Saturday 2 November 2023 The Murrah

 Our plans for paddling Cuttagee after 120mm of rain -

were swept away when the lake burst open early Friday morning. The following pic was taken at 11.56am

And this one at 5.10pm.

Keen to paddle, early on Saturday morning we drove down and checked out the Murrah. There was still plenty of water coming down the river and if we timed it correctly we would have the aid of the incoming tide to paddle back upstream. 

Back home we checked the tides - a high tide of 1.7m at the entrance at 12.11pm. L did some quick guesstimations and announced we had to be on the water no later than 9.30am.  Having alerted our paddling partners to the change of plan we met down at the bridge and after negotiating some slippery sooty mud left behind by the receding flood waters we launched about 9.20.

L had timed it perfectly - we had an easy float down the river to the lagoon, pulling in well short of the entrance we stopped for morning tea and strolled to the sea. Approx 40mins later the level in the lagoon had risen by 30-40cm and the incoming tide was starting to overcome the downstream flow. It was time to get back on the water.

Heading back we could see there was now enough water to detour around the back lagoon. After leaving its shelter and returning to the river we discovered the easterly breeze had steadied which along with the incoming tide allowed an easy paddle back to the bridge.

And lastly, a spotted gum near home, peeling like a banana