Wagga Wagga to the Murray Mouth
In 1829/30 Captain Charles Sturt, with a crew of sailors, attempted to use the Murrumbidgee River to explore the interior of New South Wales. This was a remarkably adventurous expedition, given that they had no real good idea of where the river went.
As they progressed, initially on foot and horseback, and then on the river itself in a whaleboat brought for the purpose by oxcart, they must have been somewhat discouraged as the river appeared to go deeper and deeper into more arid regions. Eventually, the river ran out into a "broad stream" which we now know as the Murray, which finally took them to the ocean on the South Australian Coast. Amazingly, they rowed the whaleboat back up the rivers to their depot, and then walked/rode overland to Goulburn and eventually to Sydney. Full details of this journey can be found here
and
I am not planning anything quite so adventurous. I do intend to row the small boat pictured above down the Murrumbidgee and the Murray, but I have the advantage of knowing where the rivers go, and where there are suitable places to stop for re-supply. I will also carry useful devices like an EPIRB in case I get into some sort of serious trouble, and other modern communications equipment. My boat will have a small solar power system to keep electronic devices well fed, and I expect to suffer few privations as I travel through what has become the food basket of Australia. My intended departure date is Sunday October 5th, from Wagga Wagga. Please note that as this trip is a fundraiser for Westmead Medical Research Foundation, I am meeting all costs privately and all donations will go to WMRF.
Please see Donations Page if you wish to contribute
Please see Donations Page if you wish to contribute
The Murrumbidgee, which feeds large irrigation areas at Griffith and Coleambally, still wanders through some flat dry country, which will not have changed much since Sturt went by almost 200 years ago. What has changed a bit is the nature of the river itself. It is now pretty well a controlled river with water releases from Burrinjuck dam planned to provide irrigation water at the right times for the two schemes (and more) mentioned above, and weirs to divert the water into the channels which feed these areas.
One of the effects of this is that the Murrumbidgee downstream of the schemes may not have a lot of water in it. This means that the lower reaches may contain a lot of exposed snags, gravel beds and other things which make it difficult for a Kayak and probably just too difficult for a conventional rowing boat like mine. For this reason, I will enter the River at Wagga Wagga, much higher than Sturt did, but I may choose to leave it at Narranderra or Darlington Point, and take the boat and myself by road down to the junction of the Murray, there to continue rowing. My total distance will be similar to Sturt's, but I will not row back. I also will not have the help of a band of Jolly Tars either, but I do expect to have a support crew travelling by road and making sure I don't get into too much trouble.
Due to the above irrigation requirements, the flow in the Murrumbidgee increases considerably in late September and continues through October, which is why I intend to start in October.
Due to the above irrigation requirements, the flow in the Murrumbidgee increases considerably in late September and continues through October, which is why I intend to start in October.
No comments:
New comments are not allowed.