Jumpinpin Channel
Encyclopedia
The Jumpinpin channel also known as The Pin lies between North Stradbroke Island
and South Stradbroke Island
. It has a fast moving tidal deep water Channel
not appropriate for swimming but is popular with beach anglers.
The word Jumpinpin is of Aboriginal origin. It is derived from the word 'oumpinin' which refers to the sweetened roots of the wynnum (breadfruit) tree which was feasted on when tribes met in the area.
A channel in the general area of Jumpinpin may have formed and silted up several times over recent millennia, however, the most recent formation of the channel is generally blamed on two events. The first of these was the wreck of the Cambus Wallace, a 75 m steel barque of 1534 tonnes built in 1894 at Port Glasgow. In the early morning of 3 September 1894, the Cambus Wallace ran aground in heavy seas near what was then a narrow stretch of Stradbroke Island called Tuleen. Most of the crew managed to swim to shore, but five men drowned. The ship broke up where she struck and most of the cargo was washed ashore and plundered by local residents. During the subsequent cleanup, explosives from the cargo were piled up and deliberately detonated on the beach. The explosion is credited with severely damaging the beach and weakening the loosely vegetated sand dunes Following gradual erosion of the seaward side of the island over the next two years, the second event to ultimately generate the channel at Jumpinpin was the arrival of a cyclone in 1896. Thomas Welsby, writing in 1921, noted, "Within two years (1896) the southeast gales threw again their power and fury on the very spot whereat the Cambus Wallace had come to grief, drove the rollers and breakers against the sandy hillside until it conquered and made passage into Swan Bay." Once the entrance was established, the heavy seas and strong tidal currents were sufficient to enlarge and maintain an open channel up to 700 m wide.
The bar area is shallow for a kilometre or so offshore so current local knowledge is required to safely transit the bar.
The area around the Pin is constantly changing with sand
being deposited in one place after being moved by current
s from another area. Just recently the mouth of Swan Bay was moved several hundred metres seaward creating an entirely new boating area.
The area is not really suitable for swimming as big tides and fast currents are the norm. Inland from the bar the Pin area consists of mangrove
s and mud banks, constantly being built up and then being washed away. In recent years Rat Island, The Mud Clump and Squire Island have disappeared.
, Whiting
, Luderick, Tailor
and Trevally being made in season. Numerous Mulloway have been caught here. A few kilometres to the west of the bar an area known locally as Lew's Folly, produces large quantities of bream and flathead in season.
Other areas known for their bream and flathead catches are Whalley's Gutter, Tiger Mullet Channel and Tree Gone Bay. Access is only by boat, however 4WD vehicles can access the southern tip of North Stradbroke Island, but the beach fishing is limited here.
North Stradbroke Island
North Stradbroke Island is an Australian island in the state of Queensland, 30 km southeast of the capital Brisbane. Before 1896 the island was part of the Stradbroke Island. In that year a storm separated it from South Stradbroke Island, forming the Jumpinpin Channel. It is known...
and South Stradbroke Island
South Stradbroke Island
South Stradbroke Island is an Australian island in the state of Queensland, south of Brisbane and forms the northern end of Gold Coast. The 21 km by 2.5 km sized island is the smaller one of the two Stradbroke Islands and lies very close to the mainland. The island has hundreds of wild...
. It has a fast moving tidal deep water Channel
Channel (geography)
In physical geography, a channel is the physical confine of a river, slough or ocean strait consisting of a bed and banks.A channel is also the natural or human-made deeper course through a reef, sand bar, bay, or any shallow body of water...
not appropriate for swimming but is popular with beach anglers.
The word Jumpinpin is of Aboriginal origin. It is derived from the word 'oumpinin' which refers to the sweetened roots of the wynnum (breadfruit) tree which was feasted on when tribes met in the area.
A channel in the general area of Jumpinpin may have formed and silted up several times over recent millennia, however, the most recent formation of the channel is generally blamed on two events. The first of these was the wreck of the Cambus Wallace, a 75 m steel barque of 1534 tonnes built in 1894 at Port Glasgow. In the early morning of 3 September 1894, the Cambus Wallace ran aground in heavy seas near what was then a narrow stretch of Stradbroke Island called Tuleen. Most of the crew managed to swim to shore, but five men drowned. The ship broke up where she struck and most of the cargo was washed ashore and plundered by local residents. During the subsequent cleanup, explosives from the cargo were piled up and deliberately detonated on the beach. The explosion is credited with severely damaging the beach and weakening the loosely vegetated sand dunes Following gradual erosion of the seaward side of the island over the next two years, the second event to ultimately generate the channel at Jumpinpin was the arrival of a cyclone in 1896. Thomas Welsby, writing in 1921, noted, "Within two years (1896) the southeast gales threw again their power and fury on the very spot whereat the Cambus Wallace had come to grief, drove the rollers and breakers against the sandy hillside until it conquered and made passage into Swan Bay." Once the entrance was established, the heavy seas and strong tidal currents were sufficient to enlarge and maintain an open channel up to 700 m wide.
The bar area is shallow for a kilometre or so offshore so current local knowledge is required to safely transit the bar.
The area around the Pin is constantly changing with sand
Sand
Sand is a naturally occurring granular material composed of finely divided rock and mineral particles.The composition of sand is highly variable, depending on the local rock sources and conditions, but the most common constituent of sand in inland continental settings and non-tropical coastal...
being deposited in one place after being moved by current
Ocean current
An ocean current is a continuous, directed movement of ocean water generated by the forces acting upon this mean flow, such as breaking waves, wind, Coriolis effect, cabbeling, temperature and salinity differences and tides caused by the gravitational pull of the Moon and the Sun...
s from another area. Just recently the mouth of Swan Bay was moved several hundred metres seaward creating an entirely new boating area.
The area is not really suitable for swimming as big tides and fast currents are the norm. Inland from the bar the Pin area consists of mangrove
Mangrove
Mangroves are various kinds of trees up to medium height and shrubs that grow in saline coastal sediment habitats in the tropics and subtropics – mainly between latitudes N and S...
s and mud banks, constantly being built up and then being washed away. In recent years Rat Island, The Mud Clump and Squire Island have disappeared.
Fishing
The 'Pin is renowned for fishing with huge catches of Bream, FlatheadFlathead (fish)
A flathead is one of a number of small to medium fish species with notably flat heads, distributed in membership across various genera of the family Platycephalidae. Many species are found in the Indo-Pacific, especially most parts of Australia where they are popular sport and table fish...
, Whiting
Whiting
Whiting is the name of several species of fish:*Merlangius merlangus, the original species to receive the name; a common food fish of the cod family found in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean around Europe and the Mediterranean regions...
, Luderick, Tailor
Tailor
A tailor is a person who makes, repairs, or alters clothing professionally, especially suits and men's clothing.Although the term dates to the thirteenth century, tailor took on its modern sense in the late eighteenth century, and now refers to makers of men's and women's suits, coats, trousers,...
and Trevally being made in season. Numerous Mulloway have been caught here. A few kilometres to the west of the bar an area known locally as Lew's Folly, produces large quantities of bream and flathead in season.
Other areas known for their bream and flathead catches are Whalley's Gutter, Tiger Mullet Channel and Tree Gone Bay. Access is only by boat, however 4WD vehicles can access the southern tip of North Stradbroke Island, but the beach fishing is limited here.