So this will probably be the last post for a while. I just got home to Sydney, after 2 days of driving (via Mum and Dad’s place in Binalong), and I am now joining the rest of Sydney in lockdown (which just got extended for another week).

It is really nice to be home with the family and the dog. It might take me a few days to get used to having people around all the time and learning how to cope with normality again, but I am sure it will come back to me pretty quickly.

I did just step on the scales to see how much weight I lost. Over the last 2 months I have lost 7kg, which is about 8% of my body weight. It will be interesting to see how long it takes to put that back on… but for now I will need to get used to my pants feeling like the are going to fall down.

Then there is the question everyone is asking about whether I am keeping the beard… I am not sure yet. I might do a bit of a trim tomorrow and see how it feels. Since all the barbers are closed at the moment, I might need to give myself the old Covid haircut again with the clippers because I have got a bit boofy on top as well.

So lots of people have been asking me how I am feeling since having had to stop the paddle. If you haven’t watched my video (see previous post) I explain it all in there. However, having had a couple of extra days to reflect on it all, I am feeling good about it. Now that the decision has been made (for me) and I no longer have the uncertainty of “will they or won’t they” let me in to South Australia, I am feeling a lot happier. I know realise that the stress of it all was starting to weigh on me, so it is nice to get that monkey off my back.

So what now? Well tomorrow I am getting my first vaccination jab. That was always going to be priority number one on returning. It will then take me a few days to unpack and clean all the gear. I am then going to spend the next couple of months working on some of the ballooning projects I have been working on and exploring a few new ideas that I have had while being on the Murray.

But I’ll tell you what… I am also really looking forward to going for a paddle again. I thought I would want a break from it, but I think having had a few days of not paddling, my body is starting to crave it. I am also looking forward to paddling a lighter boat without any gear in it again. I might even go for. a bike ride sometime too and see what it is like riding on the relative flat and not be pushing it up hills.

So at this stage I think I will realistically be restarting the Summit to Sea trip in mid-October. I have a few things on between now and then (e.g. the National ballooning championships and a driving holiday in WA). Plus from all reports September is a terrible month to paddle the SA section of the Murray because it gets really windy.

I will keep you all posted on when it looks like things will start happening again, but in the meantime I just wanted to thank everyone for all the support that you have been giving me through this blog, Facebook and YouTube.

In the meantime, you can follow my regular blog at https://robbo.blog/

See you back on the water soon!

This post is for 3 days because I had poor mobile service and my laptop ran out of power (and posting on the phone is way too painful).

Day 44 – Remote to Nangiloc

From: Somewhere in the bush
To: Somewhere near Nangiloc
Distance: 35km
Total Distance Travelled: 1519km
Distance to Go: 958km

This morning was a beautiful misty morning. While I had not planned to get on the water too early, the water looked so peaceful and glassy I decided to start paddling and was on the water by 8am.

Today was going to be another short day (only 30km) but there was a general store (Nangiloc) about 20km downstream, so that was my planned lunch spot. The shop was about a 1.5km walk from the river, so I stashed my boat at the bottom of a step cliff where I knew no one would find it, let alone want to go down to it. I then hiked along the highway, past all the orange plantations, and made my way to the general store.

At the store, I was so excited about buying treats and a roast beef roll for lunch, that I completely forgot to get a coffee (which I had been craving for hours).

After a leisurely lunch in the garden outside the store, I walked back to my kayak and paddled the remaining 10km to my planned campsite. It is another lovely beach on the edge of a river red gum forest… yes another one.

It is school holidays now, so there are a lot more caravans and families along the river. I had a nice chat to a little kid (and his grandfather) all about the carp that he had caught yesterday. He was very proud. 

It was really warm today (around 18). When I got to the campsite I was sweating so I decided I would go for a swim. Before doing so, I got a fire raging because I knew I would need it to warm up afterwards. With the fire blaring, I ran into the river, submerged myself to the neck and promptly ran out again. It was bloody cold but refreshing.

Right now I am enjoying sitting by the fire, gazing up at the stars and thinking about getting into the warmth of my sleeping bag and reading my book.

Day 45 – Nangiloc to Bottle Bend

From: Near Nangiloc
To: Bottle Bend
Distance: 37km
Total Distance Travelled: 1556km
Distance to Go: 920km

Today was a day consisting of every type of weather.

I woke up to a very foggy morning. It looked like it was going to clear pretty quickly and my gut told me that it was going to also get windy. I didn’t have enough mobile service to check the weather but I decided to get on the water early so I could get some kilometres ticked off before the headwinds kicked in.

I was right, the fog cleared and the morning became sunny and then the wind picked up. It picked up more and more. I then got signal and could see on the radar that there was rain coming. Around lunch time it clouded over and the wind really kicked in. The waves started getting bigger and then it started raining. I had to push on to my planned campsite at Bottle Bend because all the potential campsites before then were very exposed and not good for this sort of weather. I ended up battling against the wind and rain for about 3 hours before making it to camp.

One of the things I did do today (before the wind kicked in) was to give the Renmark Police a call. Renmark is the first town I would be getting to in South Australia and I wanted to get their take on whether I would be able to get across the border (which is closed to people who have been in NSW). Typically what happens is that when you get to Lock 6, which is between the border and Renmark, who act as border control and call the police (from Renmark). So I figured I should get the Renmark Police’s advice on if I should proceed past Mildura (the point of no return) or not. The very nice cop (Simon) on the phone said that “if it was me, I think I would let you through and most of the cops would be the same” but “you might get that one cop that is a stickler for the rules and they might turn you back”. He then went and chatted to his superiors and came back and told me to fill out the Border Entry application form explaining my situation. So I did this and it got instantly rejected (probably because I am a NSW resident). So I have had to put in an appeal to see if they will consider my situation. Based on how things are going with NSW lockdown, I am not feeling very optimistic that I will either get approval or they will get back to me soon enough. So I have decided I will give it until Tuesday (I am getting to Mildura on Saturday) and if I haven’t got the thumbs up by then, I will have to put the paddle on hold until later in the year and head back to Sydney.

When I arrived at the campsite (around 4pm) the rain stopped and the wind dropped. There was even a nice sunset. However it was still really cold, I was damp and there was no firewood to start a fire, so I quickly had dinner and then got into my sleeping bag for an early night. Unfortunately I was woken just after midnight by some annoying campers that arrived at the campsite and proceeded to set up camp in the noisiest possible way.

Day 46 – Bottle Bend to Mildura

From: Bottle Bend
To: Midura
Distance: 31km
Total Distance Travelled: 1587km
Distance to Go: 887km

I woke up early after a very disturbed sleep (thanks to the noisy campers). I was craving a coffee and I knew I had run out coffee bags, so I decided to get onto the river early and get down to Mildura as quickly as I could. I ended up on the water just before sunrise.

After about 30 minutes of paddling, my fingertips (in the neoprene gloves) were freezing. I looked at the weather on my phone and it said it was 1 degree (feels like -2). I felt cold, but I hadn’t realised it was that cold. I think I have acclimatised to the cold weather, but my finger tips have not.

Paddling into Mildura (despite the headwind) was lovely. I have spent a lot of time in Mildura over the years, so it was nice reminiscing as I passed places like Red Cliffs and Trentham Estate.

I got into Mildura at around 12.30pm and trollied (apparently that isn’t a word) the kayak up to the motel that I am staying in for the next few days. I was too early to check in so I left the kayak in the carpark and headed into town for a massive burger. I then spent the afternoon doing some shopping and picking up our car that Kath had left at a friends place.

Tonight I was able to catch up with some fellow Murray River kayakers for dinner. There was Amy, who I have mentioned in my blog previously (check out her YouTube channel – Amy Outdoors), who got to Mildura yesterday. Amy is a South Australian resident, she is able to continue paddling towards the border tomorrow. There was also Anitra and her husband Rhys and their gorgeous puppy Sammy. Anitra has been paddling with Amy for the last couple of weeks. She had previously done the entire Murray River except for the Robinvale to Mildura leg, so she joined Amy for that leg of the paddle.

It was really nice to catch up with people who are also going through the same journey (in their own way). It was very enjoyable to be able to compare stories about all the strange experiences we have had on the river.

Tomorrow I am driving back to my previous campsite to see if I can get my drone. I am hoping it has fallen down with all the wind from yesterday, otherwise I might have to try some creative ways to retrieve it. I will then hang out in Mildura waiting to see if the SA Police decide to give me the thumbs up or not to proceed. Finger crossed.

Day 42 – Somewhere to Somewhere

From: Somewhere in the bush
To: Somewhere on a beach
Distance: 40km
Total Distance Travelled: 1452km
Distance to Go: 1037km

Not really much to report about today’s paddle. It was long and slow. I honestly don’t remember much of it because I was in the zone of listening to an audiobook.

The river is definitely wider and the bends have got longer.

I got to my planned campsite at around 3pm. It is a huge beach and there was a nice pile of firewood already stacked up and ready to burn. Perfect.

The next 4 days down to Mildura are all between 31km and 37km. This means I will be able to take my time and start enjoying the paddle a bit more. Not that I am not enjoying it, but the last 2 days have felt a bit like a commute rather than an enjoyable paddle.

Day 43 – Somewhere Else to Another Place

From: Somewhere on a beach
To: Somewhere on a beach
Distance: 32km
Total Distance Travelled: 1484km
Distance to Go: 994km

This morning I had had a bit of an oops occur. It looked like I was going to be treated to a nice sunrise, so I got the drone out and sent it up to get some video and photos. As I was flying it back to the beach, I came a bit low over the trees and next thing I knew it had hit a tree and it was stuck in it. Based on the image on the screen and the GPS location of the drone, I was able to locate it but it was (is) stuck on a branch at the top of a big river red gum. There was no way I was going to be able to retrieve it today, so when I get to Mildura I am going to get some fishing line and some rope and drive back (because the car is in Mildura) and see if I can get it down. I don’t like my chances, but I can give it a go. With any luck it may fall down with the wind before then, which will damage it pretty badly but it may be fixable. It is insured, so I am covered, and also I have my back up drone (yes I have 2 for this very reason) in the car in Mildura.

By the time I had flaffed around finding the drone, I did not get onto the water until 9.45am. This was the latest start I have had all trip. I only had 32km to paddle so I was not too worried leaving late.

In fact, all the flaffing around and leaving late made me realise something today. For the last few weeks (actually most of the trip) I have always been keen to get on the water early and paddle as far as I can, then get to camp, have dinner and go to bed. It became a routine based around getting down the river. Today I cruised down the river, got to camp early in the afternoon and enjoyed drinking tea and reading my book by the river. Today was the first day where I really enjoyed just being on the river and not trying to get somewhere.

The campsite I found was another nice beach. There is a couple of families in caravans at the far end of the beach. They are far enough away that they are not bothering me. Although they are currently watching a very loud movie (sounds like Jurassic Park) but the kids seem pretty young, so I assume they will go to bed soon.

Tomorrow is going to be another shortish day (about 32km). I do paddle near Nangiloc, which has a general store, so to break up the paddle I might go for a walk (about 1km each way) to the store and get some lunch.

From: Robinvale
To: Somewhere in the bush
Distance: 44km
Total Distance Travelled: 1412km
Distance to Go: 1077km

Today was the beginning of the next leg of the paddle, from Robinvale to Mildura.

There isn’t any towns or caravan parks between Robinvale and Mildura, so I will be camping remotely on various bends in the river for the next 5 nights. As a result I am not sure how much blogging I will get done this week. I am going to be fairly remote and I am unsure how the 4G will be or how long my laptop battery will last.

Anyway, I had a nice rest day in Robinvale in my strange little cabin (box) in the caravan park. I hope I don’t offend anyone by saying this, but Robinvale is a town I don’t really need to go back to. There really is nothing to do (especially on a Sunday) and there really isn’t any shops of interest other than the IGA supermarket. In fact, on Sunday morning I walked into town to get myself a coffee from somewhere and there was nowhere… not a cafe, bakery or anything open. The only things open were the three (yes three) Asian supermarkets and the IGA. Not even the petrol station sold coffee. So I had to settle for an ice coffee Big M from the supermarket.

So this morning I headed down to the boat ramp near the caravan park and was on the water by 7.30am. The highlight of the day was 6km downstream, where I had to go through the first lock (Lock 15) of the trip. I rang the lock master yesterday and he told me to just give them a call when I was 15 mins away and they would open the gate for me. So I did and sure enough, when I got there, he was waiting for me with the gates to the lock open. The lock was a lot bigger than I expected, however they do have to fit paddle steamers in them, so it makes sense they are so large. Once I was in, they shut the upstream gate and started letting the water out. This lock takes about 10 minutes to drain and drops about 4 metres. Once the water has all drained, they opened the the downstream gates and waved me goodbye.

After the exciting lock experience, it then started to drizzle. It wasn’t forecasted but pretty much lasted for the entire paddle. So I put on my Gortex jacket, pull on the hood and plugged into my audio book.

Today the red cliffs started to appear. The area around Mildura (Mallee country) is famous for its large red cliffs along the river, so it was great to see them finally. Having spent the last many weeks looking at the same old mud banks with river red gums on them, it was nice to have a change of scenery.

Around 2pm I found my planned campsite and quickly set up the tarp so I could stash my gear under it. After about an hour, during which time I collected firewood, the rain cleared and the sun came out and treated me to a nice sunny(ish) afternoon sitting by the fire.

Tomorrow I am planning to paddle another 41km to another random bend in the river.

Day 38 – Boundary Bend to Somewhere

From: Boundary Bend
To: Somewhere
Distance: 47km
Total Distance Travelled: 1328km
Distance to Go: 1180km

This will probably be the shortest blog post yet because not a huge amount happened today. It was just a day of paddling.

Before going to bed last night, I got everything I could packed in the boat, ready to wheel down to the river this morning. I knew I had a long day of paddling ahead of me, with forecasted headwinds, so I wanted to get onto the water right on sunrise.

I got up at around 6am and headed into the petrol station to get some breakfast. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I was able to get bacon and eggs. Just what I needed to start the day. After my lovely feed, I wheeled everything down to the boat ramp (about a 200m walk) and packed the gear into the boat. I was on the water just before sunrise (at about 7.30am).

The paddle was very uneventful, just slow. Since the Murrumbidgee joined the Murray (yesterday) the river has changed. Today it was a lot wider and a lot straighter. There were long stretches of 2-4km where the were no bends, which is very different from upstream.

At around 4pm, I paddled the 45km that I had planned to do today and a couple of kilometres later I found a nice beach on a bend in the river, with a well sheltered campsite.

The one crappy thing that has happened is that Sydney has gone into lockdown this time. This means that Kath cannot leave the Sydney area. She was meant to be coming down to Mildura next week to spend a few days with me. So she won’t be able to do that. My parents, who also were going to come down, are still able to come because they live in regional NSW. So the current plan, assuming that lockdown eases in time, is that Kath will meet me in Renmark (South Australia) a week later. I swear that the off-river logistics are a lot more complicated that the on-river logistics.

Anyway, tomorrow is going to be a similar day to today. It is about 42km to Robinvale, where I have a cabin booked for 2 nights.

Day 39 – Somewhere to Robinvale

From: Somewhere
To: Robinvale
Distance: 41km
Total Distance Travelled: 1369km
Distance to Go: 1118km

Today was probably the most uneventful day of the paddle.

I decided to start really early to give myself plenty of time this afternoon at Robinvale to do my washing and to get some food. So I packed up the camp and was on the water at 6.50am (about 40mins before sunset). It was lovely paddling as the sun came up… well it was a very grey day so it didn’t really come up.

I put on my audio book and pretty much just paddled non-stop for 6 hours straight.

I reached Robinvale Caravan Park at around 1.30pm and checked in to my “cabin”. The cabin, which was the last one left, seems to be more of a converted construction site office. Despite being like a box in the back carpark and only having a couple of small windows, it is fine. It has a heater, a bed, a fridge a bathroom and a couch. It will serve the purpose for the next 2 nights and is more comfortable than a tent.

So the laundry is now done (well it is drying in my box/cabin) and I have been to the supermarket (and bottle shop) to stock up with some supplies to satisfy this week’s cravings. Now it is time to edit my video and get all the socials updated.

On Monday (2 days from now) I start the paddle down to Mildura, which is about 250km. Tomorrow I need to do some work on my itinerary for the next few weeks, as I have realised some of the distances I had planned to do each day are a bit ambitious, so I need to add a few extra days to make it more realistic.

From: Piambie
To: Boundary Bend
Distance: 41km
Total Distance Travelled: 1281km
Distance to Go: 1227km

Today was a tough day of paddling but there were a couple of big highlights.

Even though the skies cleared up last night before I went to bed, at around midnight it started to rain again. It only lasted a few hours, but it definitely helped soften all the mud a bit more. This morning I had to take my time to load the gear into the boat, because everything was very slippery. It normally takes me about 15 minutes to put the gear into the boat, but today it took nearly an hour. I had to do everything in slow motion so that I didn’t slip or misstep into the mud. Only once did I accidentally start sliding down the piece of carpet leading down to the water. Once I started to slide I knew there was no stopping it, so I unfortunately ended up in the river up to my shins.

Once I was on the water, the wind started to pick up. They were predicting strong North Westerly winds, which was pretty much the direction I was headed. So today was indeed strong headwinds that lasted all day. I would much rather rain than headwinds because they are just exhausting to paddle against and require more concentration. The trick today was to paddle close to the high banks to get a bit of shelter, which was mildly effective but increased the distance I had to paddle a fair bit.

So to the highlights.

The first highlight was that I hit the half way mark. Half way from the top of Mt. Kosciuszko to the sea. My GPS read 1526km at the same time as I reached the point where the 1526km river marker was meant to be. Like most of them, the marker was missing but it was a nice milestone all the same.

The second highlight was about 8km downstream. The Murrumbidgee River! My favourite river in the whole World joined the Murray. The Murrumbidgee is the second longest river in Australia (1485km) and starts up in the high country near Canberra and ends at the Murray River. I have done many trips on the Murrumbidgee and you can see lots of videos on my YouTube channel Q or read about it on my other blog. It was nice seeing the Bidgee today… a bit like seeing an old friend.

However, much to my disappointment, my old friend the Bidgee let me down. After passing the Murrumbidgee, the river got wider and a little slower. Also when the river gets wider you are more exposed and the wind increases and the chop gets bigger.

After another couple of hours of fighting against the wind, I finally made it to Boundary Bend, where I planned to camp in the caravan park. I will come to the caravan park shortly. However, as I was checking in at the attached petrol station, a couple of guys dressed in cycling gear were sitting in the shop having some food. One of the guys called out to me and said “Are you paddling the Murray? Are you part of the Murray River Expeditioners? (Which is a FaceBook group for people who do the Murray)”. It ended up that it was a guy called Joe, who had also paddled the Murray a few years ago. When he introduced himself I recognised his name from the Facebook group and he recognised me. He was in the middle of a bike ride from Seymour in Victoria up to Alice Springs and just happened to be stopping at the petrol station for a break and some food. Small world.

So back to the caravan park. It is pretty funny. It is definitely a few stars less than some of the others I have stayed in on this trip. I requested a powered site so I could charge my laptop and various electronics. So I have ended up squeezed between some old caravans and cabins that look like they have been here for years and rarely used. They also had a lot of rain (as did I) in the last couple of days, so there are massive puddles everywhere, and I am surrounded by them (but I am on a dry patch).

There are some added bonuses that I have discovered. Firstly, it is right next to a main road that a lot of trucks drive along (no my tent does not have double glazing to shut out the noise). Plus they just turned the park lights on and my tent is now lit up like a green lantern. I also have two taps next to my spot that are both leaking and dripping away.

The shop pretty much offers the range of food that you would expect in a country petrol station… not much. To be fair, they do offer a range of deep fried delights (dim sims, potato cakes, Chiko Rolls etc.). Their fresh fruit and veg seems to consist of a lot onions for some reason. So I decided to eat some of my food that I have brought with me. However I was able to satisfy some of my cravings by buying a nice collection of junk food.

So even though I sound like I am bagging this place out… It is fine. I am tired. I needed a powerpoint. I am sitting under my tarp and sheltered from the wind by the back of a caravan/shed. And I have earplugs. So I can’t complain. It is functional and that is all I really care about at the moment. It is not like I need a view of the river.

I have about 90km to do over the next 2 days before I get to Robinvale, where I am having my next rest day. I am pretty much going to try and split the day into two 45km days. It looks like there is going to still be headwinds tomorrow, so I am going to leave very early to give me as much time as possible. The shop/petrol station opens at around 6am, so I should be able to get a coffee (of some description) before I leave.

From: Goodnight
To: Piambie State Forest
Distance: 28km
Total Distance Travelled: 1240km
Distance to Go: 1274km

There is not really a huge amount to say about today other than it rained. It rained a lot.

The rain started at around 5.30am and has been going all day. Packing up the gear this morning was fine because everything was protected by the tarp. Getting into the kayak however was very messy. The mud has turned both sticky and slippery (yes it is possible). It sticks to your shoes which then makes your shoes slippery.

The paddle was very blah. Buried inside my gortex hood, I just paddled and appreciated being dry (while in the the boat). I was dreading getting out, dealing with the mud and setting up camp in the rain.

I only had to paddle about 25km because I did an extra 20km yesterday. I am really glad I did that extra distance yesterday, because it would have been miserable doing it today.

After I hit the 25km mark, I started hunting for a campsite in the Piambie State Forest. Much to my delight I say a spot on the bank with a piece of carpet that went down to the water and some stairs cut into the bank. So I took it.

As soon as I got out onto the carpet, I realised how slippery everything was. I promptly started sliding down the carpet and my feet ended up in the river. I then climbed up the bank with some gear and on the way back down, I slipped down on the stairs and promptly slid down them on my butt. I had to do the rest of my gear ferrying using my paddle as a walking stick to stop me sliding.

I quickly set up the tarp and got out of my wet gear. The rain started to ease off, so I found some dead branches hanging from some trees (which are normally drier than those on the ground) and managed to get a fire going. The one great thing about River Red Gum forests is that there is always plenty of firewood on the ground. I was just saying to my family that if there isn’t any, all you need to do is just wait and something will fall to the ground soon enough.

Well as I am righting this, I can see the rain is clearing. So I might go set up my tent and start thinking about some dinner.