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Tour of Lefevre Peninsula

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The Loop

Great suggestion from Mike Dunn on the WhatsApp channel on Friday for a paddle with a difference – doing a loop of the Lefevre Peninsula. The plan was to  launch from the Outer Harbor area, paddle down the Port River, portage across Bower Road into West Lakes, paddle south to Oarsman Reserve,  portage again across Military Road over the Tennyson Dunes and into the sea again – just in time to catch the southerly wind for the 13km final leg back to Outer Harbor. Distance was estimated to be about 28km. We had an ebb tide to begin the paddle so expected to work on our way up the Port River.

I felt I couldn’t resist Mike’s suggestion and was feeling pretty good about our Training Session at Tiranna Way on Friday so agreed to join up with Mike for his adventure.

The Start

Departure was from the small boat ramp just down from the Royal South Australian Yacht Squadron (RSAYS) at 9am, plenty of space for leaving our cars. Once we had loaded our very important trolleys for this paddle, as it requiring a couple of portage sections we were on our way by 9.30am.

Our sightseeing started with the Container Terminal – no shipping in sight so we explored underneath the concrete wharf which looked all very well maintained. As we approached Port River past the Snapper Point Power Station the ebb tide was very evident and even managed to practice some ferry gliding.

Mutton Cove Conservation Park

We had the river to ourselves as we paddled up past Mutton Cove Conservation Park. It’s great to see the increase in mangrove growth. This was a regular lunchtime break and the area has gradually improved, largely thanks to the local community group.

The regeneration of Mutton Cove Conservation Park become very evident as we approached ASC and were almost swept into mid channel by the tidal flow coming out from the small creeks that have been restored. This was all noted as a potential area for some whitewater skills practice when tides are favorable.

We made sure we were on the correct side of the Exclusion Zone buoys of the ASC building to ensure we didn’t set of any alarms. Brought back lots of fond memories to see a Collins Class Submarine on the Hardstand outside the Production Shed. The work on the Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs) seems to be progressing well with one in the water for final fit-out prior to Trials and another on the hard stand under construction.

Snowden Beach

Near Snowden Beach we spotted a small wooden boat in the distance. As it approached we saw it was skippered by club members Bernard and Frances Goble. They were doing a Sea Trial prior to departing for the Wooden Boat Festival in Hobart. Bernard had previously given Mike a call to advise that we might encounter them on water. We kept them company as we paddled into Port Adelaide and stopped at Cruickshanks Beach for a leg stretch and lunch.

After lunch our little flotilla continued on its way under the Birkenhead Bridge. We past all the construction happening around the old Fletches Dock and then up into Port Creek and what used to be called Port Misery when sailing ships moored there.

Crossing Bower Road

Water was becoming shallower as we approached the railway bridge before Bower Road. We said our farewell to Bernard and Frances. It was great having their company as we explored the Port. I’m sure our little flotilla was observed by a few of the locals.

We soon ran out of water after managing to navigate the many small rocks leading up to Bower Road. We must approach the council about a nice sandy beach for future trips! The portage across Bower Road went well, interesting dodging traffic with a 5m kayak in tow.

The new home for Paddle South Australia and West Lakes Canoe Club is looking near to completion. It should be a great venue for aquatic activities. We rolled our kayaks down to the beach and were soon back on water for the West Lakes leg of the paddle. Plenty of rowing activity around so we kept out of the way as we approached PAC Rowing Sheds and a busy event.

The forecast southerly had picked up as we approached West Lakes Boulevard bridge. And yet another surprise as we approached a group of kayakers – club members Bella and Anthony out on the water with visiting family.

Oarsman Reserve

We soon reached Oarsman Reserve and brought out our trolleys again. We navigated Military Road and found our way down to the beach via the backstreets of Tennyson. Much easier portage and no rocks to avoid.

The wind had certainly picked up and we searched the horizon for Matt Condon paddling his Audax up from Semaphore to join us on our final leg.

After safely getting through the surf on the Tennyson sandbar we headed further out and headed for Semaphore with Matt. Swell was on our beam and wind picking up so we delayed putting up sails until we reached Semaphore South when the wind was on our backs. I hadn’t used my sail for over 12 months. I asked Mike to stabilize my kayak until I got the Pacific Action rigged and we headed towards Largs Bay. All went well and Matt kept us company until Semaphore then headed back to his beach.

No wind

We had Outer Harbor breakwater in sight but the wind had dropped considerably. Down sails and back to paddling – just as well as the conditions as we rounded the breakwater were very messy but thankfully no water traffic around. Soon had the Overseas Terminal in sight then around the corner and back to our departure point. We both agreed we would sleep well that night after 32km and roughly 6.5 hrs in our kayaks. A fantastic paddle in various conditions with lots of interesting sites on the way.

Thanks Mike for organsing and many thanks to Bernard, Frances, Bella, Anthony (and family) and Matt for joining us during our adventure.  This is definitely a paddle that we will repeat, so keep your eyes on the calendar.

Happy paddlers at Myponga Reservoir

Exploring Myponga Reservoir and Pizza at Smiling Samoyed — 3 December 2022

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Quiet water in Myponga Reservoir

Quiet water in Myponga Reservoir

Judging by this paddle at Myponga Reservoir, summer has finally arrived and we couldn’t have asked for a better day. The Reservoir is looking stunning at the moment. Good growth of duckweed in the shallows and a dark colouration of the water due to the level of tannin in the water – providing an interesting contrast for photographs.

Paddlers were Julie Rohde, Kim Wooning, Mark Loram, Julie Keast, Matt Eldred, Berny Lohmann and Terry Holder. Well done to Julie Keast (“Keasty”) on giving up her Canoe Polo Bat and trying out a Sea Kayak – see you at Semaphore South paddles hopefully!

The 7 knot northerly wind put in a brief appearance but had minimal impact for most of our paddle. A few fishing kayaks out but generally pretty quiet – must be lots of people attending the VALO Adelaide 500.

On the water

Traversing the Myponga Reservoir

Traversing the Myponga Reservoir

We were on water by the civilised time of 10.00am. We set off for a leisurely paddle exploring the accessible boundaries of the Reservoir in a clockwise direction. Had our lunch stop just past the line of buoys looking up to South Road before getting back on water and making a beeline for the dam wall.

The buoys and underwater structure act as a containment barrier in case of a road tanker crash, isolating this part of the Reservoir from the main body of water.

Took the opportunity for a group photo while in sheltered waters – well done Julie for demonstrating good kayak balance. We even managed another pic at the dam wall.

After passing along the dam wall exclusion buoys we headed to the northern shoreline, taking the opportunity to explore some of the interesting little inlets. The smell of the pine forest was very noticeable and made us feel like were paddling in amongst the forest.

We were soon back at the boat ramp and rolled the kayak trollies back to the almost empty carpark.

Final Stop

Next stop was The Smiling Samoyed Brewery with plenty of time to enjoy our pre-ordered pizza – what a great way to finish off a paddle around Myponga Reservoir. Next Reservoir excursion will hopefully be Warren Reservoir up near the Barossa.

GPS Image

GPS Myponga Sat 3 Dec 2022

Multi-day kayak camping trip in the backwaters of the Murray river in the Chowilla reserve — 14 October 2022

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Water Everywhere

There is a lot of water in the Murray at the moment. So much so that all the campsites in the parks are closed due to flooding. We even considered  cancelling this trip. So glad we didn’t. Murray river may be high and flowing too strongly to paddle easily. But all the backwaters are even higher, with easy paddling and lots of normally dry creeks now easily navigable

The launch from near the Border Cliffs Campground was easy thanks to the high water levels. No scrambling down steep banks! We paddled slowly across the river as the current took us downstream to the entrance to Suders Creek. This creek is normally narrow and fast-flowing, and can be challenging. This time it was wide and easy. The usual obstacles were under water and we could paddle in amongst the trees that were normally high and dry on the banks.

From there we headed up Salt Creek and took advantage of the high water to investigate a normally dry creek. This route took us back to Hypurna Creek via some newly created wetlands. An unexpected treat was spotting a pair of wedge-tailed eagles, with what looked like a newly built nest. No sign of chicks, but it was hard to tell with the nest being so high. A short paddle up Hypurna Creek and we reached our campsite for the next two nights. We quickly put up tents, chairs and tables and we settled in to relax for the rest of the afternoon.

The Big Loop

Setting up camp

Next day was a relaxed start as we did not have to pack up camp. We did a nice easy circular route planned with unloaded kayaks, to bring us back to the same campsite. Started paddling slowly up Hypurna creek, which was sometimes confusing due to all the new channels which were now open, thank goodness for the trusty GPS. We were accompanied for a short period by some emus, which seemed curious more than alarmed, and allowed us to get really close. I guess they didn’t know what to make of these brightly coloured things floating on the water.  When we reached Salt Creek we opted to take the longer route to the Murray, this is normally not navigable without a portage due to a causeway. This time there was no sign of the causeway or the bridge which were marked on the map.

We reached the Murray River, paddled a whole 100m downstream, and went back into the other entrance to Salt Creek. Must be the shortest distance I’ve ever paddled on the Murray. Our aim was to get back to a small creek which was not on the map, but now had plenty of water and was flowing from Salt Creek in the direction of Wilperna Creek, which was where we needed to go.

Wilperna Creek is normally a small, winding, snag choked place, today it was a broad, open river, and we made good time following the current downstream towards our campsite. All went well until a kilometre before the turnoff to the campsite, where we inadvertently took a wrong turn into yet another creek which wasn’t on the map. We soon realised our mistake, but the creek was flowing in the right direction, so we continued along and magically popped out into the right creek just above our campsite.

The Scenic Route

Paddling Hypurna Creek

Next day the camp was quickly packed up and everyone was feeling good. We decided to take a more scenic route back to the cars. We paddled down Hypurna Creek which, in places, resembled a lake rather than a creek, and spent our time trying to pick out the normal course of the creek amongst all the flooded trees. Then we bypassed the normal portage back to the Murray, and also Suders Creek (which we could have easily paddled up in the current conditions), and continued down Slaney Creek for another 3 kms to a small creek which joined up with the Murray.

We had never paddled this creek before due to the imposing regulator at the entrance, which is normally impassable without dragging kayaks up steep banks and through thick bush. This time the water had bypassed the regulator, and we all paddled past without even getting out of our kayaks.

Back in the Murray, we crossed over and hugged the bank out of the main current as we paddled the last kilometre back to the cars. Getting the laden kayaks out of the water was easy thanks to the conveniently high water levels. We were soon packed up and heading to Renmark for the customary debrief at the bakery.

Map and GPX file

Click in the image below to access the map of the trip and its corresponding GPX file

Wilperna and Hypurna Creeks

Basic Skills Training — 8 October 2022

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SKILLS BRIEFING

Preparing the boats

What a great inaugural Skills Day Session at Tiranna Way West Lakes we had today. Four (4) new, or recently new club members braving the chilly 15⁰C, ranging from 8 to 12kn SW. Well done to all, I didn’t see anyone shivering.

Our new members were Anthony Keller, Giresh Chandran, Jeff Nieuwenhuizen and Robert Phiddian. Our Instructors were Bernard Goble, Anne and Simon Langsford and Charlie Walker. Club President Mark Loram had the responsibility of photographer and the BBQ – no mean feat on a windy day!

Today’s session was the first of our monthly Basic Skills Days. We plan to have over Spring, Summer and Autumn to help integrate new members into the club and get new members joining trips. All trainees from today have successfully completed Basic Skills and should receive their certificates from Paddle Australia next week. Thanks Anne and Simon for submitting the paperwork.

After I welcomed the group I handed over to Bernard and the Team for the hard work (Bella, you did say I needed to delegate more)!

Bernard then explained the overall objective of Basic Skills. He then walked the group through kayak construction and what we normally have fitted to kayaks for safety as well as personal safety equipment. We then moved to the beach to demonstrate forward paddle stroke technique and torso rotation.

ON WATER TRAINING

Basic Skills Session

Once  in the water Bernard demonstrated the safest way to enter the cockpit by using the paddle to act as an outrigger and stabilise the kayak.  The group were soon on the water to put all their new found knowledge into practice.

From the beach I could see the group enjoying the activity, a little apprehensive at first but soon building confidence and improving their techniques.

The first two (2) hours concentrated on forward paddle stroke, emergency stop and reverse paddle stroke. We then returned back to shore for a stretch and quick refresh.

In the next phase Bernard and the team introduced the concept of edging, leaning and support stroke. All done in the safety of the sandy beach at Tiranna Way. It wasn’t long before the group was starting to master the concept with good recovery being demonstrated.

The training ended up with everyone getting wet with wet exits before moving on to wedge rescue and heel hook re-entry to their kayaks. All looked good from the safety of the beach while I was cooking my onions and snags.

BBQ AND NEXT TRAINING DAY

After everyone was safely back on the beach and in warm clothes with a snag wrapped in bread and onions we debriefed the day. I think everyone enjoyed this first training and if you missed out the next one is scheduled for Saturday 12th November at Dotterel Reserve.

Winter day paddles at Kingston-On-Murray/Loch Luna — 13 August 2022

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It was a cold, rainy weekend in Adelaide. Up in the Riverland, we had a rain-free, mostly sunny (but still cold) weekend kayaking on the Murray backwater around Loch Luna.

Overarching in the Murray

Saturday morning we all met up at 10am on the river front of the Kingston On Murray Caravan Park, where we would be staying. It is a very convenient and safe launching spot, being on the park grounds, and the managers are always very helpful, a recommended place to stay if you want to visit the area: https://www.komcaravanpark.com.au/

Wooden Rowboat

New member Carol brought her husband along with his gorgeous hand-made wooden rowboat, which despite some misgivings, kept up with the kayaks with no trouble, and managed the narrow channels easily. The Murray is flowing really fast at the moment, thanks to all the rain they have been having in the rest of the country, and we made our slowly upstream for a few kilometres before reaching the entrance to the relatively still waters of Nockburra Creek.

We made our way slowly up the maze of backwater creeks up to Loch Luna, where we stopped for lunch just as the sun came out from behind a cloud. Perfect timing. After lunch we continued through Loch Luna to the Murray River for a look, before finding another backwater channel to take us back to where we started, and from there we took advantage of the strong flow to let the Murray River take us back to the campground.

Canoe Adventures

Relaxing in the Murray

We met up with Kym from Canoe Adventures while relaxing in the campsite, and had a long chat about the current state of the river and picked up some tips for Sundays paddle. They hire kayaks and run guided trips of the area, and are a goldmine of information about the local conditions if you ever want to visit up there: https://canoeadventure.com.au After a lovely meal in the Cobdogla club (country restaurants really give you a big serving ), we retired back to the campground for the night, with some braver souls camping out, while the wiser ones had hired a cabin.

Sunday morning was lovely and sunny. A bit cloudy over slightly as we set off again, this time to explore Chambers Creek, which eventually leads into Lake Bonny. Have paddled all the way there once, but it is too long a paddle to do in a morning.  So, we contented ourselves with just meandering around the different islands of reeds. We enjoyed the scenery for a few hours before making our way back to the cars, and head off back to Adelaide, interrupted for the customary pie stop at the bakery of course.

Winter day paddles at Blanchetown and Punyelroo — 30/31 July 2022

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 ACCCC

The Adelaide Canoeing, Caving and Climbing Club. Maybe that’s what we should rename the club. There was some of all of that on the weekend trip to Blanchetown and Punyelroo.

Saturday

Paddling around Blanchetown

The winter weather in the Riverland is normally much better than Adelaide, but not for this trip. Five paddlers set from Blanchtown on Saturday morning. The sky was overcast with a stiff headwind and the temperature reading a chilly 9 degrees. A bit of brisk paddling soon warmed us up. We crossed the Murray and headed up Cumbunga creek, threading our way through the dead gumtrees. We tried not to disturb the pelicans while being serenaded by the cockatoos, who must be preparing for spring.

The channel soon narrowed as we approached Roonka Conservation Park. This is where our first mishap occurred. Having done this trip many times I didn’t bother bringing my GPS, wandered up the wrong channel, and soon found myself in a dead end. I was firmly wedged in a thick bunch of reeds which I had tried to push through. Despite much pushing and pulling I was stuck, and was slowly resigning myself to a winter swim. Julie managed to attach a rope to the end of my kayak and pull me free. Many thanks Julie.

After backtracking and finding the right channel we soon found the Murray again, and crossed the river looking for more backwaters. Going up the narrow channel behind Julia Island, we found a secluded lagoon where we stopped for lunch. This didn’t take long thanks to the cold weather, and we were soon back in shelter of our kayaks, continuing upstream. The lagoon narrowed at the northern end of Julia Island, and we had a short portage over a road before getting back into the Murray River again.

Heading back

We decided to head home on the Murray, taking advantage of a good tail wind and a fast flowing current. Thanks to the winter, we had the whole river to ourselves. We gently paddled past the golden cliffs and magnificent gum trees, still being serenaded by the local cockatoos, until we reached our launching spot.

The group split up here. Some going back to Adelaide, while the rest of us set off to Punyelroo Caravan Park. We would stay for the night before Sundays paddle.

Thanks to new member Ghanshyam for being well prepared  and brought an electric heater and kettle. We managed to stay up in the cold and chat for a while before retiring to our tents for the night. With two sleeping bags, an insulated mattress, a couple layers of clothes, and a beanie, I had a warm cosy night.

Sunday

Campground near Punyelroo

Next morning was a leisurely start as we waited for Abelardo to come up from Adelaide for the Sunday paddle. We set off from the Caravan Park, and headed directly across the river into the lagoon to try and find Punyelroo cave. This would have been much quicker if I had my trusty GPS. We eventually managed to locate the entrance and dragged the kayaks up out of the water. We then

replaced our PFD’s and spray decks with helmets and head torches, and entered the cave to do some exploring.

The cave

Punyelroo cave is supposed to be about 3 kilometres in length. I don’t think I have ever managed to get more than a hundred meters into it before my enthusiasm gives out. We spent a good twenty minutes crouching under low roofs, scrambling over fallen boulders, banging helmets on rocks and bruising shoulders on rocky walls before called it quits. We sat for a while in the pitch darkness and total silence, imagining what it must be like to trapped in a place like that. After emerging back into daylight and fresh air, we got back into our kayaking gear and carried on up the lagoon.

The Murray river levels were high due to all the rain the country has been having. The caravan park manager told us that it was now possible to paddle all the way up the lagoon into Swan Reach, and then join the Murray river again. We reached the top end of the lagoon, and sure enough the channel was high and clear, with a good current flow.

Not enough space go under

We slowly made our way upstream, paddling right over the bridges and pipes that would normally stop us. Our luck lasted right up to the end of the channel, a few meters from the Murray. The raised river level now worked against us. The footbridge across the channel, normally easy to paddle under, was now impassable. Only a few centimetres of clearance, and no easy landing due to all the reeds.

Desperate times call for desperate measures. By standing up in the kayaks, it was possible to climb up over the bridge, and then drag the kayaks out of the river through the reeds. After everyone was over, we had a well-deserved rest and snack on the grassy bank. Shortly after, we took advantage of the current to take us back down the river back to Punyelroo and the (heated) cars, and headed back to Adelaide

Overnight Trip from Wally’s Landing, Finniss River to Currency Creek and Return — 9-10 July 2022

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DAY ONE – WALLY’s LANDING

Winds south westerly 0-5knots predicted felt like 8knots. The small group comprised of Simon Langsford, Peter McLeod, Matthew Eldred as trip leader. We gathered at Wally’s landing for the overnight paddle to Currency Creek. Peter was unable to stay the night due to work commitments and would return to the cars after lunch at Clayton Bay. We set off with the new paddle plan in place making our way through the reeds and into the lagoons to disturb the 100s of black swans that call it home.
Wasn’t long before the water ways widened, and we were heading to the Goolwa channel where we would turn left for lunch at clayton bay.

After lunch the team followed the northern bank of Hindmarsh Island protecting us from the southern wind. As this was a small back track west to currency creek, we were able to line Peter up with the Finniss river and send him on his way under sail.

Now there was two. Simon and Matt followed Hindmarsh Island until we reached the eastern bank of Currency creek. Finding camp at around 3:00pm we decided to set up the tents unload the kayaks and have a late afternoon paddle further up Currency creek.

The night-time activities were dinner and telling stories around the camp fire under the cold winter’s night.

DAY TWO – CURRENCY CREEK

Winds Northly 5-10knots predicted and felt like it. A frosty start to the day and the fire was re-ignited to defrost us from the night’s sleep. Camp pack up was quick and on the water by 9am. Today’s route we followed the western banks of Currency creek and around the islands at Goolwa north. Not to trace to much of our path from the day before, we stuck to the opposite sides of the rivers.

The trip was success and Simon is keen to attend again and explore more of the lower lakes.

Matt Eldred

Camping in Finniss River

Training around the ship wreck

Basic Skills Training, Garden Island — 6 June 2022

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Between the mangrovesGhanshyam and Terry joined Anne and Simon for some training at Garden Island on Sunday. The aim of the day was to refine strokes and provide tips to improve technique. Both Ghanshyam and Terry worked hard on the exercises and showed improvements in their paddling.

The dolphins visited us to inspect their style and surfaced very close a couple of times. We then challenged our manoeuvring strokes by paddling up one of the mangrove creeks. The plan was to finish the day doing rescues, however, Ghanshyam overbalanced working on a support stroke and had an early lesson in the water. After lunch we revised the heel hook rescue on land and then returned to the warmer water near the power station to practice.

Both Terry and Ghanshyam succeeded in getting back into their boats easily. The afternoon concluded with a paddle around to the ship’s graveyard then the incoming tide pushed us back to the boat ramp and a change into warm dry clothes.Training in Garden Island

Bog Snorkelling in Hidden Creek — 24 May 2022

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Bog snorkelling is a Welsh sporting event where competitors aim to complete swims through a peat bog in the shortest time possible.

What has that got to do with a pleasant paddle down in the Garden Island area? You’ll have to read on!!

On Tuesday 24 May the following ACC members gathered at Garden Island boat ramp for the first of the winter series mid-week paddles – Phil Doddridge & Bella Kosterman (Mirage 730), Kaye & Stephen Parnell (Prijon double), Peter Carter(Voyager), Mark Loram(Prijon) and Tom Moore(Mirage 530).

It was a warm but windy day so the plan was to spend the time in the mangroves exploring a little known area called Hidden Creek. Based on limited past experience Phil though the tide would be close to ideal to paddle right to the back of the creek. The journey through the creek takes you through a beautiful mangrove forest then a stunning samphire zone. The creek ends abruptly at the salt mine; now ugly and no longer being worked.

Launch and finding Hidden Creek

Launching from Garden Island boat ramp the group worked upwind across the Angus Inlet and some way up the Barker Inlet to get a fast downwind ride to the entrance to Hidden Creek. It has this name due to the entrance being indistinct and partially blocked by fallen trees. The entrance is on the eastern side of Eastern Passage just under the power lines. Once in the shelter of the creek conditions were ideal. Out of the wind it was much warmer, the water crystal clear and the winding nature of the creek made it feel adventurous! Phil and Bella were in a Mirage 730 double with Kaye and Stephen in their brand new Prijon double.  Turning these longer kayaks to negotiate the ever sharpening bends tested sweep stroke technique, strength and endurance!

The creek began to narrow and the turns were now continuous, no more straight sections. Phil  recalled of a wider pond at the back of the creek and after a short discussion with Peter decided to push through as this would be the only real option to turn the doubles around.

Hindsight is a marvellous thing! Well before reaching the back of the creek we ran out of water, the tide was not quite ideal! And this is where the Bog challenge began! Those in single kayaks were able to turn around (just) to begin the journey out. No so those in double kayaks.

Phil surveyed the situation and found what looked like a nice sand bar to get out and turn the kayak around by hand. It would be possible to lift one end over the low scrub while the other remained in the water that was there. There was a bit of sand, perhaps 5cm deep, then it was thick black mangrove mud. Phil quickly began sinking down to his knees…YUK!! The blades of the spare paddle made good “snow shoes” and kept him above ground while he struggled to spin the M730. It became obvious after a short time that this plan was not going to work so Bella got out too and promptly sank down to her thighs in the mud. What a dilemma.

Boged in Hidden Creek

There was no easy solution to get the M730 turned around so one end was shoved up onto the scrub and the rest lifted from the water to point it in the other direction. Phil and Bella then got in, taking quite a bit of smelly mud with them, and began paddling back. Well it was a mix of paddling, pushing off tree stumps and poling through the mud trying to weave through fallen branches and areas too shallow to float the boat!

After a short distance they came across Kaye and Stephen who had seen the dilemma and decided to stay in their seats and paddle backwards to a wider section to turn around. Good decision! The retractable rudder on the Prijon made this possible whereas the fixed rudder on the M730 would have got caught on every shallow area and tree stump making it impossible. With a great deal of direction from other paddlers Kaye and Stephen manoeuvred the Prijon back through the maze and were eventually able to turn around. The group made their way back to the entrance of Hidden Creek stopping for lunch on the way.

Down to Ships Graveyard

The wind was still blowing quite strongly so after a quick discussion Kaye and Stephen opted for a direct route back while others wanting more punishment headed on to the “Ships Graveyard”. It was a fun ride downwind and into the North Arm to view the remains of the Dorothy H Sterling and Santiago. These two relics are a link to the maritime past of South Australia. The Santiago was one of the first iron hulled ships ever made and was launched in Glasgow, Scotland in 1856. The Dorothy was launched in Oregon in 1920 and was one of the largest commercial sailing ships of it’s era. Unfortunately, it became a victim of the Great Depression. Upon arriving in Port Adelaide in 1929 it’s crew found that the company that owned the boat had gone bankrupt and no money was waiting for them for wages and landing fees. Eventually the Dorothy was impounded and put to auction to recoup the losses. The stunning six masted schooner was sold off for £50 then dismantled for scrap. The full stories of these relics can be found online.

The journey back to Garden Island into the wind was a good workout to finish a day of fun, adventure, discovery and problem solving! Reportedly everyone had a great time of it and had never done so many sweep strokes in one day before! The pics of the adventure tell more of the story.

Come and Join Mid-week paddles

Mid-week paddles will continue through the wintery months to differing sheltered locations on either Tuesday or Wednesday. Likely locations will include West Lakes, North Haven Marina, Myponga and other reservoirs, Onkaparinga River and coastal location where weather permits.

If your interested register with Phil Doddridge (pdodds59@bigpond.com) and you will be contacted with further details.

If you wish to learn more about Hidden Creek and exploring Garden Island, then check out Peter Carter’s websites below:

http://www.users.on.net/~pcarter/torrens_is.html

http://www.users.on.net/~pcarter/aerial.html

Cheers,

Phillip Doddridge
pdodds59@bigpond.com
0487 663 102

PA 5097

Murray River: Lindsay Island Circumnavigation — 15-18 April 2022

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Settling down

Things didn’t start well. Some of us decided to travel down a day early to avoid the traffic and find a suitable launch and landing spot. We soon discovered that the tracks in the Murray Sunset national Park didn’t match the maps we had, and some of the tracks were blocked due to the high levels of the river. Eventually we managed to find a suitable spot at the mouth of the Mullaroo Creek near the regulator, sent out new directions to the rest of the group, and settled down to wait for them around the campfire.

Next morning, after everyone arrived, we launched into the Murray River above the regulator. The regulators are wonderful for the health of the river but they don’t make life easy for kayakers: it would be virtually impossible to portage a loaded kayak around the regulator.

Toupnein Creek

We made very good progress down the Murray thanks to the strong flow adding 2-3 km/hr to our speed. After a civilized lunch on the lawn at Lock 7, and a chat to the lockmaster as he let us through, we carried on down the Murray to the entrance to Toupnein creek. The creek was also flowing strongly, carrying us between banks lined with magnificent gum trees. We quickly found a lovely site and stopped for the night.

Swim in Kulkurna beach

Next morning we woke up to another perfect day and, after a leisurely breakfast, we packed up camp and drifted down Toupnein creek again until it re-joined the Murray again. We stopped below the Kulkurna Cliffs on a sandy beach for lunch, and took the opportunity for a cooling swim. After lunch we made good time down the Murray, helped along by the current, and took the opportunity to have a look at entrance to Salt Creek, wondering how to organise a trip which would include the Lindsay river and into Salt Creek and from there to Chowilla. Maybe next time.

Lindsay River

From there it was a short paddle past Higgins Cutting to find the entrance to Lindsay River. Luckily this turned out to be wide with not much flow, as from now on it was all upstream! After a few kilometres we found a nice secluded backwater and landed to make camp. Tents were soon put up, wet paddling gear was changed for more comfortable clothes, supper was made and eaten, and the group settled in around the campfire to discuss solutions to the world’s problems.

Day 3 saw everyone packed and ready to leave at 9am, we made good progress up the Lindsay, which was still wide and slow. Eventually we made it to the junction with Mullaroo creek, had a break for lunch and turned up into the Mullaroo. Progress was now a bit slower as the creek was narrower, with a faster current to overcome. It was also more interesting, with lots of twists and turns and fallen trees to navigate past. This kept us occupied until about 3pm, when we called it a day, found a nice campsite and stopped for the night.

Here comes the rain

Peter decided that, since the weather had been so perfect with warm nights and no mosquitoes, he would skip putting up a tent and sleep under the stars. This proved to be tempting fate too much, as a few hours later the clouds rolled in and the first few drops of rain started to fall. After a hurried meal, and an even more hurried putting up of a tent by Peter, everyone skipped the normal evening conversation and had an early night.

Navigating obstacles

It rained lightly but steadily through the night, but luckily cleared up by morning. We were on the water 30 minutes early as everyone had had an early night. We were eager to get going before the rain started again. The creek slowly got narrower and more choked the further we went upstream, but we managed to navigate all the obstacles without having to resort to getting out of the kayaks and dragging: somehow there was always a way around or through the fallen trees. About midday we finally spotted the finish spot with warm dry cars waiting.

Packing back

Kayaks were hurriedly unpacked and loaded onto the cars, carefully trying to avoid getting too much mud into the cars. Everyone now relaxed as the adventure was over, or so we thought. The overnight rain had turned the tracks out of the park into a slippery mess, churned up by all the departing Easter campers. After about 20 kms of frantic sideway sliding, wheel spinning, and steering wheel gripping, we finally made it back onto the sealed road, and then on to Renmark to have the customary bakery stop to swap stories and say goodbyes.