Trip report
| 2006-11-04 | Canoeing at Bendeela to Tallowa dam |
| Trip report: | |
| Overall this trip was a great success. Considering the range of different fitness and paddling experience the mix of canoes and kayaks, the group maintained an even and steady pace for the entire weekend. It was a weekend of conversation, laughter, good food and good company. Rod and Nicole arrived at approx 9:00pm Friday night at Bendeela Picnic Ground, and set up camp. (34 44 22.0S 150 28 19.3E) The morning was drizzly when Mark and Elanor arrived from Robertson, and after an early morning start from Sydney the Hills convoy arrived soon afterwards (a little after 8:00am). It was all action from that point on, unloading kayaks and canoes from the trailer and roof racks, packing the vessels with gear, and the car shuffle was underway with all cars except Rod's to be left at Tallowa Dam. Elanor could not join us for the trip, she had a report to write. With another group breathing down our necks we made haste and were soon underway. The drizzle had all but ceased and the atmosphere on the water was truly peaceful. The water level was obviously lower than usual, leaving the first couple of metres of bank devoid of vegetation and muddy, exposing the occasional platypus burrow that was once under water. Above the muddy slope the riverbanks were densely covered with vegetation. In individual kayaks were Ros, John, Mike, Jo-Anne, Erika and Mark (in Rick's borrowed kayak), and the canoes were occupied by Deborah & Ross and Nicole & Rod. Some of us had a few teething problems to get sorted. Mark needed to become accustomed to Rick's kayak and the offset paddle. His zigzag course on the water appealed to Rod and Nicole, who also chose that course in the canoe for the first part of the journey. Rod was making an effort to keep his volleys dry, as you would expect. Dry footwear is a big issue with Hills members. Mark's technique improved dramatically after some footrest adjustments at the morning tea stop. Deb and Ross had also been taking a more scenic route than they might have preferred. The morning tea stop was about 1 hour into the journey. (34 44 32.5S 150 22 30.1E) We lodged our vessels in the muddy beach, splodged up the bank for refreshments before carrying on. As we left we were passed by a large group of young paddlers, whom we took pains to overtake. (Note: Rod's Volleys were still dry) We all kept up a fairly even pace on the glassy surface of the river. The only thing causing ripples was our passage and the occasional fish launching itself out of the water. The lunch location (34 45 12.2S 150 24 26.7E) was a lot less muddy than morning tea, a nice flat bank looking out on an unusual blue domed dwelling on the other side of the river. Melaleucas lining the banks filled the air with the sweet smell of nectar, but the serenity of the location was a bit lost on Ros and John, as they tried to ascertain whether they had packed the food for the main meal. After some frantic unloading and re-packing of the kayaks, they found all the food, and could relax and enjoy. The veterans of the trip determined that we had made good time on the river, so the next task was to find a suitable campsite. However, with large groups of paddlers on the river behind us we avoided the first substantial campsite since it might be over-run by the campers to follow. Several other locations were checked out, and after much spirited debate, a site on the southern side was chosen "democratically" by Erika and Jo-Anne. Here we pitched our tents, some on the waterfront and some under the cover of trees. We all agreed that this was a lovely spot to camp, (34°45'15.88"S 150°23'26.71"E) - known as the "Rod's-volleys-are-still-dry" campsite. It was then tea, nibbles and heroic tales on the beachfront. We watched a large group of young paddlers move in on the campsite that we had previously passed up. A fire was lit, Deborah and Nicole, followed by John, had a swim. The water was beautiful, although there were no other takers. Dinner under an overcast sky, with the full moon appearing for very brief interludes, conversation around the fire, and paddlers progressively disappeared off to bed. The morning was a casual affair. Brekky by the fire for most of us, with breakfast in bed for Deborah, with water views. By about 10:30am we were on the water and heading through the drowned forest side trip. (34°44'3.65"S150°22'34.05"E) Whilst navigating amongst the silver trunks of a once majestic forest, and admiring the dry stone retaining wall of a now redundant road, Mark kindly generated a little excitement and performed the only capsize of the trip, thus selflessly allowing some of us to practice our deep water rescue techniques. Rod lamented that in his efforts to assist Mark he had sadly missed a good photo opportunity. Rod resisted the temptation to recreate the drama for the sake of a good photographic record. But his volleys were still dry. With Mark wet, the weather cooling down and the drizzle starting to threaten again we returned to the main river and stopped for morning tea. A good potential campsite at this point was noted for two or three tents. (34°44'32 47"S 150°22'30.13"E) Also of note, Rod's volleys still dry. Back onto the water and the breeze started to pick up. Lunch at approx 34°45'09.2"S 150°19'52.3"E as the drizzle became heavier and the breeze subsided. Then, the final stretch. We were thankful for the drizzle as opposed to the breeze, because the paddling was easy. We were closer to the dam than we thought and it was an easy paddle down a long straight, and our journey was over, just as the weather started to turn much cooler and wetter. Everyone was still in good spirits, but grateful that we were at Tallowa Dam 34 46 12.5S 150 18 56.3E, the end of the 23km trip. But now, Rod's volleys were WET. (Can we still respect a man with wet volleys?) After hastily loading the canoes/kayaks and gear in the rain we headed back to get Rod's car and then back to Kangaroo Valley for some well-earned hot drinks. We parted ways at this point, with Mike and Jo towing the trailer back to Sydney. Thanks to all who helped, Mike for arranging the loan and transport of the canoes and Rod and Jo for assisting in their pick up, retrieval and return. And special thanks to Erika for taking up the reins while Mike was overseas. Report by: Nicole & Mike All coordinates use WGS84 datum. | |