Day 8 – Bringenbrong Bridge to Clarke Lagoon

From: Bringenbrong Bridge
To: Clarke Lagoon Wildlife Reserve (Tintaldra)
Distance: 49km
Distance to Go: 2369km

Today was this start of the main paddle. This morning was a very cold foggy and frost morning. It was about -2 degrees when we got up and by the time we had got down to Bringenbrong Bridge (near Khancoban) at about 8.30am, it had only got up to 0 degrees.

Kath, Carolyn, Mum and Dad came down to the river to see me off. After a little bit of stuffing around, trying to put all the gear in the right spot in the boat, it was time to say goodbye to the family and begin the big adventure.

The fog had started to breakup just as I hit the water and I was treated to a beautiful (yet cold) sunny morning. It was the perfect start, being surrounded by mist on the hills and the snow up on the higher peaks.

Soon after leaving Bringenbrong I spotted my first platypus. It only poked its head up briefly so I was unable to get a photo of it.

The water was flowing very quickly, which made for a very cruisy day. I was averaging about 10kmh when gently paddling and drift speed was anywhere between 5-7kmh. This meant that I was able to get to my planned campsite (Clarke Lagoon Nature Reserve) by about 3pm.

So far, all the gear is working really well. I think I have packed the right amount of gear and food. My kayak, the Mirage 582, is performing so well. It is an absolute pleasure to paddle and seems to glide better when it is fully loaded.

I am writing this sitting by the river in the dark and it is starting to get a bit cool. I think it is time to retire to the tent and prepare for an early night and a cold morning.