Tuesday was the day best deemed, weather wise, for a paddle. Little to no wind, sunny but cool and importantly, the only day available to us all that week. S decreed that an 8:30am start was the go with the tide at its highest at 10:03am of 1.42m at Murrah Beach. I must say I was a little sceptical that there would be enough water at the bridge end for launching and it was decided that a little portaging wouldn't hurt us. Having all arrived at 8:30am as planned we were very pleasantly surprised to find that there was plenty of 'launching' water in the river. I took one of my straps just in case we'd need to portage at some point - this snipet of information has legs for later! We three managed to unload our boats quite quickly and were on the beautiful still waters of the Murrah River at 8:50am with no wind to impede or disrupt the serenity of our surrounds.
As we tootled down toward the Murrah inlet there was still a chill in the air but the sun was beginning to warm us up.
S & V spotted a Wedge Tail Eagle perched in the trees in the distance and so we fell silent and quietly crept up on it in the hope of a closer look.
We managed to get very close and since I couldn't see my phone screen I decided to just keep it pointed in the direction fot he Eagle and click if there was any movement at all.
And to my delight, when I arrived home and checked my photos, I had managed to capture the Eagle taking off.
The beautifully clear waters of the Murrah revealed many fish of varying size. Far more schools of fish than have been seen on previous paddles.
The tide was still coming in as we reached the mouth at 10:00am and we saw something we had not seen before. Schools of whiting swimming against the tide with mouths open and eyes and nose above the waterline. It was quite a sight.
Paddling through the clear waters of the inlet towards our chosen morning tea break. We encountered waves from the incoming tide as we crossed the inlet and they were as high as the wake from a reasonably large motor boat and gave us a small thrill as our Deltas' proved their worth in the surf.
And here we are! 10:10 am sees us enjoying our tea break and taking in the sounds of the inlet and its birdlife.
10:35am and we're off again, this time for the return journey to the Bridge.
Cormorants perched atop the oyster bombs gave us a very clear hint of where NOT to paddle. We found a direct safe route through them and we were on our way against the outgoing tide which hadn't quite kicked in yet. We were all very proud of our planning and how well we'd done (albeit that it was based mainly on pure guess work.....or maybe M & L can take heart that we have been listening AND learning all along!!!)
The beautiful rockface of the river bank with the sunlight hitting and dancing in its overhangs.
The bridge in sight, it's truly been a magic paddle with the weather and water at its absolute stunning best.
11:25am saw the three amigos beaching our boats and thinking about the loading task ahead.
Time now to pack up and manage our boats, just the three of us.
And what a stirling job we did of it too....until.... I realised we'd put my boat on the car and one of my straps was still in a hatch. Thank goodness V had a spare strap because none of us wanted to take my boat off and put it back on again!
It was decided it was a better than enjoyable paddle and that our boats were relatively easy to manage. Good to know!
Trip Notes:
Put in/Take out: Murrah Bridge
High Tide: 1.42m at10:03 Murrah Beach
Start Time: 8:50am
Finish: 11:25am
Approx. 6kms
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