Days 60 & 61 – Chilly Mornings – Moorook to Waikerie

Sorry this post is a few day late.

Day 60 – Moorook to Somewhere

From: Near Moorook
To: Somewhere in the Bush
Distance: 32km
Time in Boat: 5.5hrs
Total Distance Travelled: 1968km
Distance to Go: 422km

I woke up to a gorgeous morning. It was about 1 degree and there was a pretty mist floating on the glassy water. My shoulders felt a lot better after a good night sleep and a good dose of anti-inflammatories.

Over the next 2 days I have 70km to cover until I get to Waikerie, so my plan for today was to paddle at least 30km and then find somewhere nice to camp. I didn’t really want to push my shoulders and there was no point in getting to Waikerie tomorrow too early because I wouldn’t be able to check into my cabin.

The paddling was very easy today because there was no wind and I reached Lock 3 after a couple of hours paddling.

As planned, after 30km I started looking for a campsite and I soon found one in a quiet spot. It was only 1pm, so I was able to have a very relaxing afternoon on the bank, watching the birds and reading my book.

Once again I was treated to a lovely sunset.

Day 61 – Somewhere to Waikerie

From: Near Moorook
To: Somewhere in the Bush
Distance: 38km
Time in Boat: 6hrs
Total Distance Travelled: 2000km
Distance to Go: 482km

This morning I was on the water just on sunrise. It was pretty cold again (0 degrees) and for the first time (this year) I had to put on the neoprene paddle gloves to keep my hands warm.

About 10 minutes after leaving camp I camp across some more spectacular cliffs called Telegraph Cliffs. The rising sun was shining on them making it perfect for photos and videos. I am glad I had not paddled past them yesterday because the lighting would have been nowhere as good.

The weather today was absolutely perfect. Sunny, but not too hot, and no wind at all. I cruised my way down to the river and arrived in Waikerie just after lunch.

The big milestone was as I paddled into Waikerie I reached the 2000km mark. That is 2000km travelled since leaving the top of Mount Kosciuszko almost exactly a year ago. So that is a pretty big milestone.

The kind folks at the caravan park allowed me to check in to my cabin early, so I was able to have a shower and head into town to get a late lunch at the bakery.

I have a rest day in Waikerie tomorrow and then I will start the penultimate leg of the trip, down to Murray Bridge. There is only about 10 more paddle days left of this adventure. It is starting to feel like it is coming to an end.