A LOOK AT POONA
Wayne Kampe, Brisbane.

THIS small holiday/fishing destination is situated on the inside of Fraser Island and is accessed via the road to Rainbow Beach and Tin Can Bay.

Just as one enters the town of Gympie from the south the Rainbow Beach, Fraser Island, Tin Can Bay turnoff is on the right. Once on the Rainbow Beach road the well marked turnoff on the left as one heads towards Rainbow Beach indicates that Maryborough is fifty eight kays away while Poona is a mere thirty. The drive in is through pine plantations and eucalypt forest so keep a wary eye out for those big grey grasshoppers that can make a hell of a mess of a car if hit at speed.

Accessing this holiday destination is very easy as all roads are sealed and quite wide as well. Those towing the biggest of caravans will have no trouble finding their way into this little gem of a holiday destination. As the forest gives way to some cleared areas and signs of housing a welcoming sign tells the visitor that he or she is in Poona.

This is a tiny fishing village; about as tranquil a location as can be found, actually. With only a couple of streets, a caravan park with it's associated shop (the only one in town) it's not hard to work out why anglers who wish to get away from it all find this place so relaxing.

This area is a mangrove fringed estuary with Poona Creek just across the way from the shoreline at the back of the caravan park. From the boat ramp one looks across to the south west to the creek. In common with many of the creeks that flow into Sandy Straits there is a plenitude of mud crabs, some cod and mangrove jacks to be worked on and flathead whiting and bream around the mangroves and deeper bits of water in close.

Out wide in the channel mackerel are the main fish sought by boaties during summer while winter fishing trips usually provide some good tailor. Fraser Island is but a short boat trip away and of course the fighting golden trevally on the flats are much sought following the exposure the area has had on various fishing programs during the last couple of years.

I visited Poona on a howler of a day with about thirty knots of southerly piping in onto the southern shore line of the estuary. Even with the small chop on the water it was obvious that it would be a very easy place to fish. The wide expanse of sand flats exposed at low tide were being worked by a couple of yabby pumping groups and as the tide came in we noticed a number of stingrays mooching about in the knee deep water moving across the flats out front.

Whiting from the beach is par for the course at this destination and a berley made from crushed soldier crabs and yabbies would be a useful aid to keeping the rod bent into a working curve and some fish going into the keeper.

From a little bit of information conveyed to me by a friendly local it seems that sensational whiting fishing would be available at night time right from the beach. He also told me that as good as the muddies are in the creek exceptional sand crabbing is also available for small boat owners and it's not necessary to venture out far to get a feed.

With its estuary location, where the ebbing tide does expose a large area of sand flats, Poona would be a flood half tide back to half tide ebb sort of high water fishery for folk with larger trailer boats. For shallow draught tinny owners or those lucky enough to own a folding boat a lot more latitude would be available so far as launching and retrieval is concerned. The boat ramp is well constructed and easily accessed however it's necessary to follow the channel out to deeper water before the throttle is opened up. Poona is not unlike many other estuary fishing destinations in this regard.

It's a very clean place. The white sandy shores were devoid of debris of any kind and again, I was impressed with the water clarity. For lovers of ultra light tackle fishing a bucket of gar would not be hard to accumulate at all given the expanse of the sand flats and lashings of mangroves in all directions. Some berley of mashed bread, ultra fine line, a soft rod and tiny float with a bait of dough or prawn set up on a number twelve fly hook; that's what gar fishing is all about. Except for eating them of course. Gar are about the tastiest fish that swims. No wonder that tailor and macs love them so much!

Poona struck me as the sort of place where one would NOT need a boat to snare a feed of fish at all. Here, in this day and age of over exploitation of resources, is one of the few places where whiting can still be caught from the shore. In fact my contact (a mate who has fished there more times than I've had hot breakfasts at MacDonalds) tells me that sometimes the shore based anglers do better for these fish, especially when a bit of chop is about, than do the boat anglers. So how about that?

Those with children will find the beach behind the caravan park a very safe for swimming, fishing, and just mucking about the place as kids love to do.

I was impressed with the Poona Palms caravan park which was very well set out with oodles of available sites. A huge, clean, well mown grassed area best describes the caravan park lay out and with some fifty powered sites plus an equal number of un-powered ones there is never going to be over crowding. A number of self contained units are also available for hire as well. The park's convenience store stocks such items as ice, bread, milk, cold meat, canned food and other neccessities for use by all comers. The bread van visits daily so fresh bread is assured.

Note that the caravan park store is the only one in town and does not have a fuel bowser. The car and boat should be re-fuelled at Gympie or Maryborough en route as there is no fuel available in town whatsoever.

This small holiday destination will appeal to travellers who want to just set a spell and relax. Although there are no clubs or pubs, services or tackle stores Maryborough is only mere minutes of driving time away being but twenty four kays from the Poona turnoff. A run into town is no big deal. Promixity to Maryborough also means that visitors wanting to access Poona from the north can follow the signs out from that town as well.

OK then, Poona is a very small and tucked away sort of place. Is any of this a problem? Not if you are like me and love those quiet times and places that are so rare today.