Tuesday 21 December 2021 Bermagui River: Meandering through the mangroves

 Before we get on to today's paddle a couple of pics:

After our fabulous paddle on a very full Cuttagee Lake on the 14th November the Lake was manually opened on the 19th November :(

 It had just closed again when on 9th December we had over 100mls of rain and it opened naturally.

The Murrah, on the 10th December, on its way down after the 100+mls of rain.

Next, at 7.00am on the 8th December, a first for us, a Red Neck Wallaby on the 2nd storey terrace!

She thought about coming inside through the open door

but luckily for all concerned thought better of it and after

a couple of cautious circuits around the terrace hopped back along the verandah and down the stairs. I can only assume she ventured to such dizzying heights to avoid the advances of the amorous male who has been relentlessly pursuing the three lady Rednecks who inhabit our garden.

Lastly, on the 12th December, out the kitchen window, a very common sight - one of the Eastern Grey Kangaroos who took up residence in the garden during the last part of the drought in 2019 and never left.

Now to today's paddle for which L decided we should dig out Big Red (and dust off and disinfect - going by the various foot prints and shit shapes, all manner of little creatures had been using her as a party pad.

We set of from slipway beach at 10.00am, 15mins before high tide at the entrance and paddled upstream. Once under the bridge and past the jetty we headed to river left and paddled up the inside of the oyster lease so we could take advantage of the 1.8m high tide and explore the mangroves. 

Having passed over a huge stingray we headed into the mangroves 

While weaving our way through we spotted a Striated (Mangrove) Heron.

We pushed and wove our way through the Mangroves until

the way ahead cleared and we realised we were paddling over the wetlands.

Heading back to the river having completely cut the corner.

Back in the river we cruised up stream for a few hundred metres weaving our way through paddle boarders, kayakers and fishing boats. Seeking more solitude we cut through more oyster beds to river right and paddled up the oyster bommie strewn channel between the mangroves: at this tide height, we cleared the hazards with feet to spare.

Back out into the river at the next bend we continued upstream and 100 metres or so short of the next corner we headed into the faint lead on river left that L had noted on our last paddle.

After some ducking and weaving we entered a clear area and then

it was back to ducking and weaving once more giving me plenty of opportunity to practice my bow draw stroke with much advice issuing from the back seat on how to improve it :)

 Nearing the top of the lagoon we started looking for a place to pull out.

Having found a spot we pulled in at 11.00am for morning tea.

About 40 mins later we resumed our meandering, heading north(ish), upstream to see how far we could get.

Sticking to the shoreline, only diverging into the mangroves when fallen trees and other obstacles barred our way we made it a couple of hundred metres past the point in the pic below before admitting defeat.

Has this old mangrove put out air roots?

After spending another 20 mins or so weaving and winding, getting air bogged and pushing, heaving and polling (and improving my bow draw) we made it back to the lagoon and thence out to the river where we relaxed for a bit and let the current drift us gently downstream.

Round the corner we hugged river left to the point where we crossed over for our last venture into the mangroves on river right. On all our ventures into the mangroves we saw zillions of fish; big fish, little  fish, short fat fish and long skinny fish down to fingerlings barely 2cms long. V would have been beside herself with glee. No sign of the resident Sea Eagles though.

After coming under the bridge some dick in a motor boat decided to play chicken with us. First with R who was ahead and then with L&I. Three times we changed direction to avoid him, as had R and three times he changed direction to come at us head on, only bearing off slightly to avoid us when about 20 metres away. What a knob, thankfully he was sticking to the speed limit so his behaviour wasn't alarming, merely irritating. 

After pulling in at slipway beach at 1.00pm R waded out for a cool off while L retrieved the car and trailer.

Upon delivering R and her boat back home we discovered G had prepared lunch for us and was only awaiting our return before heating up his caramelised onions and firing up the BBQ to grill his homemade delicious hamburgers. Yum, yum, yum. A perfect way to end another perfect paddle. Thanks G.

Trip Notes:

Put in/Take out: Slipway Beach

High Tide at entrance: 10.16am 1.8ms

7.75kms