Category: Members

By
Adrian Gawned

Raja Ampat, an archipelago of some 1500 islands, in the West Papua province of Indonesia. A marine ecology long renowned to divers the world over, but how to Kayak this area?

Research showed it could be done as Alex Vogel (WalkaboutAlex) and Halim (Deceased) of Sumatra Savages, had blogs on the internet. This led me to kayaks4conservation, a not for profit organisation, run in conjunction with Raja Ampat Research Conservation Centre (RARCC) and Conservation International.  RARCC aims to end shark finning and explosive fishing by the locals by helping them set up homestay and tourism related businesses. 8 Kaskazi sea kayaks built locally are used. http://kayak4conservation.com

Deciding to circumnavigate Pulau Gam, and arming myself with all the information about tides, currents and winds I left Perth for Jakarta on the 21 October then onto Sorong when I purchased food supplies from the 2 supermarkets. With no availability of methylated spirit or gas canisters, my tea light candle stove trialled in Albany was required for making tea & coffee. A multi fuel stove using unleaded petrol is the other option.

Oct 24 I ferried to Waisai, transferred to RARCC on Pulau Kri where I met Tertius the manager of the initiative and liaison between the park and scientists who do research in the area.  Collecting boat, equipment and necessary safety items including a spot tracker I was nearly ready to go.

After dinner with Tertius and a group of marine scientists, my first test, 2 nights in the Water Cottage (a basic hut built of pandana’s leaf and mangrove pole with no toilet facilities or fresh water) on the little island of Pulau Koh, 1.3kms away. Imagine a flat calm sea illuminated by the phosphorescence of numerous marine creatures giving the appearance it was lit by fairy lights, a taste of what was to come.

“Before Dawn” Water Cottage Pulau Koh.

Securing my kayak on the sliver of beach not covered by the tide, I slung my Hennessy Hammock, bought before I left, to ensure I was well away from scorpions, venomous spiders and adders and other nasty critters.

Lying comfortably in the diagonal, I was almost flat in my hammock; I fell asleep to the sound of the lapping water and marine life. Peace and tranquillity at last!!!! A cacophony of birds at dawn ensuring I did not miss sunrise. Paradise.

I took the time to sort what gear I needed for the 10 days (unsupported) paddling, I paddled my spare clothes and large backpack to RARCC for safekeeping and then down the coast of Kri to familiarise myself with the kayak.

The next day I crossed to Kri, collected supplied drinking water and a guide (Haja) to assist me with my journey, particularly language.

We crossed Selat Dampier and entered the maze like blue mangroves of Gam, a stretch of water consisting of inlets and channels with brilliant corals and fish life, the clarity of the water meant I could enjoy all this from the kayak. Exiting into the open sea we made our way to the first homestay at Yendebabo.

“Yendebabo” Homestay Pulau Gam

The homestays are very basic. They supply a mattress, pillow and mosquito net,  a bucket bath and squat toilet, some have 12 volt solar systems, others generators for a few hours in the evening, a thermos of boiling water is provided with tea or coffee.

The following day we headed to the islands of Friwinbonda and Friwin, the crystal clear waters providing great viewing of the corals and aquatic life under the kayak.  We pulled up onto a beach at Friwin, where Haja disappeared returning a short time later with 10 lengths of thin bamboo, which he stripped of foliage, soaked in the sea then tied them to the deck of his kayak.

A group of inquisitive children came by in a traditional dugout, one paddling, the rest bailing. My kayak was more watertight than their dugout.

We pushed on to “Five Rocks” where there is a small concrete plinth and plaque honouring the Japanese from the 2nd world war; paddling with a pod of dolphin until lunch, which was eaten on a beach on the island of Ura before heading to the homestay ‘Yenbesir Paradise’ hidden between numerous limestone karst islets.

“Fishing Village” Pulau Gam

The homestays on the East and north coasts are pole houses built over the water, backed by jungle or mangroves and to my surprise ‘Yenbesir’ provided a crisp white sheet, pillowcase and a towel that smelt “lemon fresh” straight from the laundry.

Watching my hosts’ children fishing and Haja build a bow and arrows from his collected bamboo filled in the afternoon. The bow and arrow were for hunting wild pig on his home island of Mansoear.

Dinner was freshly caught snapper, with rice and noodles. For dessert a packet of coffee crème biscuits with the thermos of boiling water. It was off to bed to the sound of fish jumping, birds, night insects and the call of a buffalo in the jungle.

Monday the 27th of October, the sun lit up this magnificent bay, the birds were active particularly the local butcher birds that called constantly as did a resident heron.

Breakfast and then onto Teluk Kaboi near the “Passage” the narrow channel between the islands of Gam and Waigeo, renowned for its drift diving, on the surface depending upon the tides it can be a millpond or a white-water course.

After repairing a broken rudder cable we continued across Kaboi Bay to our destination, the water changing from brilliant turquoise and blue to dark green.  Approaching the “Passage” and Teluk Kaboi we paddled amongst the islets to the homestay at Teluk Kaboi.  The potential for this homestay is amazing with it being tucked into the side of a cliff, built over water with a permanent water supply from a cave above.  Unfortunately it was also the most basic and not for the faint hearted. A Pinisi live-aboard Dive boat was anchored in the bay.

“Pinisi” The Passage.

Tuesday we headed for the entrance to ‘The Passage’, it was almost slack tide and as it was a neap cycle the currents were not as strong.  Rounding the point we drifted into ‘The Passage’, less than 20 metres at its narrowest.

Negotiating several narrow turns we broke out into the wider channel where the current was non-existent.  We set to crossing Warparim Bay for the “Hidden Bays of Pef”.  Midway the rain started, the wind picked up creating a wind wave, we pressed on. The first clap of thunder was far off, there was no lightning, within minutes the storm was overhead, thunder crashed and the first of many lightning bolts hit the water, we needed to get off the water, our options were limited. Run for the mangroves 3.5 km away or to a permanently moored fishing vessel about 2km distant.  We chose the fishing boat.

We clambered up the sides of the outriggers and negotiated planks and stays to reach the main hull, where we were offered food and tea by the crew. A local in an outboard powered outrigger canoe arrived seeking sanctuary.

“Tropical Rain” The Passage.

The storm passed, we paddled on to the hidden bays, a myriad of inlets, fingers and channels, where we passed a group of divers and a partially completed homestay, my guide would not venture at all into the bays to our left stating there were crocodiles; we drifted on the currents taking in our surroundings.

From the hidden bays we continued toward the island of Pef, where we planned to camp. Reporting to the Police at the Indo Pearls pearl farm (an Australian venture staffed by Japanese) and registering the duration of our stay in the area as required.

“Sunset” Pulau Gam.

We continued to Pef where Haja advised a ‘saltie’ had been seen in the area we would camp, instead we would camp at the rear of the Raja for Divers resort. Paddling into the black water lagoon at the rear of the resort surrounded by mangroves, it looked a perfect habitat for crocs. I discovered people dived here to see pygmy sea dragon and nudibranch.

Discovering Haja had friends working at the resort, I wondered if the croc story was true!

Wednesday the 29th I was awoken with roosters crowing and the generator at 0500hrs. We paddled to Airborek arriving around lunchtime, washed away the salt, clothing was hung out to dry and boats opened up to let air and sun into them to dry them out,  they had taken water the previous day.

The afternoon was spent snorkelling on the nearby reef with barracuda, black tip shark, turtles, rays and numerous other species.   A walk around this little islet took about 30 minutes.  As the sun set it was a good opportunity for photographs. The staple diet of the islands, rice and fish, for dinner.

“Mushroom Coral”  Pulau Airboraik.

Pulau Airborek, like many small islands in the Pacific is barely a metre above sea level and there is evidence of increased erosion, with global warming rising sea levels will see it inundated in the future, houses are already built on stumps about a metre high for the not too infrequent high tides that occur and flood the immediate coastal area.

Thursday began with the birds and barking dogs, a late start was planned to avoid the outgoing tide, with a short paddle to the homestay near Sawingrai village on Gam. A broken rudder cable along the way made the paddle that much harder.

My cottage was a few feet from the water’s edge and provided great views of the sunset.  It was one of the few facilities with a tiled floor, but the generator in the toilet was somewhat off-putting. The bucket bath was always a welcome event at the end of the day; however water conservation was an issue as the women had to obtain water from a well some distance away.

After another magnificent sunset I went to bed to the sound of the generator, coconuts falling from the trees and other unidentified night sounds.

Up at first light I watched as the open wood fire was lit in the lean-to kitchen.  Breakfast a plate of hot fish cutlets cooked in a chilli sauce and 6 small bright green pancakes filled with fresh coconut and sugar started the day.

A short 3 – 4 hour paddle to Besir Bay, the rumour of a ‘saltie’ near the mouth meant we scanned the shoreline and our surroundings closely, every piece of timber on the surface given added attention.

“Besir Bay” Pulau Gam.

We headed for a limestone tunnel that at low tide allowed you to enter another lagoon, and wandered among the islands and fingers, investigated a cave inhabited by fruit bats and continued to the tunnel carved through the limestone karst, with the tide out we paddled through and into the lagoon, the water however was murky and surrounded by mangroves it was not inviting.

Exiting the tunnel we continued further before a stop was made at a limestone outcrop in the middle of the bay, where we climbed a rustic wooden ladder up the side of the formation to higher ground to get a magnificent view of the bay and its islets.

Back onshore it was time for lunch, we then walked to Sawingrai village to find a guide to take us into the mountains in search of Wallace’s Red Bird of Paradise (named after the naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace). We entered the jungle and then waited, the guide pointed into the tree canopy above, there were about four of these magnificent birds.  We sat and watched as they preened, sang and flew through the canopy. A photo cannot do them justice.

“Besir Bay” Pulau Gam.

Saturday 1st November the day started at sunrise, up and about and packed in preparation for the last leg to Pulau Kri.  Having had a breakfast of cassava chips dipped in batter then deep fried with a cup of sweet black tea, we headed up the coast of Gam toward Kormansiwin village, the tide was still running out rapidly, my guide suggested crossing the Dampier Strait immediately but I chose to paddle along the coast instead until the tide was spent, then cross.

We stopped on a beach for a brief stretch and drink then resumed our paddle up the coast until the current had eased then turned east to make the crossing to Pulau Mansoear and the village of Yenbuba 7kms distant.

Arriving at Yenbuba we pulled up on the beach, got out the lunchboxes as the rain and thunder started yet again, we ate in silence watching the rainstorms roll up the Dampier Strait over Pulau Mansoear and continue to Gam and Waigeo in the distance.

“Rainstorm” Pulau Mansoear.

Lunch over we crossed the channel between Mansoear and Kri, and then followed the shoreline of Kri to Sorido Bay Resort and RARCC where the paddle would end.

Accommodation for the last night was luxurious, an air-conditioned room, with a hot shower, a real toilet and a comfortable bed.  Lunch at Sorido Bay comprised a huge variety of dishes, salads, eggs and chicken the first I had seen in over 10 days and was taken with divers from all around the globe enjoying the underwater delights of the area. I was known as Kayakman and introduced as such.

After lunch I packed gear and then sat in the waterside gazebo watching a school of black-tip reef sharks patrolling along the beach.  I dined with the other guests and had just a single celebratory Bintang beer which was enough to send me off to bed.

My final day in the “Four Kings” I opted for the late transfer to get a last snorkel on the house reef, it was memorable, brilliant red starfish, angel fish, clown fish, huge bump-head parrot fish, black-tip reef sharks and turtle the list went on. It was a fitting end to what had been a magnificent 10 days around Pulau Gam.

“Red Starfish”  Sorido House Reef.

The boat to Sorong arrived at midday and I headed off on the homeward leg of my adventure vowing to return to see and do more of the area before it is destroyed by mass tourism and consumerism. (Haja my guide spent the days collecting floating debris in an effort to preserve the environment).

Thanks go to Halim (aka Georg Jackstadt) from Sumatra Savages for setting me on this path, sadly I couldn’t tell him I did it, he passed away from Black fever* in March. Alexander Vogel (Walkabout Alex) who has done the area twice by kayak and intends to go back, his knowledge and advice was invaluable and lastly Tertius Kammeyer for all his help and assistance. Planning for stage two has already begun.

Anyone who considers travel to this area without the necessary prophylaxis for Malaria and injections for Japanese Encephalitis, Typhoid and Hepatitis A should reconsider their plans, expensive as they are, it is worth remembering these diseases can kill or maim you.

Distance: 180kms
Kayak hire USD $520.00 for 10 days.
Boat Transfers USD $185.00.
Sorido Bay Accommodation USD $180.00.
Guide USD $240.00 for 8 days.
Homestays USD $280.00 (7 nights) inclusive of 3 meals per day.
Airfares, Accommodation and Sundries. USD $1800.

About the author:

Adrian lives in Albany where he runs his own business, he has been paddling on and off over the years and joined the Sea Kayak Club in 2011. Previous expeditions have included the Gulf of Thailand and Koh Chang Islands Group. He prefers to paddle solo for the solitude or with 2 to 3 other paddlers.

© Adrian Gawned 2013

By Jacki Hollick

For those of you who have already experienced the wonders of Ningaloo Reef, I apologise for the extensive use of superlative adjectives in this report as you already know how wonderful it is. For those who have not, Ningaloo Reef is ABSOLUTELY AMAZING.
The trip involved a pod of 8 paddlers staying at Yardie Creek Homestead caravan park in two cabins as a base with various day trips along the Ningaloo Reef from Yardie Creek up to Mangrove Bay.

The weather was glorious with blue skies, average top temperatures of 26-28 degrees and strong easterlies in the morning and previous night, dropping down to a gentler wind in the afternoons. For a couple of days, a south westerly came in but only for about a couple of hours or so.

The paddlers were Paul Cooper, Wolfgang Wetzig, Barry and Chris Roberts, Margaret Banks, Jo Foley and Ian and Jacki Hollick.

Outside cabin – Barry, Chris, Paul, Wolfgang, Jo, Ian, Jacki, Margaret. Photo by Ian Hollick.

When asked what the highlights of the trip were, these paddlers replied:

“The third day was the best. It was the perfect day with gentle breeze, cloudless sky and fantastic surfing. I’ve never experienced a more balanced paddling day.”

“The wildlife – Emus, Roos, Wallabies, birds, echidnas, Dugong, turtles, Rays, Tuna. The variety of things to do. The company. The sunset.”

“The third day. The look on Wolfie’s face when he caught that wave surfing. The paddle from Sandy Bay to Turquoise Bay when the wind picked up to 20 knots, top travelling speed of 13.2 kms per hour. Seeing that Tuna and the sunset.”

“The company. The turtle that popped up so close to the boat. The surfing. Sandy Bay was the best. Watching the whale breaching at the Exmouth Marina.”

“The camaraderie and great friends. The colours were amazing. The blue of the sky, the tropical blue sea, the springtime greens and the yellow and purple of the wildflowers. The iron reds and greys of the gorge at Yardie Creek and the amazing sunset at the Lighthouse.”

“The snorkelling and the fish. The surfing.”

“The clear sea and so many fish. The different colours.”

“The surfing and different paddling days. It was such a relaxed time with plenty of excitement on top”.

So, what happened? Well……

Friday and Saturday were spent driving up with stop overs at either Billabong Road House or Carnarvon. A storm had come in on Thursday and through into Friday, so the beginning of the journey was difficult with gale force winds and heavy rain. However, past Geraldton was different with blue skies and no rain.

On Sunday, we started the paddling with a short drive to Lakeside, where the reef is close to the beach and we got our first view of the beautiful turquoise clear water and the sound of the waves breaking out at the edge of the reef (continuously along the coastline).

Leaving Lakeside. Photo by Ian Hollick.

We set off south and it wasn’t long before turtles were popping up out of the water to have a look at these strange vessels or were swimming under the boats at great speed. We didn’t see another boat inside of the reef!

We landed at Turquoise Bay, which is renowned for its snorkelling which I’ll talk about later. And, yes, the water is bright turquoise.
After a short break, Jo and Paul ventured onto Oysters Stack when they were lucky enough to see a tuna fly out of the water alongside them.

After the longest paddle of the trip, we returned to the cabins and either cooked or joined the Christmas in July evening meal at the caravan park ‘restaurant’. Barry, Chris, Ian and Jacki enjoyed turkey and all the trimmings for dinner which was quite quirky in the middle of nowhere!

Monday proved to give us an even better paddling experience. We set off from Sandy Bay which is ‘picture perfect’ with white sand and clear water, and nobody else around!

Sandy Bay. Photo by Ian Hollick.

Kayaks lined up on Sandy Beach. Photo by Ian Hollick.

We paddled south for a while when we had a wonderful aerobatic display from a couple of sea eagles soaring directly above us.

After lunch, 6 of us paddled out to a special kayak mooring that Jo knew about at the edge of the reef. We rafted up 4 boats to the mooring and Wolfgang, Margaret, Jacki and Jo spent half an hour snorkelling in the deeper water while Ian and Paul went out further to check out the surfing for future reference.

When we got back to Sandy Bay, we enjoyed some rolling and bracing practice in warmer waters than we have been used to recently in Perth.

As with all evenings, we spent the end of the day discussing our experiences of the day over dinner and a glass of wine.

So, surely the next day, Tuesday, couldn’t top the two previous days of paddling. Wrong. The third paddling day was the best.

We started at Ned’s Camp and paddled up to Mangrove Bay where the coral reef was only about a metre below us. Again, we saw loads of turtles, sting rays, sea slugs (yuk!) and Jo saw a couple of small sharks in the mangroves.

Paul suggested we go out to the edge of the reef to look at some surfing. Best idea ever!

On the way out, we saw the tail fin of a fish thrashing around seeming to be trying to catch something off the reef. On closer inspection, we believe it was a 2 metre Tawny Nurse shark. As soon as it saw us, it took off but Ian put his camera under the water and managed to get a half decent shot of it.

Tawny Nurse Shark. Photo by Ian Hollick.

The surfing at the edge of the reef proved to be exciting for all. You could catch a set of waves and surf three times over!

We landed back at Ned’s camp for a late lunch and everyone went back to the cabins apart from Paul, Jo, Ian and Jacki who went to the observation hide to view the birds in the mangrove lagoon (so different to the ocean just next door).

Later on, Paul, Jo and Margaret went up to the Lighthouse to see a spectacular sunset over the water.

What a special day.

Sunset from the Lighthouse. Photo by Jo Foley.

Tuesday was going to be hard to beat, so we tried something totally different on Wednesday and drove down to the Yardie Creek itself, a water gorge, apparently about 14 kms long but much shorter for paddling access.

Paddling up Yardie Creek. Photo by Ian Hollick.

We paddled up as far as we could go checking out the rock wallabies emerging from caves above us. The contrast in colours was amazing with the blue water and sky, bright red rock soaring up and green bushes.

Rock Wallabies emerging in the morning sun. Photo by Ian Hollick.

We ventured back to Sandy Bay either by boat or car and then drove on to Turquoise Bay for some snorkelling. Turquoise Bay has a strange phenomenon of a ‘drift’ which sends the snorkeler along the beach without any effort of swimming. This means you can just watch the fish as you go by. And there were plenty of fish of different colours, blue, green, yellow and even pink.

Margaret demonstrated her snorkelling skills, frequently diving down to get a closer look at the fish that we pointed out to her!

Paul continued by boat from Sandy Bay back to Turquoise Bay rather than driving and had an exhilarating paddle.

Thursday was our ‘dry’ day which we spent in search of the tourist sites. We drove up Charles Knife Gorge with amazing views across the ocean.

Paul at Charles Knife Gorge. Photo by Jo Foley.
Charles Knife Gorge. Photo by Ian Hollick.

Jacki and Ian were privileged with the sight of a whale breaching over and over outside the Exmouth Marina. A local said it was the first whale he’d seen this season. What a treat!

A few of us checked out the SS ‘Mildura’ wreck, a 1907 cattle ship wreck visible from the shore and the renowned Surfers Beach.

SS ‘Mildura wreck. Photo by Ian Hollick.

Thursday night was our last night together as Jacki and Ian left a day early to return home via Carnarvon.

So, Friday’s report comes from Jo.

We woke up to another day in paradise. With Jacki and Ian’s departure yesterday there were now 6 of us. Over breakfast we discussed our options for our last day’s paddle. Wolfgang and Paul were keen to do some rolling practice before getting back to chilly Perth and the rest of us were keen to do one last paddle. In the end we decided to paddle north from Lakeside to Ned’s Camp and return, as we had not paddled that section. The plan was to then do some snorkelling at Lakeside and rolling.

When we got to Lakeside it was super windy – about 20 knots ESE so we hugged the coast as much as possible which was at times difficult due to it being low tide. When we got to the bay that held Ned’s Camp the wind was howling and seemed to be more north easterly and the water very shallow so we decided to head back with the wind at our backs to a lovely bay which was sheltered by a glistening white sand dune. We had an early lunch break which included a little sand in our food (crunch, crunch). We had an amazing view of many shades of blue ocean against a marvellous blue sky. Paul and Wolfgang treated us to a rolling display. On the way back we encountered 2 dolphins –which were the first of the trip. We also had schools of trevally and gardies leaping out of the water (I wonder what was chasing them?!?!).

When we arrived back at Lakeside the wind had dropped and it was slack tide, so the perfect time to go snorkelling at a brilliant spot 500m south of the carpark called lakeside bombies. We got our gear and paddled down. The snorkel was like swimming in an aquarium. With numerous bombies of massive coral we encountered many colourful and beautifully patterned fish of all sizes from tiny blue to damselfish to a huge groper hiding in a hole in the rocks. Margaret and I snorkelled further out and came across 2 massive rays that seemed to be about 3metres in length lying on the sandy bottom. One of them, you could only see its outline as it was covered in sand. The other was eyeballing us and we snorkelled above.  Paul and Wolfgang opted to do some more rolling practice.
It was another balmy evening and we enjoyed a last night similar to most of the others, with a bbq out on the verandah and a few wines with great friends.

The next day we set off for our 2 day journey back to Perth – Barry and Chris stopping at Carnarvon for the night and the rest of us stopped at the Old Northampton Convent for a cheap night’s rest ($20 each).

And so we come to the end of this trip report.

Thank you so much to Paul and Jo for organising such a fantastic experience to be remembered.

Also, thank you for all the photos, in particular to Ian for so many of them, and a big thank you to the whole group, you guys, for good company in the presence of great friends. We had so much fun in a spectacular and memorable place.

It was truly special.

By Antony Mee

Since undertaking a solo two day paddle from Denham around Cape Peron to Monkey Mia last year I was eager to visit Dirk Hartog Island (DHI) on my next trip to the Shark Bay World Heritage area so I asked a paddling friend of mine, Lance Connop, whether he would be interested in joining me for a discovery paddle of the eastern side of the island. We invited two other experienced sea-kayakers in Paul Cooper and Graham Place to join us, set the dates and booked accommodation in Denham.

Lance called around at 0430 hrs on Tuesday morning the 14th May in his ‘Landy’, as he calls his Land Rover, and we loaded up my gear. I weighed my gear before we left and it came to 85 kg. Most of the weight comprising water for the six (6) day expedition allowed consumption of four litres per day totalling 24 litres. The other guys were carrying similar amounts. Water is the single heaviest item to carry as it weighs 1 kg per litre, therefore weighing in at 24 kg – 3 kg more than the weight of my sea kayak. The sea kayak that I use is the same one that Freya Hoffmeister paddled around Australia during her ‘epic’ adventure in 2009 – an Epic 18x Sport, except mine is slightly lighter than her Expedition lay-up. I had only used it previously for an overnight paddle from Mindarie to Lancelin so I was eager to see how she went loaded up to the maximum storage capacity of 173 kg.

After a long road trip we arrived in Denham ten hours later and caught up with Paul and Graham who had left Perth the previous day for a more leisurely trip to Denham. We booked into our accommodation at the Denham Backpackers, which is just across the road from our launch site. After a hearty meal at the local resort we retired early for the big first day paddle of 37 km across Heirisson and Bellefin Prongs to our first campsite just south of Tumbledown Point.

It took us about 90 minutes in the morning to pack and I was the last to launch after notifying Australian Coast Radio Monitors WA INC. (ACRM) in Denham of our planned route and ETA for arrival at each prong and also at DHI. The first paddle to Heirisson Prong equates to approximately 20 km (a similar distance to Rottnest Island from Cottesloe). I was a little anxious as the whole area is teaming with everything that can bite and/or cause you harm – most notably the large Tiger Sharks that frequent these waters.

We made it to the first prong in little over three hours and had a short leg stretch before moving on to the next prong. We stopped there for some lunch and then headed over to DHI. I didn’t have a waypoint in my GPS for the first campsite so we basically guessed where it might be located. When we arrived at the island we discovered a lovely bay with good sand to land on and plenty of space to set up our tents.

Tip of Bellefin Prong

Lance is an eager fisherman and before any of us had unpacked our kayaks and set up our tents he was off to the nearest point to throw a line in and try his luck. Needless to say it was fish for dinner. We all slept well that night, and successive ones, retiring at 1900 hrs and rising at dawn each day.

Campsite near Tumbledown Point

Paul and Graham wanted to spend two nights at that spot so we agreed and did a day paddle to Notch Point and Tetrodon Loop the next day. On the way north I came across a beached dugong and pulled up on the sand to investigate. The poor dugong may have been hit by a boat and some sharks have then moved in on the weakened mammal. We pushed it into the shallows and off it swam with what appeared to only be a ‘flesh wound’. This was a relatively easy 24 km paddle to the point for lunch and return. Paul and I split up from Lance and Graham for the return paddle and when we arrived back at camp they were nowhere to be seen. Ninety minutes passed before they appeared back at the campsite much to our relief. With an empty boat that day I was averaging 10 km/hr.

Injured dugong near Meade Island

On Friday 17th May we broke camp and set off southwards for Cape Ransonnet. This was an easy 16 km paddle to the next campsite which comprised a much smaller landing beach and far less clear space for setting up camp.

Campsite near Cape Ransonnet

The paddle plan was to spend two nights there, however after having climbed the nearest hill to get coverage from the Telstra Next G network and the latest weather information it was decided to drop our planned day paddle around the South Passage, out to Surf and Steep Points and make our way back to Heirisson Prong before returning to Denham. The weather forecast was not good predicting 20-30 knot southerly winds on Monday which was scheduled to be during our 20 km return paddle across from Heirisson Prong to Denham on open water. It was a shame that we had to cancel that part of the trip as the landscape and beaches forming the South Passage are stunning.

South Passage

We broke camp on Saturday 18th May and paddled in a south-westerly direction to Bellefin Prong over Shoal Flats to the head of Blind Inlet. Lance was keen to explore that area so Graham waited for him to return whilst Paul and I headed for the tip of Bellefin Prong. The paddle up the western side of the prong was more like what I was accustomed to seeing in Shark Bay sighting many sharks, sea-snakes, large fish, turtles, stingrays, etc. We waited at the tip of the prong for the others to catch up with us before departing for Heirisson Prong where we would set up our final campsite.

Approaching Heirisson Prong

We arrived late in the afternoon and found a suitable campsite. The forecast weather was closing in and during the night some light rain fell.

Campsite at the tip of Heirisson Prong

Early Sunday morning we broke camp and made the long paddle back to Denham. The wind was light and the paddle relatively easy. Lance was keen to get back and took the pace up a notch. It seemed to me that he was wanting to race. Suddenly he slowed and I wondered whether he had run out of puff or just given up trying to surpass the speed of the Epic 18x. When we got back to Denham he exclaimed that he had broken the steel cable on his Mirage 582 Tourer and lost control of his rudder. Lucky for him that it happened only a couple of kms out from Denham.

En route to Denham

After emptying our kayaks and listening to the accounts of the locals citing large tiger sharks spotted recently at the town beach we booked into our room again and went looking for some real food. After a week of canned and dehydrated offerings the food and pints at the resort were very refreshing.

Back at Denham

The paddlers – Lance, Graham, Paul and myself

Once again we all retired early and left for Perth at 0800 hrs on Monday morning. We all concurred that it was the right decision to return a day early as the wind had freshened and the weather outlook looked bleak. The return drive to Perth saw some heavy rain and wind squalls around Northampton and Geraldton.

Back in Perth, after having washed and stored all my gear, I was already thinking about my next trip to Shark Bay next May to paddle up to Cape Inscription and fix my own humble plastic camp plate to a broken paddle shaft there somewhere for the next generation to inspect and subject it to microscopic analysis just like the old Dutch pewter plate mounted there in 1616 by Dirk Hartog.

A couple of days later Lance suggested that we do a return paddle to Rotto. What, I thought, just a leisurely 40 km afternoon paddle so off we went on Thursday.

‘Forget about the sharks’! (approaching Cottesloe)

The total distance paddled at Shark Bay was 134 km.

By Jo Foley

Feature photo – 19 Kayaks awaiting departure from Jurien Marina – Photo by Ian Hollick.

The Jurien trip this year was a little different – instead of setting up camp in a different location each day we camped at the Apex Camping group and did day paddles out to the islands and along the coast. Most people headed up on Friday and set up camp – with a few turning up on Saturday morning.

We woke up to a glorious morning on Saturday and while having breakfast watched Skydivers making the most of the still conditions. There was a great turn out on Saturday morning of 19 people so the beach at the boat harbour was a spectacular site of many different fibreglass kayaks lined up. Jacki, Ian, Barry, Chris, Dave Oakley, Rob, Neesha, Wolfgang, Steve Haddon, Lance, Antony Mee, Gordon, Graham, Margaret, Jenny, Duncan, Alan and myself were briefed by Paul before setting off into the glassy waters as the wind was only about 3 knots. Antony’s partner Bronwyn waved us off and then enjoyed her day having coffee, going for walks and watching the skydivers land on the beach. Paddling the 5km toward Boullanger Island, some of us were lucky to see dolphins and a sting ray.

Continuing on the 3km to Escape Island we were unable to find a safe landing place so backtracked to Boulanger Island for a morning tea break on a lovely white sand beach. We decided we would still continue on to Essex Rocks as planned but that it would be at least a 26km paddle as opposed to 18km that was the original plan. Duncan and Jenny being fairly new to Sea Kayaking decided to head back to Jurien at that point.  The rest of us made our way over to Essex Rocks keeping clear of the shallow reefs with large breaking waves that were between us and the island.

The Sea Lions came out in force to greet us with at least a dozen in the water and at least that number basking out on the rocks. They seemed to take a liking to Margaret who at one stage was surrounded by them. Alan gave them a fright as he rolled his kayak but they came back for more, seeming to take it as a game. With the wind having picked up a little and a following sea we scooted over to Booka Valley on the mainland, where we had a well-earned lunch break. The seabreeze had picked up more so we had a bumpy ride back to town. There were some weary souls when we finally made it the 26km back to the boat harbour.

We decided to take the night off cooking so headed to the tavern for a meal, a bevvy or 2 and a few yarns. Although it was a calm night there was wind of  another kind – who was that?!?!

Sunday dawned blue skies and with virtually no wind which is pretty lucky for Jurien. A few paddlers were unable to make the longer paddle to North Head due to injury, aching joints, tiredness or needing to leave a bit earlier. So, after discussion with Paul, it was agreed that they should form a peer paddle to Favourite Island and back as an alternative option.

Here is Jacki’s trip report on the Peer Paddle to Favourite Island:
A pod of nine paddlers left Jurien Marina and paddled a leisurely 4km to Favourite Island, led by Graham Place and joined for a short while half way across by an inquisitive dolphin. Once at the island, we decided to have a look around the back and paddled 1.5km around through some reef and back wash waves from the island (a bit like the south wall ‘washing machine’ at Hillarys). Graham and Jacki had a bit of an unintentional surf round to the front of the island where we all landed safely on the beach. After morning tea and some paddling stories we headed back 4km to the Marina with a bit more wind to help us out. All in all, a very pleasant paddle to complement the tougher 26km paddle of day 1. We finished off with some rolling practice and cooling down in the Marina. I’d like to thank Paul Cooper as Sea Leader and Jo Foley for organising the weekend. It was a most enjoyable paddle.

The other 10 of us paddled north toward North Head. I couldn’t get over the clarity of the water – it was like glass and you could see the bottom even at 5m depth. Along the way another dolphin was spotted quite near to a small tinnie sporting a red beach umbrella, it appeared surreal against the blue sky.

After picking our way through the reef and breaking waves we landed on the north side of North Head on a lovely concave beach where we could see people camped up by the old bunker on the headland and further north on the beach. The plan was just to paddle to this point and return (about an 18km paddle) which is what some of the group did but Paul suggested we paddle a bit further north to see what it was like. As is often the case a little further turned in to a few more kilometres when we decided to turn back just in case we got a seabreeze which would mean paddling back into headwinds.

The intrepid trio consisting of Rob, Dave and Steve continued on and circumnavigated Sandland Island which is an unusual name seeing there was no sand and nowhere to land. By their accounts, there were lots of sea lions and they encountered some rough conditions. On the return Paul decided to swap his paddles in an area of shallow reef and almost got cleaned up by a big wave. Not the best choice of where to stop and swap paddles!

As it turned out we got a light northerly for some of the way before it turned into a light seabreeze. It was amazing how different the sea was even from these light to moderate winds – it was no longer glassy but lumpy instead. That night there were only 9 of us left and we swapped lateral thinking quizzes while eating fish and chips washed down with beer. The chip connoisseurs amongst us decided they were pretty damn good.

It was a much windier morning on Monday and we’d had some drizzle earlier on. We paddled out into a 12knot wind and moody skies and through a rain squall on the way over to Favourite Island which was only 4km away. Paddling around the back of the island was very lumpy due to the rebound off the cliffs of the island and due to the wind waves and increased swell from the previous days. It made for an interesting paddle. Surfing around the point we landed on a sandy beach on the sheltered side of the island which was a bird sanctuary full of Sooty Terns, various gulls and a pair of Ospreys. A curious lone Sea Lion came to check us out and when we were back on the water gave me a fright when it popped up right beside my kayak. It then proceeded to follow Rob some of the way back to Jurien.

We made fast progress back to the marina with following seas. A nice 9.5km paddle to finish off the trip before driving back to Perth – first having to be breathalysed just out of Jurien!

It was a super weekend so thanks Paul for all the work you put into organising it and thanks to all of the group for your great company and all the laughs.

Friendly Sea Lion near Favourite Island – Photo by Neesha Copley.

Setting out from Jurien Marina for Boullanger Island – Photo by Neesha Copley.

Crossing to Boullanger Island – Photo by Ian Hollick.


Alan entertaining the sea lions at Essex Rocks – Photo by Neesha Copley.

Jacki with Sea Lion – Photo by Ian Hollick.

Essex Rocks – Photo by Neesha Copley.

Gordon, Graham & Duncan on Favourite Island – Photo by Ian Hollick.


Paddling toward North Head – Photo by Neesha Copley.

Neesha at North Head – Photo by Jo Foley.


Favourite Island – Photo by Neesha Copley.


Wolfgang, Paul & Jo setting off into some Moody Weather – Photo by Neesha Copley.

Yasawa Islands, North-West Fiji, 13 – 21 July 2012

Sue Harrington

South Sea Islands Resort, one of the first ports of call on the Yasawa Flyer. Photo Sue Harrington

Wolfgang and Pel on the shuttle from the Yasawa Flyer to Tavewa. Photo Sue Harrington

At Tavewa, Zoe, Wolfgang and Simon try out boats and gear, while Sandy distributes the whoopie cushions. Photo Russ Hobbs

Steve, Martin, Wolfgang, Chundi and Sue at the Dreaming Tree. Photo Russ Hobbs

Eamon helps the villagers uncover the cooked Lovo. Photo Russ Hobbs

Morning tea at the southern end of Nacula Island. Photo Sue Harrington

Our guides, Sandy, Eamon and Sam preparing lunch at Nacula Island. Photo Sue Harrington

Preparing to launch after lunch at Nacula Island. Photo Sue Harrington

Village ‘Meke’ at Navotua. Photo Sue Harrington

Martin downing one of many cups of kava, cheered on by Chundi. Photo Sue Harrington

Paddling across to Sawai Lau –  Wolfgang and Chundi in the big double, and Steve. Photo Sue Harrington

Day 5 lunch spot at Yaqueta Island. Photo Sandy Robson

Chundi (Judy) and Wolfgang in a big double on the crossing to Naviti Island. Photo Sue Harrington

Camp on the west side of Naviti Island. Photo Sue Harrington

Steve, Chundi, Martin and Jo enjoy pina coladas at Botera Resort, Naviti Island, Day 6. Photo Sandy Robson

Martin and Chundi into the rum punch on  Nanuya Balavu Island, Day 6. Photo Sue Harrington

Sandy on the big crossing to Waya Island, Day 7. Photo Sue Harrington

Eamon offer Russ watermelon on the big rough crossing to Waya Island, Day 7. Photo Sue Harrington

Russ and Sue crossing to Wayasewa Island, Day 7. Photo Martin Burgoyne

Martin Burgoyne being Martin, can’t help looking for the next adventure possibility even when he and Val are celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary. So when they were spending a few romantic days last year on Yaqueta Island in the Yasewa Islands, north-west Fiji, the idea of a sea kayaking expedition started to take shape.

After researching the options, he circulated the proposal for a trip along the Yasawa Island chain amongst club members. He expected a few members might be interested, but in no time the trip was booked out by Martin, Neesha Copley, Judy ‘Chundy’ Blight, Steve Foreman, Pel Turner, Wolfgang Weitzig, Jo Foley, Zoe Thiele, Simon Wilkes, Russ Hobbs and Sue Harrington. The trip proposed was the “Yasawas Ultimate Tropical Expedition” offered by company Southern Sea Ventures (SSV) with the name for our trip being the appropriate “Sandgropers’ Pacific Paddle”. The trip was a total of eight days, including six paddling days and a travelling day at either end.

On Friday 13th July our group of travel-weary paddlers arrived at the Mercure Hotel in Nadi. Most had flown in from Perth, but Zoe and Simon arrived from Tonga raving about their marvellous 6-day paddle. Neesha was to join us at our base camp as she was doing some diving for the couple of days before our trip. We gathered for drinks and dinner prior to a briefing with one of our guides, Eamon Larkin, who probably wondered what he was in for with our group of strong personalities asking endless questions. The other guides were to be club member and paddler of renown, Sandy Robson (‘Voli Voli’), and local Fijian, Sam.

Day 1 – The morning was sunny and typical tropical humidity. After an early breakfast we piled our gear into the hotel lobby to wait for the bus to take us to Denarau Marina to catch the Yasawa Flyer ferry. As we motored north up the Yasawa Islands we stopped to load and unload holiday-makers at numerous island resorts. Eamon plied us with the first of the endless snacks that were to be a feature of this trip, as well as a healthy picnic lunch and people dozed in the sun or sat in the breeze on the upper deck.

We arrived at SSV’s base on Tavewa Island at about 2pm to hugs on the beach from Sandy and were soon given an introduction to the gear and facilities, as well as the need for frequent hand washing and hygiene throughout the trip. Neesha arrived full of excitement having been diving with sharks. We were shown the large area of grass to pitch tents under shady trees, an open-sided bure or kitchen shelter, a pit toilet and a cold water shower. Above the strip of beach rock and sand beach there was a spreading ‘dreaming’ tree and bench seat, much used by the local family and by us. Our tall, handsome Fijian guide, Sam, is from the family which owns the land.

And of course, there was a line-up of sea kayaks and piles of spray decks, PFDs, paddles and dry bags. We all chose gear and pondered about squeezing the large dry bags into small hatches, something which became a daily pain. We needed to take three double kayaks in order to carry the cooking stove and other bulky gear. Sue and Russ had elected to paddle a double for the whole trip, with the other two doubles to be paddled by others on rotation. Martin and Chundi started out in one of the doubles but divorce ended this arrangement after one day.

That night we were treated to a lovo (similar to the Maori hangi) cooked by the local family. The pork, beef, chicken, taro, cassava, sweet potato, potatoes, and palusami (taro leaves cooked with onion, tomato and coconut milk) were delicious! This was followed by big chunks of duty free Toblerone. Sam’s friendly dog, Rocky, hung around and was finally given the leftovers. We discussed the forecast for SE winds of 15-20 knots and the paddling plan for the next day before heading off to bed.

Day 2 – We rose in the dark to pull down tents, pack boats and eat a hearty breakfast prepared by our guides. Some of us had slept poorly due to the excitement and new surroundings, as well as the cacophony from the camp snorers. There seemed to be a lot of gear, but eventually we squeezed personal gear, food, cooking gear and water bladders into the boats and teams of us carried them over the beach rock and down to the water. A support boat carried additional food and water for the first couple of days.

We departed camp at 8:45am in overcast conditions, heading east into a strong head wind and then dog-legging north to land on a sand spit on the south of Nacula Island where we had morning tea. We then paddled northwards along the western shore of Nacula Island, past villages nestled amongst lines of coconut palms with cleared hills above. There were many gusts of strong wind funnelling over the island that made for hard paddling. When the wind abated we were treated to gardens of colourful coral below the water surface.

We landed on a beach on the north-west corner of Nacula Island for lunch and pulled on cags to avoid the wind. The plan had been to camp on Vawa Island several kilometres to the north, but as some paddlers were tired we opted to head for Navotua village just around the peninsula from the lunch spot. Although the distance to the village was only 2km, a strong head-wind of 20-24 knots made for slow progress and challenging paddling. After a hard day of 18km we were grateful for the welcome from the villagers and to set up camp on a grassed area. Our guides produced excellent meals in SSV’s bure next to the beach. There were a number of village dogs that hung around our bure, including ‘Snarly’ who unintentionally bared his teeth while trying to be friendly.

The villagers are devout Methodists and proudly promote their traditional culture. As much as possible we tried to conform to expectations by wearing trousers or lofos (sarongs) and not wearing hats around the village.

Navotua. Photo Russ Hobbs

Day 3 – With high winds forecast and some of our group unwell with colds, we opted for a rest day. The teachers in our group, Chundi (Judy) and Neesha, assisted by Jo, spent the morning at the school instructing the 6-9 year olds in making origami animals, telling stories and reading. Others of us walked over the ridge to the beach where we had lunch the previous day for a snorkel and then amused ourselves by throwing rocks at a target and by breaking open and consuming a coconut. Some caught up on sleep and had a gentle day. Neesha befriended the locals and was invited to share their meals, not that it stopped her eating ours as well!

Neesha grating coconuts. Photo Sandy Robson

In the afternoon we were treated to a tour of the village, a demonstration of weaving and a wonderful afternoon tea made by one of the village ladies. Later we purchased jewellery and fabrics at the village shell market. That night our dinner included local crabs and then we enjoyed a ‘Meke’ welcome concert, followed by a kava ceremony. Most of us had one or two small cups of kava, but others enjoyed the relaxed sensation that it gave them and had too many cups to remember!

Day 4 – We awoke to drizzle and reluctantly dragged ourselves out of our tents before dawn. The sea was less foreboding than when we arrived. After filling in time doing exercises while waiting for the local roti and smoked fish to be delivered for our lunch, we paddled east to the striking limestone island of Sawai Lau. Most of us went into the cave and dived underwater to reach the magnificent inner cave. Sandy saved the day by diving down several metres to retrieve Simon’s dropped camera. Hot drinks being sold by local villagers were extremely popular as we emerged cold from the cave.

For the remainder of the day we paddled back to the base on Tavewa Island, but in much calmer conditions (10-12 knots) than those experienced on the outward journey. The distance paddled this day was 22 km.

We lined up for showers and then relaxed with drinks and dinner. Everyone quickly departed for bed when Sandy suggested that we play ‘two truths and one lie’. As more of us were succumbing to the dreaded lurgy, the snoring around the camp was supplemented with hacking coughs.

Launch Day 5. Photo Sue Harrington

Day 5 – We loaded the kayaks with everything we would need for the following three days as there would be no support boat. There were grey skies for our departure from Tavewa, but the sun came out as we paddled down the western side of Matacawalevu, passing over patches of colourful reef in a following sea. We lunched at a derelict resort on the south-west corner of Yaqueta Island and enjoyed a fabulous snorkel. Crossing the 4 km strait to Naviti Island we paddled into the wind (13 knots) and then turned to drift across to the north-west corner of the island, making a distance of 9 km for the crossing and a total distance for the day of 27 km.

We set up camp on a deserted beach near the north-west corner of Naviti. After having refreshing swims we enjoyed Martin and Sandy’s rum punch while watching the sunset. Our guides had dug toilet trenches for males and females and Eamon had us in hysterics as he acted out the possible techniques for using them – these included Mr Whippy, the surfer, Grandpa and the cartwheel – all highly practical!

Hermit crab races at camp in Naviti. Photo Sue Harrington

Day 6 – After a slightly late start on a sunny morning, we paddled south along the west side of Naviti Island in 13 knot E-NE winds. The scenery was pleasant, with lots of shallow reef, pretty coves with coconut palms and interesting tilted rock strata on the hills behind. Crusty pock-marked basalt, the result of ancient lava flows, lined the edge of beaches and headlands. We landed at Botero Resort at lunch time and some of us went snorkelling while others drank pina coladas, beers or coffee on the deck above the beach. We re-launched for a lazy paddle to Mantaray Resort on Nanuya Balavu Island. While the guides refilled the water containers, some of us went for a snorkel seeing lots of big fish, where on previous snorkels there had been mainly invertebrates and some small fish.

We finished the 15km day by paddling around to the east side of the island where we pulled in to a steep beach to camp. We were met by a French man, Christopher, who had been camped for a month and was spending his time spear fishing using his inflatable kayak as a float. The kayak walls had lost strength and bloated in such a way that it was no longer paddleable. Again we enjoyed rum punch while watching Neesha, Zoe and Sue grating fresh coconut and the tropical sunset. Christopher joined us for bean and vegetable curry, no doubt glad to be eating something other than fish and split coconuts!

We had set up our tents on the back of the sand beach, judging that we were above the high tide mark. Our guides had put their tents higher up the slope and Christopher had commented that the tide might come up fairly high, but the danger failed to register. Around 5am the breaking waves were sounding rather close and we started to emerge to check on the situation and to move our tents to higher ground. Zoe had to wake Jo who was sleeping soundly as the water crept into her tent vestibule.

Day 7 – After the drama of having to move the tents, we got up and moving earlier than planned. We were pushed in off the sloped beach and started out on a long paddling day. We pulled up for a snack break and to look at the charts, then began the long and difficult crossing to Waya Island. We paddled up wind into the 17 knot easterly in seas to 1.5m and then angled back to reach our destination. Partway across the difficult crossing Eamon called us in for morning tea and delivered around a tray of watermelon slices. While stopped in difficult conditions, Pel and Wolfgang were swept together and Pel capsized but managed a wet entry with help from Sandy and Eamon.

We pulled into Octopus Resort on the western side of Waya Island for lunch. Some people had pre-lunch drinks and then we had a picnic along the beach, with a family of pigs appearing periodically to check on us. We continued south past Wayasewa Island to Kuata Resort, glad to finish our 31 km day as we landed to the musical welcome from the resort staff.

This was the end of the paddle and we emptied the gear from our kayaks and settled into our bures for showers and to sort out our gear. After dinner a group of young locals performed some strange dance moves to painfully loud music and then got us up to chant ‘bongana bonga’ and to join in the dance. We were then invited to join in another kava ceremony, but only Sam consumed more than the required cup full.

Day 8 – We all gathered on the beach to see Sandy and Sam set off on local motorised boats with the kayaks stacked high. It took them over 6 hours to reach Tavewa Island in fairly rough conditions. We spent the day resting, reading, chatting, having massages and packing up in time for the 3:30pm ferry back to Nadi. Back in civilisation, we donned our best clothes and met for a delicious Japanese dinner and to reminisce about an amazing week.

All-in-all it was a terrific experience with a great group of people. The guides worked long hours, took us to wonderful locations and kept producing great meals. Thanks Martin for coming up with the idea and making it happen. We’ll remember this trip fondly for many years to come!

Martin and Steve waiting for the boat back to civilisation. Photo Sue Harrington

Helen Cooksey

Marg Toohey, Mark Alderson, Ben Toohey, Neesha Copley, Judy
Blight, Sharna Farquhar, Jo Foley & Helen Cooksey.

Helen Cooksey.

Gregories dinner camp. Sharna, Neesha, Ben, Marg, Judy & Helen. Photo Helen Cooksey.

Guichenault Point camp. Photo Helen Cooksey.

Peron Peninsular. Neesha, Marg, Ben, Judy, Sharna & Jo. Photo Helen Cooksey.

Food
It is always interesting to see what people bring to eat on these trips.  For future reference for people planning a trip I will mention some of the food eaten. Jo liked “Ainsley Harriot” Roast vegetable cous cous  with added packet of tuna or salmon.  For lunch each day she had a tin of “ St Dalfour” ready to eat salmon and vegetables or tuna and pasta. For breakfast Jo had packets of instant maple and nut porridge from the organic shop. I had muesli with powdered milk already in it in individual bags. Marg’s staple lunch was peanut paste on dry biscuit. Packets of Cup of Soup were popular after setting up camp. Neesha had “Marion Gransbys” packet food and Sharna had “Uncle Bens”. Judy and I chopped up carrots, onions, garlic, zucchinis added to rice with packets of salmon or tuna. Several people had the meals in a packet to which you add water and wait 10 minutes. If you have these make sure you try them before you leave home, as you should with all the food packets. You may not like the taste. You can end up with a terrible stomach ache if they don’t soak long enough. I had a piece of fresh fruit for every day. 4 litres of water per day per person proved ample, but it was not exceedingly hot.

Early Monday morning our group of Sharna Farquhar, Neesha Copley, Ben and Margaret Toohey, Judy Blight, Jo Foley and Helen Cooksey were down at the foreshore packing our gear into our kayaks. How would it all fit in? Mark Alderson and his wife Jane and 3 children were holidaying in town so he came down with his kayak to accompany us as far as Big Lagoon on the first day. Before leaving we drove our three vehicles to Monkey Mia and left them in the car park. We weren’t charged to go in and leave them there. Mark obligingly transported us back to our kayaks in Denham which saved us a car shuffle at the end of the trip.

Monday 16.4.12
We left Denham at 10.12am. The weather was warm and sunny with a light SE wind behind us. By the time we turned into Big Lagoon the wind had increased in strength considerably and those with sails were flying along. We landed at 2pm on the south side where the 4×4 track comes in and met Mark’s wife Jane and the kids. Jane’s offer of cool drink and snakes was gratefully accepted and eagerly devoured. We left Mark there and crossed the lagoon and found a pleasant camping spot for the night.

Tuesday 17.4.12
On the water 9am to 3.30pm including morning tea and lunch stops. While we were packing up a group of kayakers crossed from the other side of the lagoon where they had been camping. They were heading further into the lagoon to camp the next night. We struck out into the already strong headwind. Fortunately once out of the lagoon we turned right and the SE wind was behind us again. We cruised along the west side of the Peron Peninsular marvelling at the brilliant red cliffs. The water was crystal clear. Every dark patch in the water could be a big stingray, turtle or shark. A lot of the sharks were about 2 metres long and swam at incredible speed once disturbed. The turtles would stick their ancient heads out of the water and have a good look at you before disappearing beneath the water. A beautiful  Brahminy kite launched off the cliff to check us out. We made camp on the beach just north of South Gregories.

Wednesday 18.4.12
On the water from 08.30 to 3.30pm. The tents were wet with dew when we packed up and the wet sand stuck to everything. It was pleasant paddling with the SE wind behind us until we rounded Cape Peron then the SE wind was on our nose as we paddled along the red cliffs hugging the shore line. We struck out across the bottom of Herald Bight to Guichenault Point. From the distance at water level in our kayaks it was hard to see the land sticking out from the cliffs until we were quite close. I had reassured myself by climbing the cliff with my binoculars at morning tea break. We had a great camp on a sandy beach in amongst the mangroves with surprisingly few mosquitos.

Thursday 19.4.12
On the water 08.40 to 3pm. We headed around the sand spit and South East into rough water and head wind. It was hard paddling all day. We saw groups of manta rays, stingrays and dolphins and one small sea snake. As we got into the lee of Cape Rose, we paddled along the shore line looking for a suitable place to land and camp as an emu was nonchalantly standing in the water looking around. He wasn’t disturbed by our presence and eventually wandered off into the bush. The beach was quite steep and shore line consisted of sharp broken coral and big chunks of shells and rocks.  Those with fibreglass boats were reluctant to drag their boats up the shore so we took it in turns to hold boats in the water to unpack before carrying them up the beach.

Friday 20.4.12
We didn’t have far to go to get to Monkey Mia so we were a bit slow packing up on the last morning much to our detriment. The light wind at breakfast time built into a ferocious 22 to 25 knot head wind. I could hardly push the paddle into the wind. It didn’t take long and I was exhausted. I tried walking along the shore line for a while but I couldn’t go any further. It was decided Jo would stay on the beach with me.  I had had a bad cold before I left and it must have taken more out of me than I realised. The others struggled on to Monkey Mia hugging the shore to keep in the lee of the land for protection as much as possible.  When they eventually made it they met a nice young chap with an open aluminium boat with front loading ramp who had just off loaded a group of tourists from visiting the Pearl Farm Barge. He obligingly came and picked us up. Ben and Neesha helped load our fully loaded kayaks onto the centre consul and he transported us all back to Monkey Mia in no time. We were glad to see our vehicles waiting for us. With the benefit of hind sight we should have got the latest weather forecast the night before using the Sat phone or marine radio and left before breakfast before the wind increased in strength.
It was a great trip. Thanks to Judy for organising it. The company was great. Pleasant evenings were spent sitting around having dinner. We were mostly in bed by 8.30pm. With the stunning red cliffs and clear see-through water Shark Bay is such a unique part of the world.

The group were all strong paddlers. When they stepped on the gas Marg and Ben Toohey could go like a rocket in their double kayak which we nick named the Grey nurse.  Marg also showed she could paddle in rough water which she hadn’t experienced before. The two of them have walked the entire Bibbulmun track so were able to teach us a few things about packing light. It was the first trip for Jo and Sharna and they showed themselves to be very good strong paddlers. Ben and Neesha are strong paddlers and it was great to have their strength helping to get boats in and out of the water. Fortunately we did not experience low tide with a long portage to get to camp on shore before Cape Rose as we did the last time I did the trip.

Murray River 2011, Pete and Heidi Hutton – (50Mb PDF)

Ken Burton

The paddlers at Lancelin: Steve, Ewen, Paul, Rado, Ken, Dave and Rob.  Photo Pel Turner.

Dave Oakley, 2 hours into the paddle on Day 1. Photo John Radovich.

Ewen coming in to land at Camp 1. Photo John Radovich.

Pel and Rob relax and share a few stories at Camp 1. Notice all mod cons: BBQ and ironing board. Photo John Radovich.

Short break on Day 2 – Rado. Photo John Radovich.

Ewen and Ken sample Ewen’s culinary delights. Photo John Radovich.

In formation at Cervantes. Photo John Radovich.

The aim of this trip was to kayak from Lancelin to Cervantes over the CHOGM weekend, a distance of 66km.

Six paddlers decided to complete the trip – John Radovich, Dave Oakley, Paul Cooper, Rob MacCracken, Ewen MacGregor and Ken Burton. The paddlers were provided with land-based support by Pel Turner up until Saturday morning and Steve Foreman from start to finish. The 4 Wheel drive support was awesome and thanks are extended to Pel and Steve.

Paul, Ewen and Ken arrived at the Lancelin Caravan Park on Thursday night and after setting up camp on the road verge retired to the local hotel – a mere 10 minute walk according to the caravan park owner – this guy had no idea of distance or time and after a 40 minute walk our thirsts were raging! Coopers on tap was the order of the night! After a few pints and a reasonable meal we walked back to the camp at around 2200 hours and hit the sack.

Up at 0530 the next morning (Friday) the 3 of us showered and waited for the others to arrive. The initial idea from John was to complete the car shuffle and be on the water at 1000 but this stretched out to 1120 and by then a serious wind was up and blowing hard from the southwest. John delivered his briefing in a clear and succinct manner, issued each paddler with a map and safety kit and then Dave outlined the Club’s “Shark Sighting Policy”. A few comments such as ‘slowest paddler gets eaten’ and ‘if you see a shark every man for himself’ rang out across the group!

We set off at a leisurely pace heading to Wedge Island, a distance of 26km. The following sea was impressive and most of us spent the hours ‘broaching’ and trying to keep in a straight line. The wind really picked up after the first break on a nice beach adjacent to Narrow Neck Reef. KB decided to use his sail and after breaking through a small surf break we were off towards Wedge Island. The seas were very rough and with the wind made paddling as a ‘group’ quite difficult. We persevered and pulled into a very nice campsite selected by Pel and Steve. The campsite was 3km short of Wedge but as it looked so inviting and was well protected the choice was a good one! We made camp at 1600 hours and shortly after getting the tents up and the boats stowed Steve and Pel had a great BBQ going and we had cheese and bickies and a quiet drink.  Most paddlers went to their tents around 2100 with the call to be on the water at 0800 the next day.

Paul and Rado ready to launch at Wedge. Photo Pel Turner.

We woke to a nice offshore breeze and paddled the 3km to Wedge Island and surfed some nice little waves over the bank at Wedge and into a beautiful bay. We had a few stops while the offshore breeze was blowing and enjoyed the calm water and the inshore reefs until about 1000 when the wind started to change and by 1100 had picked up to a 20-25 knot southwester.

The paddlers were amazed at the “Mad Max” type efforts by 4 wheel drivers, motorbikes and even a 2WD Commodore and Falcon (both most likely were stolen) doing over 100kph along the beach with the Ranger chasing them with his yellow light flashing with no hope of catching them. It was like another world watching these idiots using the beach in this way!

As we got closer to Hangover Reef Steve decided to find a landing spot for lunch. The group, who at this stage were tending to go outside the breaking waves made a decision to go through a small section of lumpy but non-breaking swells to get access to the beach. Ewen and Ken were not keen on going inside and suggested the group go outside and around the reef and then into the site. John decided that the group would go inside and so the first 4 paddlers set off in single file watching the incoming waves and after a bit of manoeuvring they all made ‘safe ground’.

Ewen and Ken started coming in on the same line when suddenly the gap in the non-breaking wave section closed out and Ken had to surf off the first wave and then Ewen and he had to paddle like maniacs to get over another monster that was foaming at the top – they got over that one and realized they were in the middle of the ‘kill zone’ because another monster was starting to peak and threaten to break on their heads. Ken was screaming and Ewen was just saying ‘paddle harder’. They got over the 4th and final monster and into manageable water and then skirted around the outside of the reef whilst keeping an eye on the inside paddlers. After a few kilometres we met up and exchanged our horror stories with embellishments. The learning point here is that conditions can change in an instant and all paddlers have to be prepared to make life saving changes very quickly.

After this epic we continued paddling towards the Grey Shacks. Putting the tents up just north of Grey was very hard and most people needed assistance – the wind was so strong that we and the boats were covered in sand. We settled around Steve’s 4 Wheel Drive but even the car offered little protection from the sand and the wind. We eventually found a ‘wind-free’ zone where we started cooking the evening meal.

We awoke on the Sunday morning to a wind that was still quite strong but coming from the south so at 0810 we headed to Cervantes and stayed inside the reef system for the first hour and a half. A few seals, a school of mulloway and a small reef shark were the highlights of the morning. We landed for morning tea and caught up with Steve once again. The wind had died off a little but was still 12-15 knots with a following sea. Ken was spinning a lure and managed to catch a nice bull herring but missed two big hook ups on serious fish. The group paddled in an arrow head formation and kept together well on this day as we headed towards Cervantes. We arrived at Cervantes and Steve was waiting on the beach with a brew going – nothing is too much trouble for Steve!

• Great camaraderie amongst the group
• Rado locking his keys in the Saab at the start of the trip
• Rado calling the RAC and arriving late for lunch at the Cervantes pub
• Steve and Pel’s unselfish support work – thanks guys you did a magnificent job and made the paddle an enjoyable and easy one
• Ewen’s cooking and in particular the Fresh Rice Noodles and Vegetable and Sausage Curry
• Dave’s initiation of his new Greenlander “T” complete with a couple of nice rolls
• Paul’s fast paddling in his Arctic Raider which is impossibly fast both downwind and on the waves
• Ken and Ewen riding out some serious ‘monster waves’ in the ‘Killing Zone’
• Rob telling some memorable stories that cannot be repeated in print but were enjoyed by all!

After packing up the gear and getting organised we all retired to the Tavern for a well earned lunch and some great story telling about this memorable trip.

By Mark Alderson

Crossing to Boullanger Island – photo Neesha Copley.

Saturday dawned overcast and cool for the first time in about a month as I ate a little breakfast, barrelled into the car and turned towards Jurien at 5.30am. As I drove through the rain I wondered how this might influence the trip, but needn’t have worried as it turned out.

After arriving at Jurien harbour and driving around the car park for five minutes I found the group of paddlers eventually. I was greeted by a much larger group than I had originally thought with 13 paddlers present on the beach loading gear and exchanging banter at the start of the trip.

Steve (head honcho – trip leader) briefed us on the day ahead and we nosed our way out of the Jurien marina at about 9.  Before rounding the breakwater we bunched up for a final word and it was during this discussion that Jo was squeezed up against the rocks and had a little swim, which she was not too pleased about – at least it would have woken her up for the start of the day.

Having resolved this little deviation we rounded the harbour wall and headed southwest towards Boullanger Island – a crossing of about 5km. This was straight into the fresh Southwester that was blowing and before too long we were all woken up with salt spray as the boats dived in and out of the oncoming waves.  The sight from the marina is a very inviting one for sea kayakers with a number of islands visible on the horizon as possible landing points.

The crossing itself was pretty hard going straight into the breeze. It was here that I commented on one of the design faults of my homemade boat. The front hatch is recessed too deeply into the deck causing any water washing over it to be funnelled up over the deck lines into the face of the occupant. Next boat things will be different.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]

Boullanger Island – photo Judy Blight.

Ben with sea lions at Essex Rocks – photo Neesha Copley.

Essex Rocks – photo Neesha Copley.

Jo with sea lions at Essex Rocks – photo Neesha Copley.

Sea lions at Essex Rocks – photo Neesha Copley.

Essex Rocks – photo Neesha Copley.

Paddling back to the coast here was pretty hard going too as the waves were completely sideways. Some without rudders found it hard work as did some with, and I was glad I had one during this crossing. Here we were also treated to a glimpse of that most mythic of creatures, the flying fish, all silver-blue as it jumped from a wave and then flew in an arc in front of us.

We landed mid-afternoon at Booka camp and then poked around for a tent site. Jackie, Paul and Ian headed home at this point, only staying with us for the day. After setting up we convened under the shady trees for coffee and philosophy. We were treated to some interesting points of view from Rob, Ben, and Steve and thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon.

This soon turned into a dinner, with Les’s curried condensed milk sauce being an eye opener to all. Sunset was marvellous and I headed off to bed early – having had a late night packing. Sleep was a little interrupted by the duff duff music of some 4WD’s that were close by fishing – why they would need the music in such a great spot is still a mystery.

Next day I was up at 6 for a spot of fishing and a lot of the other paddlers were stirring also. I did manage to get some breakfast and joined a few others on the beach to do a little cooking. At about 8 most were ready to be off, so with a bit of hurried packing I was there by the official start time of 8.30. Rob was also ready by 8.30 according to his watch… apparently not the best of morning persons.

Wolfgang decided to head back to Jurien at this point as we were likely to have some stern quartering winds that he was not keen on. The group headed to Boullanger Island and had another look at this beautiful place. We then headed to Favourite Island about 5 or 6km away. The wind was behind us to the side at this stage and did make control more challenging. It was a hard slog to Favourite, picking our way through the reefs and breaking waves occasionally.

The wind was strengthening, and it was decided not to delay at the island. After a quick breather we travelled to North Head with the wind directly behind us and some great surfing was had on the way.

The landing spot at North Head was hairy looking initially as we were confronted by a large reef break barring the beach. After a bit of poking around from Les we found a tame landing site in the end and were off the water by 2. From the height of the headland the breaking waves did not seem anywhere near as foreboding as they had on the water. A pleasant afternoon was spent exploring, swimming and having coffee. A great afternoon tea was organised – the feature of which was Steve’s liquid brie. Evening meals were compared once more – amazing to see differing approaches to my quick food solutions there.

The winds were forecast to pick up the next day so we had the aim of starting at 7. Steve kindly came to wake us all at about 5.40am next morning, which was a bit scary. In the half-light we packed the boats and managed to be on the water at about 6.45. Initially the going was pretty hard, but once we were in the lee of the dunes from the southeaster the water calmed down.

We were back at the Marina at about 9.30 and after packing up we shared a quick brew before heading home. Most of the group headed to the caravan park café for a well-earned breakfast, which apparently went down very well.

The trip all in all was a great experience with a great mix of water conditions and some great scenery.  Thanks to Steve for organizing it all and to everyone for their company.

Two things learned: don’t forget your paddling gloves or the backs of the hands get fried; and bring a chair or get an aching back from sitting on the ground.

Sea lions at Essex Rocks – photo Neesha Copley.

Booka campsite – photo Neesha Copley.

Mark, Neesha and Kevin at North Head.

North Head campsite – photo Neesha Copley.

Story and photographs by Martin Burgoyne

With Thailand a distant memory, and only a few white water trips on the Collie to keep a hand in, the festive season was upon us. It looked like the end of white water paddling for another season.

But then the email came around: Flood warning on the Murchison!  The river was rising, and should be a ‘goer’ in around a week – so be ready to go at short notice!  Having missed out last year I didn’t want to miss out this time, there’s no knowing when it would be paddlable again. Those in the know pointed us to BOM’s Emu Springs river monitoring station, and the graphical display of the river’s state. Those with experience said we wanted a level of 1 – 2 metres, with the river falling. That way the trees, dead kangaroos, cows and other flood debris would be long gone!  It seems that at Moderate and Major flood levels, equal to 6 – 8 metres on the gauging station, the river while BIG is generally washed out and less technical. So while providing a good fast rollercoaster ride there isn’t much to ‘play’ on. With Emu Springs consulted daily it was clear that the river peaked on Boxing Day at just over 6 metres. The printout of the graph was then used to extend the falling line to try and judge when the river would be at its optimum 1 – 2 metre level.  We decided this would be just after New Year.  The call went out, and on New Year’s day ten kayakers headed for Kalbarri.  Our aim was to paddle the gorge the following two days, and then return home.

We met up at Ross Graham Lookout early the following morning and organized the long car shuttle to the half way point at Z Bend.  We had ten in the group, five river runners in ‘creek’ boats, and five play boaters.  Our river runners group was all Murchison virgins.  The play boaters had all done the river several times before and were eager for action. They set off while the car shuttle was being completed, with plans for us all to meet at the first big play wave.

The river is quite wide at the Ross Graham put in, and in places we were paddling through the tops of trees, with our paddles snagging on submerged trees, definitely not a place to go for a swim.  The water was a deep red brown color due to the amount of silt it was carrying.  This makes reading the ‘white’ water much more difficult, as the changes in color one expects with normal river water is lost in the more uniform red foam.

Never knowing what was around the bend we paddled with caution.  The term ‘dinosaur paddler’ comes into play on rivers like this.  You see a horizon line in front of you, obviously a drop, and so paddle slowly towards it extending your neck as much as you can to try and see what’s over the edge.  If you can’t see or don’t like what you see then it’s a quick sprint for the bank.  A true dinosaur paddler – ‘long neck and no brain’ just extends their neck and paddles straight over the lip!  Having paddled a few drops on sight and liking what we saw, we eventually caught up with the play boaters.  They were on the left bank inspecting a long wave train rapid – Serpents Tail, or more to the point, inspecting the potential of the big play waves in the middle, and the consequences of a swim if you got it wrong.  It all looked good and so we spent some time surfing the waves and running the big wave train down the middle.  As we river runners became bored we decided to leave the play boaters and headed off down. We were now on our own as none of us had paddled this river before.  We knew the take out was at Z bend on river left, and that there were a few rapids we might want to inspect on the way. But that was all the knowledge we had, so some critical decisions would be needed.  We ran quite a few big drops on sight, without the need to stop and inspect.  Our confidence was growing.  We came round one corner and there was a river wide horizon line, I paddled closer and closer, neck extended but still couldn’t see the bottom, or any spray or wave peaks that would indicate the features. So a quick signal to exit river left, and we all PLF’d to the bank for a closer Iook.

Everything funneled into a narrow shoot down the middle, with some big exploding waves at the bottom followed by a shallow gorge below.  The shoot was OK but the waves looked menacing, and the shallow gorge below had sheer rock walls that were sure to be undercut, so not the place for a swim.  Yvonne decided to walk.  Jason our kiwi extreme boater went first and made it look easy.  I followed and being conscious of the exploding waves at the bottom of the shoot went too far right and punched through into a micro eddy.  But there was no way I was going to break back into the main flow through the exploding waves, so I decided to exit and put back in at the eddy below.  But it gave me the chance to video Rob’s run.  He made it through the exploding waves only to be knocked over below, after a couple of attempts to roll he was swimming!  Fortunately he stayed down the middle avoiding the undercut walls of the shallow gorge.  Yvonne and Jason fished him out, and it was now my turn to get back into the main flow and join them below.  Getting into my boat in the surging eddy suggested that exiting would be far more difficult than the entry. Thankfully I managed to punch through the eddy line on the third attempt and ran the main flow to the rest of the team waiting below. This had been Sharks Tooth Rapid.

Shark’s Tooth rapid.

Together again we continued down the river, and through some of the classic sandstone gorges that the Murchison is famous for.   There were plenty of rapids to keep us entertained, but none of them had us sprinting to the bank for a closer look.  Glenn who had recently paddled some big volume water in Nepal only a few months before, was full of confidence and really enjoying the river and being out in front.

As the gorge narrowed and the walls closed in, another horizon line appeared.  Hmmm nothing was visible immediately below and there were no tell-tail signs of wave spikes to indicate a wave train.  It seemed to suggest a steep drop.  So I started to head for the bank for a look.  However Glenn didn’t follow me but kept paddling towards the horizon.  Over he went and disappeared.  It seemed an age before I caught a glimpse of him way over on the left, paddling hard.  He was OK but must have had an encounter with a stopper which had held him up.  Jason followed slightly more to the right of centre, and over the horizon he went.  I could just see the top of his helmet which momentarily stopped, and then he was his away.  I turned to Rob and Yvonne and yelled that there must be a stopper below the horizon and they needed to paddle hard.  Over I went and sure enough there was a big river wide stopper, but following Jason’s line I managed to find the break in the stopper and punched through easily.  As I turned to watch the others I was knocked over by a big breaking wave.  Thankfully I rolled up, only to be knocked over again.  But my roll was working, and I was up again and making for the slack water below where Glenn and Jason where waiting.  Rob and a wide eyed Yvonne joined us.  We exchanged stories, and agreed that perhaps we should have looked at it!  It turned out that this was Z bend rapid, and the playboat boys, who knew the river, had all got out above, and looked at it from the bank.  They decided that a walk was the safest route down.

Being on a high from our success we continued down river and turned the corner into the next gorge.  There was a whistle blast from Rob and Yvonne who were at the back, and as I tuned to see what the problem was I could see the Z bend look out high above the river behind them.  Bugger – we had gone too far, and unfortunately we had run one more rapid which meant we couldn’t paddle back.  Rob and Yvonne managed to get to the bank, while the three of us scoured the sheer sandstone walls for a possible get out.  There was one small ledge which we decided was the only option.  We got our boats onto the small ledge and then had a grade 11 rock climb up to the main half way ledge of the gorge.  Fortunately the rock was dry and once on the ledge I lowered my throw rope to bring up Glenn.  Jason stayed at the bottom and tied the kayaks on, while Glenn and I hauled them up to the safety of our ledge.

We left the kayaks on the ledge, climbed the easy gully and made our way back to the others.  We could see the playboat boys on the bank further up the gorge directly below the Z bend look out.  I tried to make a mental picture of the spot for next time, though I think Z bend rapid will be enough of a signal for future trips.  It was a steep and sweaty trek back to the cars, enough to make us decide a hotel bed a shower and a good meal was what we needed, rather than more mozzie infested camping.

Day two and we were back at the Z bend look out, but this time it was a shorter car shuttle to Natures Window, so we had a shorter wait for the drivers.  Another trek down into the gorge and after some more nifty rope work we had our kayaks back on the small ledge that we escaped to the day before. With everyone on the water we were ready to roll.   This time we paddled as a group. After the excitement of the first day we were getting used to the volume of the water and its chocolate brown color.  We ran everything on sight until another tell-tale horizon line grabbed our attention. The playboat boys said it was Killer Fang Falls.  A quick bank inspection showed us the line between the fangs, with some nasty consequences if you went too far right at the bottom.  But we all made it down safely.  More tight gorges, a pleasant lunch stop, but no major rapids to slow progress.  There were a few play waves that provided entertainment, and one excellent wave train that provide some steep surf waves with friendly eddies to enable you to paddle back upstream and try them again. The playboat boys were in heaven!

Mindful that we still had the notorious walk out to Natures Window and the car park, with heavy creek boats on our shoulders, our select team pressed on.  The gorge started to open out and high up on river left we could eventually see Natures Window.  Hmm – this was going to hurt!   First we had calf deep mud, then a couple of centimetres of greasy oozing mud, and then the steep ledged rock slope up to the window.  Time for congratulations and a photo call.  By the time we were ready for the one, or was it a two kilometre walk to the car park, the playboat boys had joined us.  Being young and fit and with play boats weighing around 10 kilos less than ours they disappeared up the track.  The final carry up the steps to the car park was too much; I dropped the boat a sat on it gasping.  But a passing tourist took pity grabbed the end of my boat and helped me to the top.  Job done![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]

Watch out for trees.

Kayak hauling.

The Creek Boaters.

 The Gorge.

No-name rapid.

Looking back to Z Bend.

Get out of that!

Lunch stop, day 2.

Surfer’s heaven.

Martin on the last surf wave.