Coorong Kayak Trip

The first trial for this trip failed due to constant rains, there were about 13 people interested and for the second trial just three of us were still interested.

During the week the rainy conditions were persistent so we as well had our doubts whether if the trip was going to be worth/possible, and we considered the idea to go just for one day, we packed anyways and let the decision for later in the day.

We meet at the boat shed in West Beach at 9:45 am, the girls had the trailer loaded already and were just waiting for me as I showed a bit late. We head off to Goolwa where we did a pit stop to the toilet before leaving civilization, then we parked the car and the trailer at the edge of Hindmarsh Island next to Mundoo Channel. The weather seemed fantastic! It was sunny but breeze, so we decided that was the best time and the best spot to have lunch. Then we had to make the decision on what to get inside the drysacks as we did not have all the space that we would like to, another evidence that we humans have unlimited wants.

We departed from Mundoo Channel at about 12:30 pm and we paddled without too much effort as the wind was blowing in the same direction we were going. In our way we could see the yellow buoys that marked the forbbiden path to the Murray Mouth, we continued to the Coorong National Park and then to shore in were I think it was Mundoo Island, I was a bit disoriented trying to control the radar and the direction of my canoe. We secured the canoes and walked along a bridge that was above a damp, beautiful nature and beautiful weather around there. Then we decided that it was a good idea to get back and do the tents before the sunset, so we came back to the Coorong National Park in a bit in a hurry. Once there we made the tents and I went to pay the camp fee while the girls were cooking a delicious improviso meal, as we were not sure if we were going to camp until we were there. So food that was meant for two, was served in three big plates! The night was clear and we could see a beautiful full moon while Jane was showing us the southern cross and the constellation of Scorpio. A good tip for the next adventurers is to bring a mosquito repellent and cover as much of your body as possible, as the mosquitoes where viciously sucking our blood while we were enjoying the night. Damn little things!

We had a good night sleep, but in the morning the panorama was not promising, it was cold, rainy and windy. After having breakfast we packed the tents and jumped into the kayaks, the water was very tough and the direction was very difficult to control, that much that Jessica and I were about to accidentaly enter the forbidden area for Jane’s dismay! The good thing is that Jane was able to reach us and showed us the right direction. The paddling was very difficult: The wind and the waves were against us and kept pushing us away from our destination. After a couple of forced stops, we managed to reach shore in Mundoo Channel were the car and trailer were parked. It was a very challenging situation but the part of the trip that I enjoyed the most! We loaded the trailer and head off to a well deserved reward at the Goolwa bakery. Our trip finished in the boat shed at West Beach after cleaning and storing all the equipment with our faces full of sea salt, sunscreen and mosquito bites.

Participants: Jane, Jessica and Bernie.