New Years Eve and a predicted high temperature of 30+ for the day. I have been working on a dedicated boat trailer that will hopefully be able to transport any of my many boats around. Yesterday saw its completion with the addition of mudguards so we were ready to test it out. My small outboard motor has also had a new water pump fitted so I was looking to test this as well. Lastly I also wanted to take Mrs Bigbloke for a ride in our latest acquisition.
A few years ago, another big bloke from the other end of our street dropped in for a chat. He had seen my son and I boatbuilding in our driveway. He had also built a boat and was the proud owner of a square ended canoe that he poked around rivers and lakes in the country. The odd small conversation occurred and sharing of ideas on boat building etc passed occasionally. Late last year as I went for a walk I noticed his canoe on the front lawn of a house with a sign “Free”. I stopped to take a look and soon enough an older man came out of the house and said I could have it if I wanted. Being a lover of boats I willingly obliged and got talking to him. Apparently his son had passed away recently and he had no use for the boat. The boat was soon in our yard workshop. All the external seams required fiberglass taping and a few coats of paint were added. Before long it was ready to hit the water but we needed a trailer and outboard.
So New Years Eve was the day when all things lined up. We headed off before the day got too hot and launched in the Barwon River just upstream of Buckley’s Falls. This area has a couple of fishing platforms and a concrete launching ramp suitable for canoes and kayaks. Some hopeful fishermen wished us luck as we launched and paddled around their lines. Once clear we dropped the outboard and started motoring. The river here is broad and snag free for the first few kilometers. Only after passing under the Ring Road and passing around a few bends does the river narrow and become snaggy. Once up in the snaggy parts we paddled so as not to wreck anything. The river twists and turns and has many obstacles to test your navigating and boat handling skills. (Nice flat water to learn and practice on.) Luckily there were plenty of shady spots because the sun was starting to throw out some heat. We passed another paddler just before our turn-around point. I have never seen anyone else paddling here so it was a bit of a novelty. We decided to turn back before the last set of bends before the straight section before Merrawarp bridge. I had been up here twice before over a year ago and there seems to be a few more snags as a result of last years floods. On the way back we stopped to stretch our legs at a small beach in the shade. By now the sun had some bite so a few water-fights using the paddles cooled us down.
Once back into the more open water we dropped the motor to make a quick trip back to the launch point. On the way we saw a fox scurrying away and some birdlife. A large Darter seemed curious as to what was disturbing his peaceful spot on the river. We also saw many parrot like birds and wrens and the ever present coot and water hen. Lots of empty mud nests were seen over the river as well. Once back at the ramp our earlier fishermen had left, but as we packed up another set turned up. Good timing.
A pleasant way to spend a morning and a good trial run for what may become some bigger adventures in the future.
Cheers and Happy New Year.
