Tuesday 19 February 2019 Wingan Inlet Day 2

Paddling up the Wingan River was on the agenda for today.  As always with camping, the old bods were slow to galvanise and it was an hour after our planned start that we got going and upon our arrival down at the little beach we found the tide was well and truly in.

We had left our boats high and dry and previous evening. Packing the boats with the day's essentials

At 10.00am we were all on the water and ready to paddle

About to head upstream under an overcast sky

Roosting cormorants

Cruising along the outer edge of a large reed bed

As we neared the rapids the forest changed

KT in relaxed pedalling mode

The limit of our paddle is in site

Looking for somewhere to disembark

By 11.35 we were all ashore, or should it be all arock

And settling down for lunch

Some of our lunch time views

We embarked again, with the first of us taking to the water at 12.10pm

There were lots of nooks and crannies to explore whilst waiting for everyone to get sorted

Paddling back downstream

This time taking the alternate route around the island through the reed beds

We then had to make our various ways back across the inlet, battling a strong gusting side on breeze

By 1.40pm we were all beached on the now exposed beach

KT&G who were departing the next morning loaded their boats whilst the rest of us once again tied them to the railings as we were determined to have another paddle before departing the next day.

After a cuppa back at camp KT&G decided to walk to the beach and the rest of us piled into the LC to go and check out Boundary Track.  A look at Google Earth shows the river a couple of kms upstream of the rapids (tidal limit) widening up again into what looks like a very paddlable  2km+ stretch of water and our quest was to see if we could reach it.  Surpisingly Boundary Track was open down to the gauging station about 30metres above the river. The remainder of the track down to the old ford was impassable but walkable, but not for old farts carrying heavy boats. There was however, metal steps just below the gauging building leading down to within a couple of metres of the waters edge, and then a 2-3 foot drop (at the current water level 1.2m on the marker) into the water. Again sadly not for the old, but the young, fit and agile could do it and the water looked deep and inviting and wanting to be paddled.

Trip Notes:

High Tide at Rame Head: 8.47am 1.61m
9.5kms