The morning after the longest night of the year dawned grey and gloomy, unlike the forecast and burrowing further under the doona thoughts of cancelling were briefly entertained.
What a mistake it would have been. It turned out to be one those magical paddling days, not a breath of wind, the only thing to ruffle the water was the current, bird life abounded and let us creep close, we didn't see another soul and to top it all off the current was such we hardly had to paddle except through Blackfellows Lagoon. Minus the time we took for our AM tea stop we spent 1hour 30mins minutes on the water in which time we poddled/floated 8.37km.
Due to the time of the tide (low tide at the entrance was 11.28am) we decided to do a one way paddle from the boat ramp at Blackfellows Lagoon down to the bridge aiming to reach the bridge by noon. After meeting R at Mogareeka and transferring her boat and gear we headed round to Kalaru.
We made it onto the water only a few minutes later that scheduled at 10.03am
This kingfisher was the first of many bird sightings.
With the low tide there was no exploring the reed beds today, instead it was searching for the deepest channel to reach the entrance to Blackfellows. Having taken 20minutes to paddle the lagoon we paused at the entrance to the river to ponder our options and what route to take over the sand plug to get there.
We chose correctly and once in the current were whisked gently downstream. Other than needing to keep an eye on the water depth to avoid grounding out on sand plugs, and putting in an occasional corrective stroke our only requirement was to sit back and enjoy the ride and
and scenery floating by.
From doubtful beginnings it had truly turned into a magical paddling day.
Having pulled in at 11.00am for a spot of morning tea we spent a very pleasant half hour soaking up the sun
before launching again onto still glassy water.
The current though no longer noticeable was still moving us along at a good clip.
taking it all in. Even talk of Barnaby at morning tea couldn't penetrate the bubble of serenity in which we found ourselves.
We arrived at the boat ramp at 12.00. There must still be a reasonable amount of freshwater coming down the river after the rain a couple of weeks ago as the water was still flowing out.
We discussed our options - a) wait for 1-2 hours and ride the tide back up to Blackfellows Lagoon or b) go an have lunch at the pub. Decisions, decisions, it was a tricky one. L put foward the deciding point -
being we didn't know how much fresh water was coming down the river and it might be a bit of slog paddling back up. So pub lunch it was. L&R left me to unpack the boats while they drove round to retrieve the car.
While waiting their return I noticed that the tide did not turn until about 12.40pm. S&V who were returning from Bega met us at the pub. We got a table inside onto which the sun poured, we had a fantastic lunch and the icing on the cake - two whales close enough in to see with the naked eye breeching non stop for 20 minutes or so. Oh yes, and the Sea Eagle soaring around the edge of the cliff just outside the window. So convivial was the setting and company we spent far longer over lunch than we had on the paddle.
Thought of the day: Sometime do the same low tide paddle, and take bicycle locks. Paddle downstream, lock up the boats, go to the pub for lunch and then paddle back up during the middle couple of hours of the incoming tide.
Trip Notes:
Put In: Blackfellows Lagoon boat ramp
Take Out: Mogareeka Boat ramp
8.37kms
2 hours.
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