NB Aqualife: Thursday 23 July 2020 The Murrah

The Murrah mouth has closed again and due to the recent rain (90mm) and big seas the inlet is very full again - an opportunity too good to miss.

Look at all that water upstream :)

The last to embark at 10.20am

I wonder if these plants will survive the closure?

Here come the sluggards - too busy chattering to notice the start.

Plenty of route choices today

The sun made fitful appearances

A She-Oak (?) of venerable age

It was a delightful paddle upstream

Until we hit this fence which we decided would be the end of the line for us today.

Turning around, we cruised back down stream, aided by a slight flow.

The first time we came up here, after the rain that doused the bushfires, only the channel to the right around this island was navigable, today we had a choice.

Heading back down toward the bridge.

After rounding the second bend below the bridge we encountered quite a cold breeze from the SE so we turned up the first arm and found a sheltered sunny spot for a leg stretch and and a spot of morning tea.

Embarking again at noon

for the first time ever, we headed up the arm amidst lots of chatter and

it was well worth the venture.

End of the line, only about 20metres short of the river.

Back down the arm. To the right a large numbers of swans, ibis and egrets were taking advantage of some temporarily flooded pasture. Unfortunately our bird photographer was in revolt!

Rejoining the river and the cold breeze,

we paddled downstream to the first lead on the left. Never having enough water before we paddled cautiously into the lead, which translated means we let the boys head in and waited for the call!

In the middle of the lead it was sheltered and sunny and it was decided to stop for lunch. The first suggestion was vetoed. Then L headed in through some shrubbery and called to the gang. Much to A's befuddlement, there was an immediate chorus of rejection from out in the lead and we paddled on just a little further and found a perfect spot

and by 12.40pm we were munching our lunch.

At 1.40pm we embarked one more

The grass is still hanging on, even though its been under water for well over a week now.

Emerging from the lead

we head back into the lagoon

and paddled down to the beach and

to the mouth which had disappeared entirely and has been replaced by a vast plug of sand. This time it will take more than one man and a shovel to reopen it again!

Looking from the top of the sand plug closing the mouth south to Bunga Head.

Strewn about where patches of cinders from the bushfires 6 months ago, still being washed in by the sea

and washed downstream by the river.

Having spent 15 minutes one the beach we began our return journey, for once not having to keep a lookout for boat ripping oyster bommes,

we could take whichever route we chose

L once again tried out his sail (thanks to A for the pic below),

and disappointingly the breeze once again proved to be too light, too fitful and generally from the wrong direction to enable L to skim across the water.