Tuesday 29 July 2025 Baragoot Lake

 Yesterday afternoon I checked the weather forecast as it was time to wash the sheets. Upon doing so I discovered that today was the last day for the rest of the week suitable for drying the sheets and it was also most suitable for a paddle. 

Choosing somewhere to paddle was easy; Baragoot Lake, brimming and the only ICOL in the area that hadn't opened during the last couple of rain events has been looking most inviting.

So it was up early and turfing L out of bed to get the first load of sheets in the washing machine. As we were hanging out the second load S&V drove by on their way to meet us at Baragoot.

When we joined them they had decided to put in on the south side of the lake and we chose to carry our kayaks down the track on the northern side.

Meeting up again on the water we saw,  I think, a Maned Duck  following S&V across the water. They said it had followed them from when they had launched. It only broke off as L & I joined them. Very strange.

We paddled down the northern side of the lake and across the top of the lake and headed up the creek where, at one point, an Azure Kingfisher nearly flew into my face. 

After poking up the creek as far as we could go we stopped for an early lunch and much discussion of the atrocities being committed in Gaza, the Zionist long term plan and our gov'ts appalling lily-livered response and the extremely biased Special Envoy's Plan to Combat Antisemitism.  Where is the Special Envoy's Plan to Combat AntiPalestineism? Remember the Cronulla Riots.  Isn't, after I don't know how many years and how many reports, tackling Aboriginal deaths in custody, or violence against women far more important. We had to leave vivisection of the spectacularly stupid AUKUS deal for our next paddle.

 We then headed back down the creek exploring a couple of side lagoons as we went. After emerging onto the lake we paddled up the southern shoreline disturbing flocks of Eurasion Coots, Grebes and Cormorants. Halfway up the lake a Whistling Kite flew out of the trees just ahead and as it climbed into the sky it was joined by another and they engaged some lazy aerial combat - enchanting only remembering to turn on the GoPro as they ended their display ):.

Together with the aforementioned birds we saw Pelicans, Swans, small flocks of Black Duck, White Faced Herons, Little Pied and Black Cormorants, a few more Kingfishers, Wattlebirds and New Holland Honeyeaters.

Back at S&V's launch spot we parted ways and L&I continued on past the bridge - no way of getting under it now - back to our launch site to end a most pleasurable little paddle.

6kms

Friday 18 July 2025 Bermagui River

 We had planned to paddle on Thursday however the thin and wispy cloud layer covering the sky and the subsequent chill in the air meant we stayed home and by 10.00am the fire was lit.

On Friday the winter weather on the Far South Coast had reverted to type - blue skies, warm sun and largely windless. Around 12.30pm L came in and announced we were going paddling. As high tide at the entrance was 2.14pm (1.6m) it was a bit of a scramble but we made it onto the water around 1.45pm.

 As this was to be L's first paddle after receiving the all clear from the surgeon we intended it to be a short paddle and to be off the water by no later than 3.30pm before it got cold. We had a lovely poddle up river on the last of the incoming tide.

 Around the 4km mark L wanted a break for lunch and to fly the drone.  He managed to find a not so desirable site to pull in. As you will see at the end of the drone footage the spot he picked came with, what I subsequently dubbed, a hole from hell.

Whilst L was mid drone flight I returned to the kayak to retrieve our lunch. Stepping back from the boat one leg went down the hole - all the way, only my left leg splayed out on terra muddy prevented me from going further. It was at this moment, with inner leg muscles stretched to the limit and screaming that I was bitterly reminded why, years ago, the CKC barred L from choosing landing sites. So with L  occupied with droning and totally ignoring my plight it was up to me to extract myself from a situation in which no overweight old woman should find herself. Suffice to say there way much gasping, groaning, having and hauling, getting covered in mud before extraction was successful.

Having taken awhile to recover and clean up a bit we stayed longer than intended. We packed up, carefully avoiding the hole from hell as the warmth was leaching from the air. We launched onto an outgoing tide and paddled on glassy water, back down the river keeping in the golden afternoon sunlight wherever possible. Past some of the egrets we'd seen going upriver, now joined by a large flock of Masked Lapwings. 

Finishing the paddle at 4.30pm it was with some relief we got in the car, still warm from the sun, just after 5.00pm and turned the heater on, very happy to have got back out on the water again.

Trip Notes:

High tide at entrance: 2.14pm 1.6m

Put In/Take Out: Slipway beach

8.16km