Murray River Kayak.: Murray Darling Basin

Showing posts with label Murray Darling Basin. Show all posts

Preparation for our paddle from the Hume Dam to Echuca.

Cleaning out the boats. They should at least start free of Murray Mud. :)

This will be the first time for me on the Upper Murray and the first time paddling with my beautiful wife and soul-mate, Ruth.

We are looking forward to exploring this beautiful stretch of water and sharing each other's adventure so much! I swore after my trip from Echuca to the sea, that my next trip would be with my wife. Journeys like these are as affirming and life changing as they are beautiful. For me, it is important to share them and with the most significant person in my life, doubly so. The trip was a chance for Ruth to witness how the river is important to me and for me to further understand why. In addition I had the pleasure of the company of my best friend and, as it turns out, after 23 years of marriage, being thrilled by her strength, bravery, good nature and humour. I was also humbled by her tolerance of me. I have quite a few rough edges.

But I am jumping to the end before I have even begun. Now that we had decided to go, how does one go about getting a show like this on the road?

The first step in preparing for this trip was working out what we were up for. This means tapping into the experience of others, both in the form of river guides and other paddler's experiences.

There is a very good river guide called 'River of Islands: Charts of the River Murray - Yarrawonga Weir to Hume Dam' by Kath and Leon Bentley (1985) which is worth acquiring. It is mentioned in Barry and Maureen Wright's 'Murray River Charts' and available on the CD version of their charts by agreement with the authors.

http://www.rivermurraycharts.com.au/

Murray River Access Guides provide an alternative to the above publications and at around $8 a booklet in 2014, they are a good deal. They include roads and river kilometres, but do not show snags, or include insights and history about stretches of the river as the other publications do. Whilst it is possible to see where you are using google maps, for the convenience and safety of knowing where you are at all times, it is worth having one of these maps. Phone reception is poor along many stretches and technology requires batteries and charging strategies which can fail. It is better to have a hard copy.

https://svmaps.com.au/

We were lucky to have advice from others based on their experiences in the Upper Murray. This helped us feel much more confident on approaching this stretch of river. Even though conditions change dramatically with river level and time of the year, reading the accounts of others helps to understand the nature of the river and its potential dangers.

River levels change rapidly depending on the time of year and the needs of users and the environment downstream. In preparation for the irrigation season, 50 times more water is released than during the winter. Check water levels before you go. If the river has dropped recently, banks can be steep, high and muddy. Some paddlers have even experienced quicksand. Beware, a wet beach may not be firm - test with your paddle first. If your paddle slips in, don't step out. Mud can make camping in caravan parks an attractive alternative to bush camping in these conditions. Boat ramps, especially larger ones, are reliable exit points. High water is easier to deal with. At times of high water it is easy to find camping spots. There are beautiful islands, grassy banks and plenty of safe room away from tall red gums. At high water Albury is difficult to pull up at. There is a boat ramp just downstream of the park in town, or, if you can manage it, roots to clamber up. Floods are rare as this section of river is usually able to be managed within its capacity and the effect of irrigation water rejections due to unexpected rainfall events is more of a problem from the Barmah Forest onwards.

If the river is low, there are many gravel races and pebble islands as far as Howlong. These will be shown in the river charts, but not the access guides. Alternatively you can see them using google maps before your trip.

Shallow water near Albury: Google Earth

Generally follow the current, (this will be where the deepest water is), however, beware of being washed into willows and snags. The fast current means that you need to turn away from hazards well before you get to them, otherwise the current can take you sideways into them. The fast current also makes large and at times, powerful swells, which can appear suddenly and unexpectedly move your boat around. It is not the best place to learn how to paddle: this is better done downstream of Echuca where the river is slower. If you do fall out of your boat, keep your legs up and in front of you, so that they do not become trapped in snags (and you can use them to bounce off them should you be swept into them). Look after yourself. Your boat can be replaced. Do not allow yourself to be between your boat and a snag, you may become trapped. If you are a new paddler, only take on this section if you have good balance and are confident. It is a good idea to have an experienced paddler with you. People have descended the upper river alone with little paddling experience, but it is not a wise thing to do.

In sea kayaks turning can be difficult. To turn around, use the eddies on inside corners and snags. Nose into these and allow the current to do the work for you. It will bring the back of the boat around. Approaching the bank facing into the current is a much slower and gentler process where you will have more control. When pulling out from the bank, leave your stern against the bank, allow the current to catch the bow. Only start paddling once you are facing the direction that you want go. Given how narrow the river is at times, how fast the current is, and the number of snags it can be the only way to turn around at times. It is best practiced before you go to the Upper Murray. The same skills are very helpful in the narrows upstream of Picnic Point.

Turning into the shore using the current to bring around the stern.

Using the current to take bring around the bow when leaving a beach.

Navigation near and in Lake Mulwala can be difficult. To add to the complexity, the Ovens river joins the Murray river here. Without good charts it is easy to go off into side channels, or even end up in the Ovens. It may pay to have a topographic map, or use your smart phone for a GPS fix through here. Keep a sharp eye out for channel markers. Take time to explore the billabongs and side waters if you can. Locals and fishermen call the area 'the Everglades of the Murray'.

Since the weather is expected to be hot we have prepared meals which can be eaten hot, or cold, without creating too much rubbish. This includes a lot of fruit and vegetables. We chose hot weather things as these seem to last longer. Each day we inspected their quality and ate thise which needed eating first. We had very little wastage.

Fruit and veg for ten days for two people, with some top up possibilities along the way. This all went in the front compartments of one of our boats.

This initial pack list for my paddle from Echuca to the sea, which we used as a guide for what to take. Every trip is different, but it is good to develop a check list and work from there.

The next step is to actually get everything out, get a visual and check the condition and amount of gear..

Then check everything on your boats. Take tools and know how to fix them.

Facebook entries: Murray River Paddle

Peter Phillips

PhD Candidate researching Murray River floods. 13 years expat experience living in Germany. Worked in Australia, Africa, Antarctica and Germany. Enjoys the environment, my family, people, travel, cultures. Inclination towards adventure. In 2012 (low river), and 2016 (flood) completed a kayak journey of 2,400 km on the Murray River from its headwaters to the sea and continue to explore, document and share expeditions on the rivers of the The Murray Darling Basin. Uses these experiences to understand rivers, river ecosystems and the communities that depend on them and encourage people to discover and share what they value about their environment. Rivers bring life and connect people. Education should be like that too.

Day 20: 750 to 682 km to the sea: Ned’s Corner Station - Devils Elbow.

Day 20: Friday 7/12

Ned’s Corner Station - Devils Elbow.

River markers: 750 to 682 km from the sea.

Distance travelled today: 68 km.

Total distance travelled: 1040 km

Day 20: Early morning reflections, Ned's Corner Station.

Off early today. It is 7:20 am and I am about to hit the water. Morning light is beautiful and I may catch animals coming down to drink still if I am lucky :). I was camped opposite Snake Island on Ned's Corner Station property. It was true that I was tired when I pulled up, but I also could not paddle past so much beauty. I had to be a part of it. This morning's perfect reflections with Snake Island in the background were part of that experience. Pelicans are flying in formation overhead and there is still the last part of the morning chorus happening. There is no wind, but the sound of bees provides background noise, so loud that you could be forgiven for thinking they were the sound of traffic, were I in the city. The trees must be full of them.

Day 20: Celebrating 1,000km!

In this section of river old river red gums line the banks. Behind them Mallee, box, salt bush, lignum, wattle, hakea and melaleuca create a diverse environment for a whole community of animals.

Andrew Cook, acting lockmaster at lock 9 is also a qualified shipwright. He did his apprenticeship under Kevin Hutchinson in Echuca and is currently refitting the Daisy. He has built almost all of the paddle steamers around here according to the lockmaster at lock 8. When I asked him how it is to be a lockmaster, he said that he loves it, wouldn't swap it for the world. It is stress less and you get to talk to people and everyone is friendly. He said I should call in on Peter Clark at Ned’s Corner Station. When I said that I was concerned about intruding, he answered, “Don't worry about that, this is the river, people are interested in each other, they drop in all the time. It's what we do”.

15,000 Megalitres was passing through lock 8. This is less than at lock 9 despite no major channels leaving the river in that time. This indicates that I am now pushing ahead of the main flow That is still coming down the Darling River.

Day 20: Pulled in to say "gidday" at Ned's Corner Station.

Day 20: Trust for Nature Ranger Anthony Pay in front of his trophy wall - fox and cat tails from 2012.

On recommendation from the lockmaster at Lock 8, I pulled into Ned’s Corner Station. Anthony Pay, a trust for nature ranger generously showed me around. Highlights were the old shearing shed, several rooms in old sheared quarters showing local history, and Anthony's trophy wall of fox and cat tails. A small railway used to lead from the shearing shed to the river to wash the wool and also to load it onto paddle steamers. All the local farmers used to drove their sheep here, rather than cart the wool by dray to the next town. There is a photo of the P.S. Marion with a load of wool and another of a paddle steamer with the wool bales stacked six rows high.

Day 20: Old shearer's bikes, Ned's Corner Station. The shearer's used to ride on the dusty tracks, swag over shoulder, from job to job.

Day 20: Shearing Shed, Ned's Corner Station.

Everywhere the buildings have wide verandahs, the older ones also with fly screens, to have somewhere cool to sit - days before air-conditioning.

The station is set up for groups, with different types of accommodation, in the homestead or self catering. Conservation and land management students from La Trobe University in Bendigo come here in their final year, but Anthony says they have so much to do that some do not even get time to take a look around. Some don't even make it to the river, but spend all the time in their room trying to answer the questions that the lecturers have set them.

Much of the material in the displays has been gathered by rangers at the station, found where it was left out in the paddocks, or where it fell under the floor-boards of the shearing shed.

Day 20: Trust for Nature Ranger Anthony Pay's shooting ute.

Day 20: Trust for Nature Ranger Anthony Pay's shooting ute... .... With visitors lounges.

Day 20: Leaving Ned's Corner.

Trust for Nature took over the property ten years ago. They have restored the homestead, are working on the sheering shed, have planted 10’s of thousands of trees and are putting in rabbit and fox proof fencing in some areas.

For his evening entertainment, Anthony shoots foxes and cats. In his modest home at the station a whole wall is lined with fox and cat tails, on a desk in his fly-wired porch he is salting five more from last night. It doesn't seem to make a difference in the numbers he said, but I might have given a few lizards and birds a bit more of a chance.

Day 20: The river is wide between Mildura and Renmark.

Through the weir now. Got out and had a chat to Mick, the lockmaster, who lives here with his wife and kids. Like the other weir managers, he also loves the job. There are 17,000 megalitres flowing through the weir. The drop is only about 30cm, another sign that the river is up. Mick says that the water is unusually milky because of the Darling’s contribution. It will clear up again when they cut the flow from the lock below the Menindee Lakes.

Day 20: Pelicans circling in thermals overhead. They seem to like the wide river, especially when there are shallow billabongs to fish in nearby.

He says that there is an old fella around here who remembers when the water was absolutely clear. He used to go spear fishing. He remembers seeing catfish nesting on the sand bars, swimming round and round their eggs. Since weirs have gone in (and some say, also since the carp have arrived) the water is not clear anymore. However, back before the weirs the river used to stop flowing every year and also have quick devastating floods. With the weirs and dams we have a river that flows all year round. Since the Hume dam was built there has always been some flow. Before it was built it was common for the Murray to stop flowing in summer. In Swan Hill it stopped flowing for a whole month in the 1914-15 drought. Apart from the safety of the towns and the benefits to recreation, Australia could not support the population it has if the river was not regulated and its land irrigated.

Day 20: Summer clouds.

Made it! And still feeling good. Tired but good. I am at the most amazing campsite. The Devil's Elbow (682 kilometre mark). It is a large sandy beach with shade from the setting sun and a view onto spectacular sandstone cliffs that are crumbling as I watch. The cliffs have been formed by the river cutting into soft sedimentary rock on the outside of its bend. The rocks have clear horizontal strata. The bottom layer extends to about 3 meters above current river level and is a light purple tending towards pink at the top. The next layer is a more solid golden sandstone, only 30 cm thick and tending to break off in chunks. There are then layers of green, white and yellow extending to 20 m in places. All of these layers are topped by what looks like wind blown sand. The erosive action of water has given the highest parts a rounded shape and created deep canyon like furrows between them. When the wind blows, as just now it becomes trapped by the cliff wall, sometimes building vertical spirals of dust. The river is quite narrow here, as it slams into the cliff. A contrast to the predominantly flat, forest lined landscapes of the area.

Just another bit of information about the devils elbow. At the time of paddle steamer trade, the bend was so difficult to navigate, so tight, that skippers travelling downstream preferred to turn around upstream and go down backwards. There was less danger of being swept into the rocks that way.

As with so many stretches along here, there is no reception. I will try and post this one in the morning.

Day 20: Devil's Elbow campsite. — at Nampoo Station, NSW.