Tumut, an easy six hour drive over mostly dual highways, has a very scenic river, with a fast water flow. From Sunday 15th November to Thursday 19th November, the flow was at least 268 million litres an hour, thanks to the release of water from Blowering Dam, being sold to the irrigators amongst the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area.
We give thanks to Max Tunbridge for thinking up a way to spend a few days living next to a river. Our group had a core of kayakers from the Tuesday Kayak group, along with their family members, friends, and a couple of dogs. We camped at the Riverglade Caravan Park on the edge of the Tumut river for around four to five days to enjoy kayaking down the river.
Max with his ten foot tinnie was the support boat. He had his helpers.
The river races from one sweeping bend to the other, pushing tons of water through the corners into swirling eddies, small whirlpools and a relentless fast flowing surge over logs and menacing snags. Willow fronds hang dangerously into the fast moving waters, trailing to catch the unwary. While kayakers were staring at the hypnotic flow, spouses were phoning insurance agents to up the life insurance on the loved one, in preparation of a big windfall.
We all got better at it. There was a long run and a short run. The long run lasted about an hour and a half, winding over the flood plain. The river swept the kayak along, paddling kept the boat pointing downstream, avoiding the swirl around snags and away from the willow branches, blackberry bushes and long-faced cows, peering through curled eyelashes, cooling their legs in the water. You could paddle hard and travel fast or not paddle and travel fast. The long run had an exciting finish with two fast bends followed by digging deep and fast with the paddle to avoid entrapment by bridge pylons and more manic paddling to shoot into a billabong's small haven. The short run was about 25 minutes, entry was from the still of the billabong and a quick acceleration onto the river's conveyer belt. This part of the river has a couple of nice fast straights, some wide curving bends, two bridges with pylons and rapid bends. The finish to the ride was desperate. The river flow, quickened by two slight bends, tore past the landing area. Furious paddling into a back eddy delivered the kayak onto some gentle shore at the caravan park. If you missed the landing, Gundagai was the next stop.
We had a good time, most got too much heat, we had sundown drinks on the riverbank and bbq’d our tea. A few did the tourist drive and looked at Blowering Dam. Two took a dog and visited the Broom Factory. Two men made brooms in a small factory where four hundred brooms were made in a day when people brought millet straw brooms. They were patiently friendly. The Old Butter Factory had no butter, but did have a stuffed dingo and a stuffed black boar. You could get a T-shirt with “Eats Roots and Leaves” on the front.
Team
Kayak
Shirley and Trevor; Lyn and Ken; June and Peter; Cathy and Domino; Ann, Darcy
& Pearl (the dog); Margaret; Lee and Brenton; Diane and Kevin; Jan and Max;
Jenny