Thursday 1 February 2018 Burrill Lake - Stoney Creek

V&S came over on Wednesday evening to load their boats and at 7.15am on Thursday morning L hustled me into the car for the beginning of our overnight jaunt up north. After stopping to collect R, her boat and gear our first stop was the public loos in Moruya to meet up with V&R and to decide which venue was to be our destination for the day, given the forecast for high winds. Burrill Lake and Stoney Creek were the winners and after availing ourselves of the loos (disappointingly so, for some of us) we hit the road again and met up again at the Kings Point Reserve at the end of James Cresent, half way up Burrill Lake.

We were on the water by 10.49 to take advantage of the extra high King Tide and headed to our right.

And paddled up the lake

Once we turned into the creek we could indeed see it was going to be an extra high tide

L in his beloved new boat

Passing an unconcerned Maned Duck. There were lots of duck up the creek - Maned, Black and a few Chestnut Teal - a pair of which had 3 tiny fluffy offspring.

L lazily paddling his sleek speed machine easily outdistanced the rest of us

My favourite sheep - Wiltshire Horn -  a couple of which watch L paddle by. Unfortunately the rest of the mob looked rather woebegone and in poor condition and a couple of dead ones floating in the water did nothing to dispel this impression

Looks like L has discovered a likely lunch sport

At midday and at the start of the, now submerged, rock garden we were able to get out of our kayaks on a handily submerged rock shelf.  Once again L had worked out the timings to perfection and as we munched our lunch the tide turned.

Taking to the water again at 12.50pm we continued upstream

A huge old Casuarina

Thanks to the super King Tide, we glided - carefully- over the rock garden

Only to be stopped 100 metres or so upstream of our lunch spot. 

None of us being enamoured enough of this creek to portage the kayaks beyond the blockage we turned  around to retrace our path

Tooling back down the creek, the now outgoing tide making it easy work

Nearing the mouth of the creek, the forecast wind made a weakened and delayed appearance

 Still it made the return paddle down the lake consistent work - clinging to the eastern edge of the lake made it a little easier.

Coming in to land at 2.11pm.

Normally I never think my photos do justice to a paddle. However in this case I think the photos make the paddle look better than it was.  At the debrief over our Indian Dinner (joined by G, who with buggered arm in tow, had driven up to join his favourite lady for the night) it was unamiously agreed that Stoney Creek was our least favourite paddle so far.  Too much degraded farm land and  bank and the creek  stayed wide for most of its paddlable length and never became an intimate encounter, so to speak.

Trip Notes:
Put In/Take Out:
Kings Point Reserve, James Cresent
High Tide at Burrill Beach: 9.39am - 1.98ms
High Tide at Burrill Lake Highway Bridge: 10.38am - 2.04ms
Estimated High Tide at Put in 11.40am
10.3kms
3hrs 22mins