Spearfishing Tropical North Queensland
Townsville, Magnetic Island, Cairns and Port Douglas are information pages, not shore-diving pages. This is crocodile and marine-stinger country, and the reef is a boat trip.
Our data rates every city in this region info-only for shore spearfishing, and the reason is on the cards themselves: The Strand and Kissing Point at Townsville, Geoffrey Bay on Magnetic Island, the Marlin Marina foreshore at Cairns and the Reef Marina at Port Douglas all read crocodile and marine-stinger habitat with no shore spearfishing. What is real here is the outer Great Barrier Reef, reached by day boat or liveaboard from Cairns and Port Douglas: coral trout, redthroat and spangled emperor, red emperor, Spanish mackerel, giant trevally, mangrove jack and blackspot tuskfish over reef edges, bommies and drop-offs in 3-35 m.
The reef is diveable year round, but the calendar matters for two reasons that are not about swell. The wet season brings run-off and reduced inshore visibility, and the marine-stinger season puts Irukandji and box jellyfish in inshore water - the Picnic Bay Jetty card names the stinger months directly. Coral reef fin fish also carry two five-day spawning closures each October and November (in 2026: 8-12 October and 6-10 November), and the east-coast snapper and pearl perch closure runs 15 July to 15 August.
Rules: Fisheries Queensland plus GBRMPA zoning. No recreational licence for tidal waters; snorkel only, no SCUBA or hookah to take fish; powerheads for shark defence only; spearing permitted in selected tidal locations only; all fresh water closed. Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Marine National Park (green) zones are no-take. Coral trout carries a 38 cm minimum and a combined limit of 7; potato cod, Queensland groper, humphead Maori wrasse and barramundi cod are protected; red bass, chinaman fish and paddletail are no-take. Check https://www.qld.gov.au/recreation/activities/boating-fishing/rec-fishing/rules and https://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/. Safety, conditionally: estuarine crocodiles across the whole region, Irukandji and box jellyfish in season, and Queensland Health's ciguatera advice - avoid the head, roe and liver, keep whole fish to about 6 kg, eat no more than 300 g of a warm-water species the first time and never mix fillets of different large warm-water fish.
Top spots
| Spot | Nearest city | Character |
|---|---|---|
| Cape Pallarenda | Townsville | Headland and rock at the north end of the Townsville beaches, inside… |
| Picnic Bay Jetty | Magnetic Island | Historic jetty pilings in shallow water |
| Buchan Point | Cairns | Rock headland between Palm Cove and Ellis Beach |
| Oak Beach rocky point | Port Douglas | Rocky point about 13 km south of Port Douglas, 3–8 m. |
| Murray Bay | Bowen | A sheltered, palm-lined bay just round the headland south of Horseshoe… |
| Cherry Tree Bay — northern granite boulders | Cooktown | Crocodiles can be in any water here, the sea included (Queensland… |
Reserves & no-take zones
- GBR Public Appreciation SMA — Cape Upstart (CP-19-4064) (no limited spearfishing) — Spearfishing banned: Spearfishing banned in this protected marine zone.
- GBR Scientific Research Zone SR-14-2004 — Lizard Island Reef (14-116a, c and d): including Palfrey, South and Seabird Islands — No-take / spearfishing banned: Spearfishing banned in this protected marine zone.
Cities in this region
- Townsville
- Magnetic Island
- Cairns
- Port Douglas
- Bowen
- Airlie Beach
- Weipa
- Thursday Island
- Palm Island
- Cooktown
- Hamilton Island
- Wongaling Beach
- Allingham
- Cardwell
- Seaforth
- Karumba
- Lucinda
- Cape Tribulation
- Heronvale
- Hope Vale
- Ayton
- Balgal Beach
- Belmunda
- Bingil Bay
- Boigu
- Bramston Beach
- Conway Beach
- Cowley Beach
- Elliot River
- Flagstaff
- Flying Fish Point
- Gununa
- Injinoo
- Jerona
- Kubin
- Kurrimine Beach
- Laguna Quays
- Lizard Island
- Lockhart River
- Mapoon
- Midge Point
- Murrinda
- Napranum
- Njinjilki
- Pormpuraaw
- Portland Roads
- Poruma
- Saibai
- Seisia
- Shute Harbour
- St Helens Beach
- St Josephs
- St Pauls
- Taylors Beach
- Toomulla
- Tully Heads
- Ugar Island
- Wunjunga
FAQ
Can you spearfish from shore in Cairns or Townsville?
Our data says no. Every city card in Tropical North Queensland is marked info-only for shore spearfishing because of declared estuarine crocodile habitat and seasonal marine stingers. The hunting is on the outer reef, by boat.
What can you spear on the outer reef?
Coral trout (38 cm minimum, 7 combined), redthroat and spangled emperor, red emperor, Spanish mackerel, giant trevally, mangrove jack and blackspot tuskfish. Potato cod, Queensland groper, humphead Maori wrasse and barramundi cod are protected; red bass, chinaman fish and paddletail are no-take.
Are there seasonal closures?
Yes. Coral reef fin fish have two five-day spawning closures each October and November - in 2026, 8-12 October and 6-10 November - and snapper and pearl perch are closed on east-coast tidal waters from 15 July to 15 August.
What is the ciguatera advice?
Queensland Health says no rule tells a toxic fish from a clean one. Avoid the head, roe and liver, vary the species you eat, keep whole fish to around 6 kg, eat no more than 300 g the first time you try a warm-water species, never mix fillets of different large warm-water species, and never eat an unidentified self-caught fish.
See also: QLD Capricorn Coast · Victoria