Rocky road to a watery grave

RAINBOW Beach - and in particular the Mudlo Rocks -are perfect for four wheel driving at the moment, but driving around the rocks should never be taken lightly.

Picture: Craig Warhurst

RAINBOW Beach - and in particular the Mudlo Rocks -are perfect for four wheel driving at the moment, but according to Robbie Rye, driving around the rocks should never be taken lightly.

Robbie has pulled more than 1000 cars off the infamous rocks in the past 28 years he has worked on the Cooloola Coast.

His business Rainbow Beach Auto Group has rescued 30 4WDs off Mudlo Rocks during the last year and about another 30 from the sticks near the entrance to the Leisha Track over the same period.

“The beach is really good at the moment. Drivers have about three hours either side of low tide to get around the rocks,” Robbie said.

But weather conditions can quickly change the beach and the amount of sand around the rocks, so Robbie recommends checking the Rainbow Beach website before trying to navigate them.

“There is a webcam that shows you the rocks and information is updated weekly,” he said.

“It gives people a bit of an idea before they arrive at the beach,” he said.

Robbie said there was sometimes only a half-hour window to get around the rocks safely and other times it was impossible.

He said drivers should always get out of their vehicle and check the rocks on foot before trying to navigate them.

“When the sand banks are building up sometimes they can turn to quick sand,” he said.

“If you get out and walk around the rocks and you sink up to your ankles, just imagine how far a couple of tonne vehicle would sink.

“The biggest mistake people make is they drive out onto a sand bank and then stop when the water comes in; if the sand is soft, the vehicle sinks.

“Drivers need to keep up the momentum.”

The second thing Robbie recommends is to avoid the rocks and don't try to drive up over the top of them.

He says you're better off trying to pick your way through them.

“Fifty per cent of people get hung up on the rocks,” he said.

His third piece of advice is don't try to negotiate the rocks at night because you can't tell how big the rocks are or how deep the water is.

“If in doubt, don't do it,” Robbie said.

He said most people get caught because they are impatient.

“It takes 10 minutes to go around the rocks and about an hour to go over the Freshwater Track,” he said.

“That's why they take the chance.”

Robbie reckons now is the time to get on the beach while there is plenty of sand and great weather.

“It's absolutely beautiful down here at the moment,” he said.

Originally published as Rocky road to a watery grave