A paddle in the bay

Friday 11 November 2011

Well with a new set of bearings on the trailer it was time to test them out with a little run. Likewise if I’m testing out the trailer I might as well sneak a little kayaking. I was thinking of my normal spot in Limeburners Lagoon but changed my mind and headed for Mooroopanyal Park at North Shore. It was a balmy evening with very little wind. What wind there was came from the east producing a small gentle swell.  I carried the kayak down to the beach and launched heading out over the sand beside the submerged rock shelf. Turning east at about 30m offshore I followed the small cliffs around the point. A couple of fishermen were on the point and one cast in front of me. His bait wasn’t that secure and landed just off to my left.   A little further on I came to Channel Marker no.8 and decided to cross the channel.  Heading out straight into the small waves I could see some big ships moored at Lascelles Wharf and some tankers further down at Shell, luckily though there was no movement. Nor were there any tugs on the way out so I could be confident of no surprises while further out in the bay. I was heading for Channel Marker no.7 and once reached turned back along the edge of the channel as far as no.5. From here it was back across the channel on a long diagonal to “CQN” (the north approach to Corio Quay).  Going with the small swell was a lot quieter than into it as the flat bottom of my kayak really thumps into waves or ripples no matter how small.  From “CQN” I headed north and back to the little beach where I had launched. A pleasant little circuit of 40 minutes or so. It was the first time I have kayaked in the bay so to speak.  With the weather behaving I may venture out here again, but now off to work.

Cheers

Laanecoorie Day 2

Friday 3 November 2011

After a day off from kayaking while I cached all over Mount Korong, I returned for an easier day paddling on Laanecoorie. This time I started closer to the dam wall and decided to paddle upstream towards the bridge ruins I visited two days ago. The trip upstream would be into a reasonably strong breeze which I thought was a good idea because as long as it didn’t change direction I’d have an easier trip back. I launched at the little bay that has a boat ramp and paddled out into the main body of water. Only one other boat was on the water and I’m not sure whether it was a fisherman trolling or just cruising about. I headed over to the opposite bank so as to gain some shelter from the wind and it also looked a little less snaggy.  Pushing into the wind and chop I reached some islands and opted to pick the right hand channel.

Once past the island I recognized the spot I had visited a few months earlier while caching. This also marked the division point of the reservoir.  I wasn’t sure which lead to take so I opted for the right hand one again. A little further along, as it turned to the left, the duckweed started to choke up the water. I pushed through following gaps until the weed closed in around me. At this stage I headed over to the bank and got out to stretch my legs. I had been paddling for about 45 mins and could do with a stretch. After a short break I was back in and trying to make it across the weed choked water to a lead into the forest.  Not so much paddling more of pushing my way across the top of the weed. After what seemed an eternity I reached water that I could paddle through and sneaked along into the narrowing channel. Just around the corner I came to some fallen trees that I managed to creep under only to find I was now in a spot with not enough room to maneuver the kayak. I retreated back along the way I had come right back to the junction.

This time I started upstream using the left hand option. Dodging around a few snags, stumps and fallen trees the way ahead looked promising. The promise soon petered out and I was again pushing through a submerged forest. Judging by my gps I wasn’t that far away from my previous turn-around point. It would appear that I wouldn’t be able to find a way through to open water.  So while my hunger was building I once again retreated. This time I made my way back to the picnic area and alighted for a lunch break. A nice spot with some picnic tables was a great spot to munch some saladas with chicken and tomato. While lunching I conceited defeat and decided to head back to the launch point.

The trip back was a lot easier as I was able to drift a little as the wind had stayed in a favourable spot. Drifting along I was able to sneak up on lots of birdlife. A great sight was a collection of five spoonbills high up in a drowned tree. All the way back I was in pursuit of many coots who kept their distance. Swans and cormorants also very cautious of the intruder in their space. Crossing over to the other bank to cut the corner into my launch spot I spotted a large bird circling above. I thought it may have been a pelican but as it drew closer I realised the shape wasn’t right. To my surprise a Sea Eagle swirled overhead but was soon off in the distance as it soared along on the wind. Just magic. A little more paddling had me back at my start point and it was time to limp home with some crook trailer bearings.

Once home I looked up google maps and realised how close I had come to getting through the forest. It was possibly less than 50m of forest between the open water areas but 50m can be a long way carrying a kayak. Anyway a great time was had exploring and another trip will further expand my travels. Maybe next time I will launch in the Loddon near Eddington and head downstream. There’s so many places to explore.

Cheers.

Laanecoorie Day 1

Wednesday 2 November 2011

Six days off work and spring weather. What better opportunity to get out and have some small adventures. The plan was to head north with the kayak on the back and GPS in the glove box for some paddling and some geocaching. My first destination was Dunolly where I could paddle on Laanecoorie Reservoir and also geocache at Mount Korong. From there I intended heading maybe to Charlton, Donald, Horsham and Dimboola, paddling in any water I could find. A very flexible intinary.

All went well until about 20kms before Dunolly where the first sign of a failed trailer bearing began to show up. Looks like I won’t be travelling as far as I thought.  Even so I’d got here so I may as well enjoy what Dunolly has to offer.  After setting up camp at the Dunolly caravan park, I headed down the road towards Eddington. I launched the kayak at the picnic area where the road crosses Bet Bet Creek. As far as I could see this was the upper limit of Laanecoorie Reservoir, so I started here to see how far I could go. It was late in the afternoon so it was that special time when the landscape comes to life. Daylight would be the limiting factor of how far I travelled today. I headed off downstream and dodged around a few snags. My kayak is made of 3mm ply so I am a little cautious in such waters, I have already ripped a hole through the hull while “racing” my son on the Barwon River near Geelong. It has me amazed how people with “skin-on-frame” kayaks have confidence. Not far down I came across a junction to my right so I headed back upstream and sneaked along some shallow water. This reservoir had been down very low due to drought but recent floods have filled it and left a fair amount of debris around. There is also new growth that is now submerged forest, this would cause me grief a couple of days later. Along the way I was amazed at how many carp I saw. Sometimes one would splash near me as it surfaced  and dived straight back in startling me a little, other times there would be a group of up to 10 all skimming the surface with gaping mouths. I went upstream as far as I could before the channel petered out to nothing and then retraced my path back to the junction.

I could see a fair expanse of water so I continued downstream to see what was on offer.  From a previous caching trip I knew there were the remains of an old road and bridge prior to the reservoir’s construction so I wondered how far downstream this would be.  Sure enough after a little paddling I could see the bridge abutments and the remains of the bridge piles in the water. I paddled down and had a poke around the area. I had also reached another junction, it appeared a channel between the weeds headed up to Eddington while downstream appeared to disappear into the forest. Once again I would learn more about this a couple of days later. With failing light I headed back upstream to my launch point and returned to my campsite. A great day exploring the upper Laanecoorie Weir.

Cheers

Here goes

The first entry of what may become an irregular account of what small adventures this big blokes gets up to.
Cheers