Monday 25 November 2019 Nullica River Estuary: A Day for Reflection

To fully enjoy the delights Nullica estuary has to offer a high, high tide is necessary so it was an obscenely early start for us this morning.  We left home just after 5.30am and had a nerve wracking  drive for the 1st hour dodging live and dead wallabies and kangaroos on the road - it was very sad - why do people have to drive so fast and with so little care?

Anyway, we got our two vehicles down to the Nullica River without causing any further carnage and set about getting ready for the paddle.  The forecast wind had not yet appeared and the water was glassy

By around 7.45am we were all on the water

and headed upstream to the bridge carrying the Princes Highway across the river

Under the bridge,  still getting a good tidal assist

 Beautiful glassy water, though it was necessary to keep an eagle eye out for the odd oyster bommie

Mount Imlay in the distance

Up through the partially submerged mangrove gardens

 The reflections were amazing

and were everywhere one looked

 Shortly after the above photo was taken we reached a fork in the river and we turned left onto Leos Creek

 Coming up to the ruins of an old road bridge

 Soon after the bridge the creek narrowed and became riddled with snags

 However, intrepid paddlers that we are we pushed on

until S finally called a halt up around the next bend.

We turned and started retracing our steps, around

and over various snags

Reaching the bridge ruins once more.

They look too substantial to be the remains of a farm bridge - I wonder where it led?

Shortly after reaching the confluence with the Nullica River we spotted this little bird on the middle of the log.

I think it is a immature Hooded Plover and would be interested if someone could confirm this or tell me what bird it is.

Then it was back through the mangroves with R weaving her way through practicing her newly learnt stroke - the bow rudder.

 Back under the bridge, the outgoing tide and light breeze were in competition with each other

Riding the outgoing tide toward the mouth

Looking back to the bridge and Mount Imlay

 Having gathered in an eddy for a 'do we or don't we' chat, L decided the conditions in the bay were too choppy for us to venture out and dip a toe, or in this case, a paddle in Nullica Bay so it was time to head back to where we had started the paddle.
Crossing the outgoing current

L ventured up to the eddy on the left for a final look see at the entrance

With the water fast disappearing out of the estuary we had to paddle nearly all the way back to the bridge and then back up the right hand side of the estuary to return to where we launched.

A short, but very attractive paddle, we finished about 10.20am.

Notes:
Put In/Take Out:  Nullica Mouth Road off the Princes Highway
6.86km
High tide at Boydtown:  7.57am 1.8m
Approx 2hrs 30mins