Thread: Stupid question about river access

A stupid question, but can't find the answer. If you have a boat, are you free to take it anywhere on a river/estuary to go duck shooting, assuming of course, it is safe and you don't cause a nuisance to anyone else. I know the bit about being moored and not shooting under power. Also, I know there are some specific local regulations which say that this isn't allowed, but in general?

Fish and Game are the people to ask.

Not a stupid question. Would be stupid if you just did it then found you were in the wrong and used ignorance as an excuse

You will find all the reg's in the Fish and Game rule books on their web site. There can be different rules for different locations so check the rule book for your area.

Well, that's the thing, the handbook says where you can't shoot, but not where you can shoot. This is really a question of river access rather than F&G rules.

Not all rivers are public access so check the appropriate maps. Prior to the adoption of the 'Queens chain' many properties had 'riparian titles' which meant they owned the rivers that passed through their land. Any subdivision of these titles automatically introduced the 'Queens chain', but if the property has not been subdivided then the riparian title applies (and a large number still exist). Often these old titles used rivers as boundaries, in which case the properties on either side owned to the middle of the river.

Check the WAMs website for legal access to the river you interested in.

Cheers
Pete

Geocortex Viewer for HTML5

This will be more definitive than F & G