And getting the boat to the boat ramps opening on to Cungulla Beach and the mouth of the Haughton River is a thought-out process.

Some tracks snake through sand and mangroves, at the mercy of boggy rains and tidal surges.

To keep perfectly good vehicles out of the corrosive salt and swampy wetlands, most local fishos hook up the dingy to an old ute.

But some residents go one step further and use hardy old farm machinery like the tractor pictured.

It doesn't matter if the rusty vehicles get salt in their mechanisms, and the big tyres give high clearance over the tracks.

Other residents go one step further in harnessing the creative potential of the humble boat, like crafting a bright flowerbed.

Cungulla boats kicked off the year by coasting out on the waters for the Cungulla Recreational Fishing and Social Club's first fishing competition last weekend.

Competitors kept their eyes out for the target species, mangrove jack.

The club holds a strong presence in the town.

It has joined with Townsville City Council and the Department of Environment and Resource Management to conduct wetland clean-up and weed control.

The project is combating the impacts unauthorised access, illegal dumping, weed spread and feral pigs have had around Boatshed Creek and on state land.

So far, the groups have discussed approaches and planned to hire an earthmoving contractor to remove rubbish from wetlands.

Cungulla itself is on board with the direction, with a 'Cage a Can' depot at the town's entrance.

The recovery project hopes to lead to the development of a site- management plan.