Sunday 13 February 2022 Murray River: Clarke Lagoon Reserve to Neil's Reserve

Raring to go after our lay day and a good dinner at the Tintaldra Pub and with the river level rising, we hit the road early and headed up the river to Clarke Lagoon Reserve, the put in point for today's section. Arriving about 8.15am we found the group of blokes who had spread themselves all over and beside the only 'beach' in the reserve still fast asleep. Trying to be as quiet as possible we set about unloading the boats.

It wasn't long before one of the blokes, very grumpy (the empty tinnies strewn around their fire perhaps the reason why) emerged from his tent and had a go at us for stopping there. Unfortunately for him, we believed he didn't have a leg to stand on and feeling feisty we gave as good as we got. The exchange woke the rest of his mates, one of whom wandered over, listened for a bit and quietly said to his friend 'give it up mate' and the protagonist retired, pouting, from the lists. With plenty of empty secluded areas around the reserve, if it was privacy and quiet they were after they shouldn't have tried a Lindsay Fox.

With the boats unloaded V and I were left to guard our gear while the car shuffle was done. Other than the odd passive form of intimidation been undertaken we were left alone; happily, on my part, pondering pithy comebacks in case grumpy oik returned to the fray.

Upon the return of the shufflers we were soon on the water and

at 9.10 our last adventure began.

To give you an idea of how fast the water was moving watch this video L took during our lunch break

With less roiling water needing attention and the current moving us along quite fast there was time to take in the scenery. With a light cooling breeze on alternative bends it was a perfect day for paddling.

Happy little paddlers,

who even more happily didn't follow my lead down this gravel stretch where I had a tippy minute or two as I grounded and bounced, grounded and bounced and grounded and bounced my way down the gravel race.

L was having a fabulous day, following the foam and letting the river do all the work.

Approaching the U bend where the river almost doubles back on itself, the rounding of which made for a very strange sensation when my sense of location told me I was heading back to where we'd come from. Pine Mountain (in the background), S&V have learnt from their reading up on local attractions, is a monolith bigger than Uluru!

About 10.20am we pulled in at a handy beach for morning tea.  We had poddled 7.2kms in and hour and ten minutes!

While we munch on our snacks L played with the Gaia GPS ap he had downloaded on his phone and set it to record our track.

At 10.50 we returned to the water.

Round another couple of bends and we're looking at Pine Mountain again but its further away than it was when we last spotted it!

For the next few kilometres the river required concentration and

the time flew by. This beach was too good to pass by, so at 11.55 we pulled in for lunch. Looking back upstream. As I was scooting along beside the beach I disturbed a 40cmish Murray Cod, to escape it had to swim alongside my boat in the shallows so I got a good look at it - first one I have ever seen and very exciting.

While we lunched, L regaled us with his GPS readings: Average moving speed: 6.4kph; max speed: 10.5kph. Distance covered since morning tea: 7.58kms. Time taken: 1hr 05mins.

Woohoo, we really were flying down the river, and loving it.

After the mandatory CKC stint of PM and Polly bashing we pushed off and continued our journey downstream.

Having negotiated the ruffle above and to the left of this sandbar (one of 3 possible routes), S yelled "we've lost V" . Eddying out we searched up river in vain. A few anxious moments ensued and then through the trees on the island behind the sand bar we saw the flash of a paddle blade at work.  It seemed an age before V appeared, calmly following the foam. 

Paying attention now, V has started to change direction to avoid the lurking log ahead.

The above pic and this one are a good example of how early you need to change course to avoid a hazard when the current flows toward it.

Together again V explained that due to a lack of concentration she had been sucked sideways into the current flowing behind the treed island and down a ruffle before managing to straighten up and take command once more.  Luckily the unsighted route was clear of hazards. Does anything phase this gal?

We paddled on;  here looking back for a last glimpse of Pine Mountain. Somewhere along this stretch, what I thought was the top of a log hazard popped up close to the boat. As I put in a frantic sweep stroke, thinking how did I not see that, I realised the 'log' had legs and was in fact a freshwater turtle with green algae growing on its shell. I had no idea they grew to such a size; guesstimate the carapace was over 20cm wide.

All too soon we saw our take out point in the far distance,

at 1.15pm our Murray adventure was sadly over.

It is a small world - the couple L is talking to are the Oyster farming side of Wheelers in Merimbula.

A last lingering look upstream before

loading the boats and

heading back upstream to collect the other car.  We all felt remarkably fit and chipper, not tired as after the other two paddles. We thought we easily had another 10kms or so left in the tank. We certainly hadn't needed to work as hard as on the first paddle - mainly paddling on the backed up waters of the weir; or the second paddle when a lot of sweep, back and draw stroking seemed required. 

The old ladies all agreed that L's plan to ease us onto this type of moving water was a wise and sensible one. All his coaching and guidance on the first two paddles gave us the skills (though still rudimentary) and confidence to relax, cope with and thoroughly enjoy this day.  So much so, it has shot up the charts and  straight into our top ten paddle list.

We arrived back at Clarke Lagoon beach to find S&V's car unmolested and the blokes gone. Perhaps it was my parting shot to grumpy oink that we would be back for afternoon tea that galvanised them into an early departure :)  In fairness, other than the fire place and wood left behind, they did leave the area clean and tidy. I must say tho', all the camping areas we visited along the river were clean and tidy, unlike many of the ones in NSW we have seen.

So that is end of our Murray trip. Try as I did, I failed dismally to talk the others into staying an extra day for another paddle. Of a possible 120 odd kilometres paddling along this stretch of the river, we only did 53 (Col did more than that in one day!). Perhaps another time - the tricky bit is having the water levels and weather align.

Trip Notes:

River Levels:  Brigenbrong Bridge 1.5m,  Jingellic 1.8m,  Hume Weir 98%

Put In:  Clarke Lagoon Reserve

Take Out:  Neil's Reserve

20kms

4hrs 5mins

River Level Monday 14 February 2022: Brigenbrong 1.695m ,  Jingellic: 1.926m

ML/Day approx between 8.00-9.00am each day:

                            Brigenbrong Bridge                    Jingellic

9 Feb 2022            4,700                                            7,500

10 Feb                   3,700                                            7,000

11 Feb                    2,500                                            5,550

12 Feb                    3,000                                            4,600

13 Feb                    4,200                                            5,100

14 Feb                    4,200                                            6,300

Friday 11 February 2022 Murray River: Pumphouse Reserve to Burrowye Reserve

 Seal launch day dawned clear and sunny and thankfully a little cooler than the day before. S&V arrived a little after 8.00am and we were quickly on our way.

Arriving at Pumphouse we discovered the water level well over 30cm lower from when we inspected the launch site on Wednesday evening. After V&L returned from the short car shuffle we packed the boats and with L acting as anchor man we lowered the boats one by one down the bank. 

L requested I launch first - I don't know why - either to set the example of what not to do or maybe he was thinking of the nice launch path my heavy boat and I would press out in the soft mud. The lower water level made launching easier. Knowing about the perils of seal launches, once the bow was in the water I made sure one end of my paddle was planted firmly in the mud under the water and L gave me a gentle shove. 

Supported by the paddle all went well and I slid into the water and the boat floated gently upstream in the eddy. Phew, I made it.

The next to go was S, who without using her paddle and hence with a wobble or two made it in also unscathed. Then it was V's turn!

Looking good so far

Still okay but what's happening with that paddle?

Oops, looking a bit whopsy

Thar she goes!

Here I will let V give her version of events:

"We were promised a few more ruffles which was duly delivered. It was agreed on steepish incline as a put in spot and the boats were lowered one by one via a long rope with L as anchor. M, who was first, was very trepidatious with this arrangement considering the sticky mud, deepish entry and lack of control. However, M slid in like a hot knife in butter (L guiding with his hand and instructions).

S next and she went out onto the river like a seasoned pro. V watching from the bank and admiring the professionalism. 

V's turn. All good until the last few centimetres, when she was certain she felt a kick at the back of her boat, wobbled and ended arse up in the muddy Murray. Standing up, with her feet slowly going into quickmud the green pump (past birthday present - thank you to all concerned) was niftily retrieved out of the hatch, christened and a bathtub of water was extracted from the beautiful Mango. Other two boats were dragooned into service along with L's paddle and the plucky V [re-entered her boat and] was on her way. Wet, dirty and somewhat embarrassed. L, after the sabotage, silently and with a small but obvious grin, left the bank in one smooth action and proceed to lead the team into the swirling water."

I think we were all impressed with V's calm and sensible response. Not even cursing as she tried to find her feet in the slippery deep mud. And once achieving that it was straight into pumping out the boat.

Once settled back in her boat, at 9.40am L led us in the turn to head down river.

Once again there was too much movement in the water to take hands off paddle for pics. Almost continual concentration was required to deal with the roils, hazards and riffles. 

At last, a quiet stretch of water.

And these cockies were obligingly perched over calmer water.

About 10.35am we found a perfect spot to pull in for morning tea and to allow V to empty the remaining water from her boat.

Heading off again around 11.15 we were soon back amongst the riffles. V, unruffled paddles into a riffle.

More roils dead ahead.

A little before 12.30pm L yelled "follow me and eddy out" - into what turned out to be a tiny eddy behind that log (behind the boats).

Talk about a pile up, by the time the last of us crashed in L and his boat were nearly shoved high and dry up the beach. Being jammed together it took some time to extract ourselves from the boats and get set up in the shade for lunch at the other end of the beach.

Our lunch time view up the river and

on the opposite bank we recognised the launch spot at Bullocks Reserve -

the hazard just downstream that ruled Bullocks Flat out as a possible put in spot.

After a leisurely lunch we paddled on down river.

Sliding past, I manage a pic of half a roil.

A young Wedgie keeps an eye on us as we are swept past its perch.

Before we knew it, we had something less than a kilometre to go

and at 2.15 paddle no.2 was over. Not expecting to finish for at least another hour we realised the current had been pushing us along faster than we thought. While this section was not as attractive as yesterdays it was definitely more of an adrenaline buzz .

I will finish with another quote from V:

"The day produced much more river movement and at the end we were all quite chuffed with ourselves. M reported that she is now not so sure about moving water as it requires too much concentration and no time for daydreaming and rollies."

Trip Notes:

River Levels (Mean):  Brigenbrong Bridge: 1.28m  Jingellic: 1.90m  Hume Weir: 98%

Put In:  Pumphouse Reserve

Take Out:  Burrowye Reserve

19kms

4hrs 35mins

Thursday 10 February 2022 Murray River: Burrowye Reserve to Kennedy's Reserve

 Arriving at our accommodation in Walwa after a very scenic drive across the bushfire ravaged Snowy Mountains we unpacked and waited for S&V to join us so we could drive down river and check out a few put in/take out points for the next couple of days paddling adventures.

Firstly we drove the 26mins or so down to the first of the reserves we had marked to check, Kennedys, near the top of Hume Weir. With the weir so high there would be quite a few kilometres of lake affected water to paddle, however it is an excellent put in/take out point. Next on the list was Dunpubin, 8-9kms upstream - no 'beach', a vertical drop into the water. It was here we met a bloke, 70 yo, from the Gold Coast, at the end of his 2nd day of an 8 week paddle from Brigenbrong Bridge to the mouth of the Murray in South Australia. In the first two days he paddled 120kms or thereabouts. His previous paddling experience: paddling around a small lake for 2 hours a day.  Talk about making our forthcoming adventures pale into insignificance! He is raising money for his local Rotary and has a facebook page Colwel Adventures if you want to follow a true adventurer. Next to his campsite was a muddy shelf where he had managed to clamber out, so L marked Dunpubin Reserve down as a possible take out point.

Next to check out was Burrowye, another perfect put in/take out point. Then it was onto Bullocks which proved hard to find and not used since the fires. Although it has a doable though steep drop down to the water, immediately down stream was a tree and debris hazard and L ruled it out. Proceeding up river we checked out the Mount Alfred Gap Lookout before dropping down to Pumphouse Reserve, again a bit tricky to find and not used since the fires.  Here we found a steep drop into an eddy and L pronounced this would be the put in point for our second paddle on the mighty Murray (which made me trepidatious as a seal launch would be required - S&V remained serene having no idea what a seal launch entails). 

On the way back to Walwa we checked out Gadds Reserve - perfect for both put in and take outs - and the Jingellic camping reserve which has a boat ramp however it was full with people camped cheek by jowl and nowhere to leave a car (on Saturday we discovered a much better put in/take out point across the the river at Pebbly Beach which can be accessed down Nursery Lane beside the golf course.

Back at Walwa arrangements were made for meeting the next morning and V&S left us to return to their riverside cabin at the caravan park.

Thursday morning V&S arrived at our cottage a little before 8.30am we headed down river to Burrowye Reserve to unload the boats. While S&L did the car shuffle, V&I readied the boats then found a convenient log in the shade on which to park our bums while we awaited the return of the shufflers; although overcast the day was already turning hot and humid, the air heavy and still.

We didn't have long to wait and after L explained the likely hazards we would encounter, seen and unseen, how to recognise the unseen ones, how to avoid them and how roiling water and eddy lines would turn our boats and probably much more which has escaped my mind we took to the water about 9.45am.

Having launched and paddled out of the eddy the current picked us up and carried our boats downstream. The roils did exactly as L said and turned out boats every which way - hence very few pics of the first part of our journey, both hands of the paddle required at all times!

L had us practice eddy outs at every opportunity, here we sit an contemplate our success at negotiating this riffle and not being pushed into the willows.  Each time we eddied out L drip fed us more information and wisely reinforced guidance already given.

After a short break (really a nervous wee stop) at 10.10am

we continued down stream all the time getting better at anticipating and dealing with the roiling water. The one right in front of my boat turned me at right angles.

Around 10.25am we entered the backed up water from the weir and the roils disappeared and the current slowed and floated us gently along. Time now to relax and take in the scenery

 

and the magnificent gums dotted along the banks.

Dead ahead is Dunpubin Reserve.

Goats on the island off the top end of Dunpubin Reserve. Opposite the end of island is where we encountered Col (as we dubbed him) the bloke I mentioned at the beginning of the blog. Our steep learning curve today gave us a new appreciation of Col's undertaking. We had the benefit of being led by L and following his guidance - Col started from Brigenbrong Bridge with zero moving water experience and no guidance other than what he had gleaned online. In comparison when we stopped at Brigenbrong on the way to Walwa L took one look at the current and the way the water was moving (river level was 1.77m) and said I'm not taking three old ladies on that! 

Contemplating Col's undertaking, we paddled on

through stunning surrounds.

With the current

steadily growing less,

we had to start working.

However there were frequent breaks to take in the riverside vegetation.

For instance the ginormous burl on this tree;

not to mention the twisting bark on the branches.  Admiration for this tree alone held us up for five minutes.

Nearly out onto the lake proper. At the end of this stretch we floated in the shade for ten minutes or so to have a drink and cool down a little before heading out across the lake to the take out point at Kennedy's Reserve.

Looking back up the lake and

to where we had to go.

With the weir level so high (currently at 98%) we had to weave our way through trees for the last 100 metres or so; the shade they threw was very welcoming.

Making landfall at 2.00pm, the first of our paddles was over. Without our time keeper I don't know how long our three breaks were for, or for that matter where they were. Except for the last four or five kilometres there are plenty of pebbly beaches on which to take a break.

We drove back to Walwa, along the way collecting S&V's car from Burrowye, feeling chuffed and a little relieved that 'the old ladies' had survived the day and our 'training' run unscathed. 

Trip Notes:

River Levels:    Brigenbrong Bridge: 1.596m  Jingellic: 2.09m  Hume Weir: 98%

Put In: Burrowye Reserve

Take Out: Kennedy's Reserve

14kms

4 1/4 hours