Friday 24 March 2023 Lake Yarrunga Day 3: Hideaway to Tallowa Dam

 Waking up and gloomily looking forward to a wet camp pack up we reluctantly arose and set about dressing and getting breakfast.  We soon discovered the results of the bush rats overnight activities. R's food bag had two 50c size holes eaten through the tough plastic. S&V had holes eaten in a couple of things and the rim of L's plastic camp cup had been gnawed upon.

Packing up wet tents and a sodden tarp was not fun, but at least, we thought, each boat would be 6kg lighter without the water we had carried in. At 11.30 am we pushed out our boats to commence our last paddle.  We soon discovered that shedding the 6kgs of water was, along with weariness, negated by the weight of wet tents, clothes and gear.

As we paddled slowly up the lake S said she could see a bit of blue sky ahead. Personally, I thought she was barking. But sure enough by the time we reached Sawyers and pulled in for a break we were steaming in the sunshine. Parks had not updated it's website and we discovered that Sawyers is now only for day use - no camping allowed - and it has a loo.

We took to the water again at 2.00pm for what we thought would be a quick 4km side trip up Sandy Creek.

Here we sat for awhile watching a Azure Kingfisher sitting on the log in the creek.

However Sandy Creek is so enchanting we lingered far longer that we should. And after a quick stop at Sawyers it wasn't until a little before 5.00pm that we pulled into the launch site at Tallowa Dam. By 6.00pm we had the last of the boats on the trailer and were ready to return to Bendeela to drop S&V and their gear off at their car.

After that we went our different ways.  Having been unable to book any accommodation in Kangaroo Valley for Friday night L, R & I had booked a two bed unit at Dolphin Sands in Vincentia, out on the coast. Reaching our accommodation about 7.30pm, we checked in, ordered takeaway, picked it up, ate it, showered and fell into blissfully comfortable beds for a long nights sleep.

On the drive home the next day R&I decided that camping was a necessary evil if one wanted to kayak such a beautiful and awe inspiring area. And was it worth going with a rain ridden forecast?  Yes, it certainly was.

15.24kms

For future reference:

We each carried 6 litres of water, plus a water bottle. We only used 4-5 litres each.