I have been waiting a while to do this trip and finaly had a good excuse to get it done and finish testing some gear as well.
930am on Sunday found my mate and I at the junction of Canoe Creek and the Colo River inflating our LiLos.
After blowing up our rubberised cotton watercrafts we were off. We both had our gear in drybags which were either our back or neck support while paddling with mini telescopic paddles. The river was a very good temperature and it was a pleasant day with temps in the high 20s.
Shooting the rapids on was great fun but nearly impossible to stay the LiLo especially while going around corners. It’s was pretty much guaranteed that me, my lilo and my dry bag were all be going different directions by the time we were mid way through the rapids. Most times we then had to back track up the rapids to dislodge our dry bag or lilo that had got hung up on something.
We set up camp of the alluvial field of sand and wash at the junction of Main creek and the Colo. As dark was descending I got my canvas tarp up and got our gear under cover when an awesome lightning and thunder storm came down the gorge and drenched everything.Everything was wet already from the river anyhow.
The next morning Huey had cheered up and it was a beautiful sun rise over the walls of the gorge.
While fetching water, My mate motioned for me to come over and check something out. I had spotted an eel the night before swimming along the creek. This time it was a Platypus! My first sighting in the wild.
930 am again saw the flotilla afloat once more. The river was continued in the same pattern as yesterday with flat pools, narrow sections with some current and sets of rapids all flowing through the incredible sandstone gorge! The scenery was amazing. At 130pm we parked our lilos on a sand bank across from the junction of the Wollangambe river. Our dry bags despite looking like they were well built had not survived some of the rough and tumble of the rapids and punctured in a few places. We stayed for half an hour and dried out some of our gear. After a few minuted back in the water it was wet though again. Somehow my camera survived.
After the junction of the Wollangabe River the flow was noticeably increased. This, of course, led to the rapids flowing with more power. We shot a few and then a one really had its way with us and we portaged around the rest after that as they we very aggressive and we were fatiguing.
At 8pm. We floated to the bottom of Bob Turners track. 10.5 hours of paddling had flown past with the fun and scenery. It was now a heavy pack hauling operation. My drybag does not have shoulder straps. I attempted to fashions some with my rope but it was terribly uncomfortable. Then I attempted the classic tump line pack but this to was terrible and I ended up with the bag around my shoulders and neck stooped forward to even the balance.
It was then a tired journey back to Sydney.
