There are fishing and boating adventures to be experienced at Kingston SE and Cape Jaffa. You just have to know where to go.

Chad who manages the Kingston Foreshore Caravan Park along with his wife Kristy, talks about how to make the most of your boating holiday while in Kingston.

What sort of boats can you bring into Kingston and for what purpose?

“We accommodate most boats, anything from a 12 foot tinnie to most trailer boats.

People love fishing here and there is plenty of fish for most of the year. Off Kingston Jetty you’ll be able to catch tommies, whiting, garfish, mullet, flathead and trevalley. At Cape Jaffa you’ll also get King George whiting, snapper and shark.

Kingston is famous for crayfish and the season is open from November to the end of May. You’ll need a permit from Primary Industries and Regions SA and with the permit you’re allowed to catch four crayfish per day per person. For more information about permits and quotas, visit their website.

For people with larger boats, cruising up and down the coastline at sunset is always a great experience. You can hang around Lacepede Bay in calmer waters. If you are a more experienced boater, you can head over to Cape Jaffa, but take care because it can get a bit choppy and there is an exposed reef. For the more experienced boaters, you can go to Margaret Brock Reef and take a look at the original lighthouse location before it was moved to Kingston.”

Where are the boat ramps in Kingston?

“There are two boat ramps with launch facilities in Kingston:

Maria Creek Boat Ramp – the Maria Creek boat ramp past the jetty on Marine Parade has good facilities. On the maps, you will often see it listed under “Kingston boat ramps”  – this is the Maria Creek ramp.

Cape Jaffa Boat Ramp – Cape Jaffa has a fully functional marina with exceptional facilities. It’s a bigger and deeper channel used by people with bigger boats and commercial fisherman.

Off the Beach launch  – if you have a 4WD and can get onto the beach, you can launch smaller boats anywhere from Threadgold beach through to Pinks Beach.”

What boating etiquette is expected from the locals at Kingston?

“Like any great fishing spot, we want people to follow the Primary Industries rules to make sure our fish supplies stay healthy:

• Know the fishing open season and quota – only take what you’re meant to
• Bin your rubbish
• Make sure you have all the safety equipment needed

Recently in Robe, 90 holiday makers were fined for not having the right safety equipment on their boats, such as enough water provisions, life jackets, spare batteries for torches and other things that are important to keep you safe should anything unforeseen happen.

For more information about permits and to apply for a permit, visit the Primary Industries and Regions SA website. 

If you need boat maintenance visit Swampy’s Marine and Tackle at Kingston at 41 Holland St, Kingston SE. “

How is the boat fishing between February and May?

“Autumn fishing is great. The weather is good, it’s calmer and there aren’t too many boats like there are during the summer holidays.

The squid are still in close to shore, you can catch garfish, snapper, and we have seen salmon up to 4 kgs around the Granites recently, with snapper and plenty of gummy sharks in that area as well. We have also seen small tuna and kingfish. King George whiting up to 60 cms are still being caught from Kingston to Cape Jaffa.”

For more information about boating in Kingston SE, visit the councils’ website here.

Book into Kingston Caravan Park for your next holiday – only 20 minutes from Robe!

Kingston Foreshore Caravan Park is located on the calm waters of Lacepede Bay with ensuite cabins, powered and unpowered sites. We are only 20 minutes from Robe and accessible to the gems of the Limestone Coast. Book now or call us for more information.

Image by Flora Haggis