Setting off at 11.00am we caught the last of the incoming tide, went under the bridge and paddled passed a nifty folding trimaran.
Although not hot, the day was clammy and close and oh so quiet; only the bellbirds had the energy for some fitful song. Affected by the atmosphere, we oozled our way quietly up the river's edge, looking at the bush, spotting fish and being distracted by reflections in the still water.
There were people at the campground so we pushed on and pulled in at 12.30pm onto the edge of a small wetland. As we ate our lunch the tide crept in around us with tiny, baby fish and the odd tiny crab following in the waters wake.
By the time we roused ourselves to pack up the water, the fish and the crabs had receded and, unusually for us, we welcomed the light head breeze that had sprung up.
At 1.40pm we set off on our return journey, this time on ruffled water.
About two thirds of the back we paddled out from under the clouds and ended our trip in hot sunshine at 3.00pm
It has been two months since we last visited The Murrah; with an 8.10am 2.00m high tide and a lovely forecast it was a no brainer.
Having met at the bridge about 7.10am and after greeting R who has returned to our little piece of paradise after a long absence, as Vera would say, oop north we unloaded the boats and got onto the water and headed downstream.
At the second bend we spied a Sea Eagle who seems to be a bit short on tail feathers.
A few hundred metres further on, alerted by their call, we were lucky enough to spot another two.
Taking a meandering route we cruised on downstream until reaching the entrance. Being near to slack tide it was most benign and we ventured close to the mouth. We then paddled back up the lagoon a little and pulled in for morning tea or breakfast at 9.30am.
As we relaxed a tinnie arrived and pulled in on other side of the lagoon and its occupant started fishing. At 10.20 V chivvied us back into our boats. Watching schools of fish now swimming downstream on the turning tide.
Having crossed the lagoon we passed close to the fisherman and stopped for a chat. Jason had come up from Tathra for a few days fishing and as we spoke he reeled in a nice flathead and kindly offered it to us. After dispatching it Jason put it into a plastic bag provided by R and then hung out of his boat to put it into the cool bag in my front hatch. Lovely man.
Dinner sorted for S&V we resumed our paddle and set out to catch up with L who had left us far behind.
Having regrouped -
we pulled in so V could clean the fish and L could launch the drone. When V had finished and dinner was safely stowed in the bottom of the cool bag L declared this was to be our lunch spot - mainly, I think, because he wanted to keep flying the drone. So out came the cool bag again and S had to get out of her boat. By now it was quite warm and we found a little patch of shade under a shrub and there we all huddled happily whilst we ate our lunch and L played with the drone.
55 minutes later we returned to the water and resumed our, so far, delightful cruise.
Once back out into the main flow of the river we discovered the tide was well and truly on the way out and steady paddling was required for the remainder of our journey back up the river. Not so much effort, however, was needed that could cause pause to the continuing chatter!
One more sighting of a Sea Eagle as it flew across the river topped off our day and at 12.30pm we pulled in at the bridge.
Now for the much anticipated :) video. The drone footage is the best yet.
To recap: This was the Cuttagee entrance about 4.00pm on Friday afternoon after we received 155ml (6") of rain in a little over 24 hours starting Wednesday evening.
With the lake still closed on Saturday morning and the day being sunny with hardly any breeze L&I decided it was an opportunity too good to miss and headed to the lake for a paddle.
Aiming for one of our usual launch sites on a friends place we drove by their crossing and as it was underwater decided to launch there. We took to the very murky water just before 10.00am.
Swans flying over Aafke's Lagoon
Old shells littered the ground where we had morning tea. Is this an old midden?
Sea Eagle preening then
doing a Julie Bishop and like Julie easily winning the staring contest.
Our excellent adventure ended at 1.40pm just as it was starting to get uncomfortably hot and humid.
Unknown to us Cuttagee started to open some time before 11.0am and this is what is was like shortly after we ended our paddle. We were so pleased that we had made the effort, who knows when she will close and fill up again.
Exploring the Snowy River Estuary was plan for our last paddle before returning home. To take advantage of the high tide of 1.3m at 10.11am we left Orbost at 8.30am and found a good spot to launch past the boat ramp and jetty on Beach Road.
By 9.20am we were all on the water and after a brief confab paddled across the river and headed down river toward the mouth.
With a following wind we made good progress and enjoyed our paddle along the shoreline.
In the distance we could see a seemingly stationary foam raft sitting out in the water. It needed investigation. So S&I paddled over to check it out. The water beneath and around the raft was filled with suspended bits of detritus which gently swirled around. Immediately down stream of the raft the water was choppy and disturbed. We had no idea what was going on; S beat a hasty retreat and I found myself on the wrong side of the disturbed water. With some trepidation I paddled into it and much to my relief found there was no current and could easily paddle across.
After giving it some thought L decided it was the point where the incoming tide clashed with the outgoing flow and caused the choppy little standing waves and why the foam seemed to be stationary.
Soon after passing the foam raft we could see breaking waves rolling in across the estuary. Deciding to give them a wide berth we paddled back upstream for a few hundred metres to get round a long sand bar and into the calmer water at the far shore.
Unfortunately our respite was not to last and opposite the entrance we had cross a few hundred metres of the biggest swell our little group have yet encountered. Once in the thick of it it was every person for themselves. Rising then sliding and wallowing in the troughs we concentrated on paddling and keeping our boats straight. We made it through, the only casualty being V's water bottle which was washed overboard never to be seen again. And of course being tense and concentrated I forgot to turn the GoPro until the very last moment after I had entered calmer water.
We paddled on for a little bit then pulled up on a handy bit of beach. In need of a restorative and to give V time to properly mourn the loss of her beloved water bottle we decided this was as good a spot as any for morning tea.
Whilst recovering we revisited our paddle plans for the day. Not having taken into account the strong southerly swell when we laid new plans and figuring slack water would not be too long away we decided to paddle no further east along the estuary and to return up the river as soon as the swell hitting the northern shore had abated somewhat.
After half an hour or so the water looked quite a bit calmer and we were all confident we handle it. And so it proved; crossing back was much easier and soon we were into sheltered water once more. But now we were paddling into a strongish head breeze and against the flow of the river which made us all aware of our tired muscles.
The new plan was to paddle back up river, past our put in point, cross the river and explore The Corringle Slips. Halfway back L decided we should halt for lunch to see if the breeze would die down.
As we ate V continued to mourn the loss of the water bottle; a very special bottle, it had been on many adventures having being carried on bikes, backpacks and kayaks all over the country.
Our lunch stop
About an 40 minutes later with no abatement in the breeze, we took to the water once again agreeing to make a decision when we reached our put in point. Needless to say, having had enough excitement for one day and with the outgoing flow getting stronger, by the time we reached our put in point at 12.20pm we decided to call it quits and save the Corringle Slip and the rest of the estuary for another visit.
Before starting on the tale of our Yeerung River paddle I would like to note that in the 24 hours ending last evening we had 155mms (6") of rain and Cuttagee Lake is about to pop. This pic was taken at 4.00pm on Friday 10.2.2023. Hopefully she won't, pop that is, before we can paddle her again.
I forgot my trusty little Pentax camera which I use to record start, break and finish times etc, so all I can tell you is it was another 8.00am departure from the Orbost motel and that we reached the Marlo pub for lunch sometime before 1.00pm.
After slipping into the dark tannin stained waters of the Yeerung we headed downstream toward the entrance. Along the way we disturbed a flock of cormorants resting in the trees, some of whom were presumably so full of fish they failed to fly and crash landed into the water ahead of us.
Upon reaching the lagoon we found it greatly changed since our last paddle in October 2019 (see map below) and the entrance was now at the eastern end and I guess it was cut through during the time of our visit to Marlo in April last year when it bucketed with rain for over 24 hours and here were huge floods. Landing toward the eastern end we were about to exit our boats when a wave washed over the sand barrier which made us pause. While S&V paddled a little further to the west I proceed up to the barely closed entrance before returning to join them on the beach.
Meanwhile L had sent the drone aloft for a looksee. We regrouped at the old entrance then completed a circumnavigation of the lagoon before heading back upstream, past our put in point and under the bridge.
From there we had a magical paddle through a landscape of black and burnt orange tree trunks and the vivid greens of new growth. The water was glassy and the reflections mesmerising. We pushed on, wending our way through obstacles until some fallen trees lying lengthways down the river prevented further progess.
At one point I spotted what I thought was a bird of preys nest up in a tree beside the river. Upon drawing alongside I realised it was flood debris at least 20feet (6m) above me. No wonder the bridge we had passed under was still closed for repairs.
The GoPro battery ran out a little before reaching the limit of our paddle. So our return journey, equally entrancing is unrecorded. At the end of the paddle L declared that the Yeerung River had become one of his top ten paddles. High praise indeed.
Our outing culminated in a long pleasant lunch on the verandah of the Marlo pub overlooking the Snowy River estuary.
Trip Notes:
Put in/Take Out: Canoe Launch Yeerung River via Marlo
As we drove down to Orbost on Saturday it started to rain and memories of last April's misadventure to Marlo surfaced; we hoped we weren't in for a repeat.
Much to our relief the rain stopped before we reached our destination late in the afternoon. S&V arrived a couple of hours later and after settling in we headed off to Orbost Club Hotel for an early dinner where, whilst we ate, plans and schedules for the morrow's paddle were discussed and made.
With an 8.00am departure agreed, upon our return to the motel if was early to bed and hopefully a good night's sleep.
We set off the next morning, a tick before 8.00am for the 10 minute drive to the Bete Bolong tennis court where we would leave S&V's car. From there it was another 30 minutes or so to our put in point at Sandy Point. With the devastation wrought by the 2019/2020 bushfires still apparent we wondered what the paddle would be like and how different it would feel to our October 2019 paddle when the bush, albeit dry, was still intact.
On the last of the steep section down to the river.
Not only had the track being repaired since the fires, we discovered new picnic tables and a loo has been installed - very civilised.
We set about unloading the boats and packing our gear before dragging/sliding them down the steep bank to the river's edge.
Speaking of water: the level on the Jarrahmond gauge when we paddled this section in October 2019 had being 1.13m - this time it was 1.58ms, a noticeable difference.
Taking to the water at 9.30am, L first led us upstream for 250+ metres before we turned to head downstream to negotiate our first little gravel race of the day.
Despite the head wind, the current floated us along at a reasonable clip and other than keeping an eye out for hazards we sat back and took in our surrounds. In some areas the thick wattle regrowth brought to mind our recent discussions with NP's when a couple of staff came to talk to us about a future hazard reduction burn along our boundary. We have a large and healthy population of lyrebirds and other wildlife busily working over the forest floor that surrounds us helping the leaf and bark litter to break down. Given that the benefits of a HR burn only last a few years our opinion is that, for our situation, there are far more potential hazards in conducting a hazard reduction burn than a short term benefit warrants.
Along the way we saw Water Dragons, Azure Kingfishers and excitingly a Sacred Kingfisher. We had a good sighting of a Wedgetail Eagle taking off from a tree right beside the river and again a little further downstream.
In case of running into people, we stopped short of Long Point for morning tea and sure enough as we came round the corner to Long Point we could see people in the water - for the Snowy, the water was cold, but then I remembered, we were in Victoria :).
Our next stop, at 12.45pm was Woods Point where repairs from the fires were still underway. V, having ascertained from L that we still had 8.5kms to go, chivvied us to get going, so after an hours respite we reluctantly took to the water once more.
At one stage, for a short distance we paddled through unburnt bush, the transition making an impact on us all - it looked so healthy and vibrant.
Once out into the open country, there were more hazards, both apparent and hidden to watch out for.
At 3.50pm, after keeping an eye out, we reached out pull out point, tired and happy. After dragging out the boats, L&S departed for the hour long return trip to retrieve the car and trailer from Sandy Point. Meanwhile V and I unpacked the boats and got them ready for loading then sat, relaxing in the sun and idly chatting.
With the higher water level, to our relief, no boat dragging was needed, tho' on the odd occasion I could hear and feel the bottom of my trusty boat scraping across sand ridges. And, as you will have seen on the video, on one gravel race, having chosen the wrong line L and I grounded out resulting in some comic dodgem car antics which actually helped to get our boats moving again.
About 5.10pm S&L returned and we set about loading the boats and all our gear before heading back to our accommodation and a long hot shower.
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