In order to add another tick to the bucket list, we set off early to do a car shuffle and and get on the water an hour before high tide so we could safely paddle down to the mouth of Merimbula Lake. For those who don't remember; the bucket list is a list of all the accessible and navigable waterways between Nowra and Bairnsdale. The aim of the CKC being to paddle them all before one of us becomes too decrepid to get into a kayak :)
After leaving a vehicle at our take out point at Merimbula Top Lake Boat Hire and Cafe we drove down to Mitchies Jetty to launch from the beach beside the jetty. Already a bustling hive of activity at 8.15am in the morning and with the car park 3/4's full we had to de hitch the trailer in order to park. Other than the awkwardness of unloading 14 foot plus boats in a small car park with cars entering and leaving and then weaving through the very friendly and chatty crowd buying and drinking coffee, then finally negotiating the romping toddlers and dogs on the beach, it was a good place to launch.
Taking to the water, a little behind schedule at 8.45am, the dogs and toddlers having left the beach, but R is still answering questions asked by the coffee drinkers as we paddle away.
First we headed down to the mouth. After a quick stop for V to collect some discarded coffee cups which were about to be swept into the water by the incoming tide; obvisouly left by some thoughtless litterers earlier in the morning.
Once we had turned around the sand bar we were into the incoming current and had to paddle quite hard to cross the channel and paddle up to the little beach on the north side of the entrance. Having admired the entrance and colour and clarity of the water we turned and let the current carry us back into the lake.
Having inspected a row of private jettys and a couple of seals snoozing thereon we headed toward the main channel and hence under the bridge into the top lake.
We loosely followed the main channel through the oyster beds up and across the lake, travelling over some mesmerising sea grass beds as we paddled along. Just before we turned to head across the top of the lake the forecast breeze and rain arrived a couple of hours early and it quickly turned cold. Like Coila Lake, last week, Merimbula gets choppy quickly and we slogged our way through a side on chop until we turned into the entrance of Boggy/Miligandi Creek.
Reaching the first bend in the creek we found a sheltered break in the mangroves in which to pull out for a leg stretch and to don some wet weather gear. Some 15minutes later, dekinked and fortified we launched again with everyone keen to head on up the creek.
Not far after the bridge we reached the tidal limit.
With the drizzle easing, and the sun making a fitful return we paddled back under the bridge and
retraced our steps, noticing along the way these nests with tiny caterpillars clinging to the outside hanging out over the water.
Once we exited the pleasant and sheltered confines of creek we paddled steadily, making a beeline for the take out point, pulling onto the little beach at 11.40am.
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