Monday 11 November 2019 Snowy River: Upstream of Sandy Point Track, Bete Bolong Nth

With the river levels falling and the weather forecast rapidly worsening, L,R and I decided to head of a day earlier than originally planned to get in at least one good day's paddling. Accordingly we set off Sunday afternoon bound for Orbost and the hard bedded Country Roads Motel.  Departing the motel at 8.05am the next morning our first stop was at the bakery nearest the top end of town. After discovering that anything we liked as a sandwich filling really meant ham and salad or a variation thereof we all chose ham and salad. While waiting for these to be made we had ample time to choose desert - a donut for R and carrot cake for L and me.

Back on the road we headed up along the river through Bete Belong and on up to Long Point Track where we intended to leave R's car. Just before we reached the descent down to the river we unhitched the trailer and I jumped in with R and we went on, following L. However only after a kilometre or 2 the track dropped off very steeply and L decided it would be too hairy to drag the loaded trailer back up that section of the track. So, sadly, we turned around and headed back up to the trailer and went for plan b which was to do an upstream paddle from the bottom of  Sandy Point Track. We reached the river around 10.45am and proceeded to unload the boats and get ourselves organised.

R dragging her boat down to the water down a now very enlarged and degraded track.

This is G's pic of the same track taken on the 22 October - 20 days previously!  It is also worth noting the difference in the water level.

Looking downstream, but we won't be going this way today

We headed upstream instead

Paddling against the flow

which wasn't as arduous as expected

The scenery lived up to expectations

 Our first gravel race looms on the horizon

We spent some time playing around at the foot of the gravel race and under the expert tutelage of L, R and I practiced ferry gliding and breaking in and out of a rapid.

Then following L we tried to paddle up the deepest part of the gravel race and although R and I made it up we didn't have the skill to paddle against and across the fast flowing water to where L waited, relaxed in an eddy about 15 metres further upstream. We were paddling as hard as we could and were going nowhere; from his comfortable position in the eddy L instructed us to turn our boats and go back down little rapid on the edge of the gravel race and that was fun. Having done that and with L following we turned once more and came back upstream on the other side of the river to where we could haul our boats up the gravel race.

By the time we had all walked our boats up the gravel race it was a little after noon and we decided that as we were already out of our boats we may as well stop for lunch. As it was quite warm the little bit of shade provided by this callistemon was much appreciated

The rapid which had defeated R and me :(

Our lunch time view

Lunch over, at 12.50pm we hit the water once more

We soon came to the start of a delightful mini rock gorge

up which we paddled for the next 10 mins or so

The flow in the gorge was quite strong and every time I stopped to take a photo, I started floating backwards and was soon left behind.

A narrow section

And then we hit our next gravel race/rapid.

With the Snowy River Wildernest in the distance we decided we would make this our turn around point

So we turned and rode the current downstream

back through the mini gorge

 every bend showing a different facet

soaking up the scene and feeling of remoteness

 going with the flow - literally

Back at our lunch time gravel race/rapid we once more practiced our ferry gliding and break ins and outs. Here R breaks in

After about half and hour of play and practice we floated on downstream

taking in the views

By the time we reached Sandy Point I needed to get out and stretch. While I did so R&L went down the little rapid to practice some more.

As R&L continued to practice I hauled Bluey back up the hill and got her loaded onto the trailer. By about 2.35pm I'd packed away my gear and R&L had finished their session and it was time to help get their boats up to the trailer.

With the largely silent, bum and grab handle clenching drive back up the steep section of the Sandy Point Track over we drove to where we had left R's car and R & I transferred. Once back on the bitumen we relaxed and as we drove along we chatted about the fun time we had, what we had seen (ducks, lots of water dragons, and a large variety of birds) and what we had learn't on this lovely section of the Snowy River.  Thanks to L for his patient tutelage.

We arrived at the Loft House, where once again we were staying, to find that V&S had not yet arrived so we unloaded the two cars, filled the fridge and pantry with the nosh we had brought with us, made our beds and were variously snoozing, showering or relaxing when S&V turned up.

Soon it was time for dinner and R, with S&V's help produced several delicious pizzas for us all.

We had dinner on the verandah enjoying the view and the evening sun until the mozzies drove us inside around dusk.

Notes:

Put In/Take Out: Sandy Point Track, off the Orbost to Buchan Road
4.26kms
Approx 3 1/2 hours

River heights for paddle:
McKillops Bridge: 6.11am  .89m
Basin Creek: 5.18am  2.15m
Jarrahmond: 5.00am  1.19m

For Future Reference:

Snowy Hydro Releases from Jindabyne Dam:
29/10/19:  900 approx
30/10/19:  3600 approx
31/10/19:  1700 approx
1/11/19:    900 approx

And the dates on which the following gauging stations peaked:

McKillops Bridge: 2/11/19, 6.57am  at 1.52m (having jumped from .79m on 1/11/19
Basin Creek:  3/11/19, 8.18am at 2.38m (up from 2.07m on 2/11/19)
Jarrahmond: 3/11/19, 4.00pm at 1.47m  (up from 1.09m on 2/11/19)

NB:  Hector's Track definitely too rough for a trailer or a 4wd without recovery gear. Long Point track probably doable with a trailer if 4WD has recovery gear.