW rule.
For rock fishing, wear the required approved lifejacket, fish with someone, watch the sets and keep your exit clear. Leave washed ledges alone. A large bait or a promising wash is never a reason to accept unsafe standing water.
The Australian salmon guide covers lure and bait presentation. Continue south with Werrong, Stanwell Park and Coalcliff, or north with Wattamolla and Curracurrang.