Saturday 9 October 2021 The Murrah

 We usually paddle during the week however Saturday had the best forecast and a high, high tide - 1.8ms. Perfect for a paddle on the Murrah; at that level all the nooks and crannies the Murrah has to offer can be explored.  A few other people had the same idea. Firstly we met Rob, an ex neighbour, and two of his mates returning from an overnight camp and later we saw 3 other paddlers and, toward the end of our paddle, a tinny speeding down river on the outgoing tide.

As we headed out to the car we encountered this young fella at the back door. Remember the ABC series "Kangaroos in the Mist" (I think it was called) and the star, Jaffa? Well we think this little fella is likely to meet the same fate. He often explores far from his mother, often out of sight as in this pic - she is around the corner about 30 metres away. Two days ago we sat in bed watching helplessly as this very young Red Neck Wallaby was chased around the garden by a crow that was larger than him and intent on having him for breakfast. He survived that encounter but obviously has not learnt the lesson to stay close to Mum :(

Back to paddling:  High tide at the entrance was 11.03am and we hit the water at 10.15am  had no trouble negotiating the shallow sections.

Having headed down river we turned into the top entrance of the lagoon and head back to the 

peaceful and contemplative western section.

After exploring this section 

we doubled back and headed down to the south eastern section of the lagoon, spotting a stingray along the way.

Once back out in the river via the bottom entrance to the lagoon; on crystal clear water, we continued downstream 

heading toward

the entrance where we sat for a bit admiring our surrounds as the now outgoing tide gently drifted us toward the open water. For some, the lure of the ocean was strong - for others

the pull of the current resulted in a retreat to our lunch spot across the way. 

The last of the dreamers coming in for lunch at 12.40 pm.

Beginning our return paddle sticking to the northern shoreline.

After negotiating the numerous underwater hazards that abound in this part,

we headed into the northern bay with Mumbulla Mountain as the backdrop.

Taking the short cut back to the river which

is only negotiable on a very high tide.

Close to the end of our paddle we spotted a water dragon taking advantage of one of the logs placed for erosion control.

About 2.25pm our delightful idyll on the Murrah came to an end. Until next time :)

Trip Notes:

High tide: 11.30am 1.8ms

Start time: 10.15am

9.6km