Tuesday 27 August 2024 Cuttagee

 Sadly, the rest of the CKC were unavailable so only L and I rolled out of bed early for a lovely little saunter around Cuttagee this morning.

As we launched at 8.45am I snapped this pic. The phone camera couldn't cope being pointed into the sun but I quite like the result.

At Cuttagee bridge we grounded out upon the huge amount of sand that had been washed under the bridge during the two weeks of southerly swells a month or so ago.

Finally, a very bad pic of the elusive heron that has been eluding my camera on our last few paddles of Cuttagee.  A Striated Heron, I think.

10.45am and it was time for a leg stretch and a spot of droning,

After packing up I took to the water at 11.40am and L stayed behind to 'drone' me as I paddled down the lagoon into a head breeze that had sprung up.

 

L having joined me we paddled back out onto a now choppy lake. So it was steady paddling until we turned down the strait.  Here we spotted a very wary Sea Eagle, I'm guessing - the markings are unusual - eating a fish.

At 12.45 we pulled in; four hours out on the water having done much to revive our spirits.

9kms

Friday 23 August 2024 Mogareeka Inlet to Blackfellows Lagoon

 The 10.59am high tide allowed, with a bit of careful planning, a short paddle followed by lunch at the Tathra pub. 

We met up on the south side of the bridge and as we were all early we took to the water at 9.10am, well ahead of schedule.

Firstly we headed over to the entrance where we lingered a little checking out the swirling waters, cliffs and birds before setting off up river.

Once under the bridge the colder than forecast head breeze had us paddling steadily for the next 4kms or so which was when the bleatings for morning tea began.  After a bit of discussion we found a sheltered spot and at 10.40 were heaving ourselves out of the kayaks.

As we warmed up with hot coffee or tea the cloud cover cleared and the sun was greatly appreciated. We nattered away happily until someone called for a time check. 50 minutes had flown by and it was time to pack up and relaunch as we had only 45 mins to paddle the remaining 3.7kms to meet up with G at 12.15pm.  

G, who was joining us for lunch, left his car at the bridge and picked up the LC and drove it around to meet us at Blackfellows boat ramp. The timing was perfect, as L paddled up to the boat ramp, G arrived. Whilst we unpacked the boats G took off the trailer and then drove V back to collect her car. Meanwhile we loaded 3 boats onto the trailer. We were halfway through changing when G&V returned. By the time we'd changed and hooked up the trailer S&V had their boats loaded and we were ready to head for the pub with plenty of time for a long, leisurely and enjoyable lunch. No whale sightings but as we ate we did get to watch a Sea Eagle soaring in lazy circles over the headland. Magic.

The blue tracks indicate we we split up to take different routes.

Trip Notes:

High Tide at entrance: 10.59am 1.64m

Put In: South side of  Mogareeka Bridge

Take Out: Blackfellows Lagoon boat ramp

8.8kms

3 hrs

Thursday 15 August 2024 Brogo Dam, Nelson Creek & Brogo River

OMG - what was forecast as a good paddling day developed, as all childless cat ladies would agree, into a purrfect day to be out on the water.

Brogo Dam was the destination. 

The aim; to launch by 10.00am with stops for morning tea at the old camping area in Nelson's Bay and lunch where we camped in 2017 before returning to the boat ramp around 2.00-2.30pm - a 10km in all - leaving us plenty of time to get into Bega to buy more sheep pellets.

Step one went according to plan - we started paddling around 10.

Jesse had told us to watch out for deer sign, he didn't say anything about pigs and this, to me, looks very much like a pig wallow.

So glorious was the day the plan started to fray. Morning tea, at 11.00am, was at the paddlable limit of Nelson Creek,

with birdsong and the burbling of water for background sound.

Lunch, at 1.20pm, was up the Brogo River (the river having not been part of the plan).

After lunch, while L flew the drone some of JD's childless cat ladies, very happy with their lot in life, tho' not that of the world, paddled on up the crystal clear river to the rapid.

Returning to our lunch spot we found L all packed up and taking to the water so we continued poddling back down the river. Around 3.00pm the warmth of this glorious winter's day quickly faded, I stopped filming and for the next hour and a quarter we paddled at our top sustainable speed back to the boat ramp.

At 4.15pm, back where we'd begun having paddled 6.2kms further than originally intended.

By the time were packed up and had the boats loaded it was too late to get into Bega so the sheep have to wait for another few days for their favourite pellets. 

I haven't talked much about the wonderful day we had as L's video tells it better than I ever could

Notes:

Brogo Dam 101%

Put In/Take Out: Boat Ramp

16.2kms

6 1/4hours

Friday 2 August 2024 Brou Lake

After our aborted attempt last week to paddle the Murrah on a 1.4m high tide, a early HT of only 1.2m on Friday put paid to any ideas of a tidal paddle.  Instead we opted to revisit Brou Lake, an ICOL lake that is rarely open.

Having collected R we headed to Brou Lake and by 9.45am we taking to water.

Firstly we headed up the lake to explore the bay at the mouth of Whittakers Creek. Paddling into the bay R declared that today, unlike last week, we must leave a decent interval between morning tea and lunch.

 Having completed the circumnavigation of the bay on the shady side we were feeling the chill and once back out in the lake sought the nearest sunny spot in which to stop for morning tea, landing at 10.45am.

It took awhile to warm up and then awhile more for R & L to decide to share their morning tea and  discuss the merits of Pan au Raison (aka Snail in CKC lingo) vs Custardy thing with Prune. Then more time passed as L flew the drone and before we knew it an hour was up and it was time to return to the water.

We paddled straight across the lake to explore the shoreline on the northern side.  The Wapengo paddle had featured fish. This one was turning into a bird paddle.  Swans, cormorants, pelicans, Sea Eagles (making frequent appearances) and those annoyingly hard to identify little shore birds.

Hmm, methinks the water level has not risen this much!

The northern shoreline is quite different from the southern.

Chilly again from paddling the last 30 mins along the shady northern shore we were happy to break out into sunlit waters of the 1st of the north eastern lagoons. Spotting a sandy, sunlit bit of beach in the distance we paddled across the lagoon and landed at 12.45pm. Whilst lunching and some more drone flying we warmed up to an uncomfortable degree (yes, it is the middle of winter) and as soon as L packed up the drone we launched again seeking a cooling breeze.

After a little more exploring along the eastern shoreline we reached the closed entrance and at long last managed to drift close enough to get a couple of ok pics of those little brown birds.

Red Capped Plover

and again.

The one at the back - a  visitor from New Zealand, Double Banded Plover (or Dotterel).

Having left the closed entrance behind we rounded the next bend and were busy watching some Pelicans and ducks cruise slowly by when R said look up to your left. There was another Sea Eagle and as we looked another flew in to join it.

Sea Eagle gazing done, we ventured on, back to the launch site, reaching there at 2.45. As we packed up a Pelican flew in to inspect us, hoping for a free feed I suspect.

It was sooned joined by another.

And so ended another superb winter's day kayak - hardly any breeze, sunshine and the paddling was easy upon the slippy water .

Finally, the GoPro and Drone results:

 

8.65kms