2020 Murrumbidgee River

Oura to Narrandera - 221 kms

Expedition Details

Murrumbidgee River

Dates: 11-15 November 2020

Distance: 221 kms

Paddlers: 12 participants

Boat Type: 5m fast / light sea kayaks

Prijon Marlin

Mirage 530, 532, 580

Launch Day 1: ///studio.yeilded.dated Oura Beach

Launch Day 2: 27 kms ///unnatural.proper.paradise Wagga Wagga

Launch Day 3: 52 kms ///forces.surface.rooftops Kohlhagens TSR

Launch Day 4: 54 kms ///thought.ravens.geeky Central Island

Launch Day 5: 36 kms ///shortfall.seep.stewing Berembed Weir

Finish Day 5: 52 kms ///emphasis.peerng.steams Old Brewery Boatramp

Expedition Description: The Murrumbidgee river is very generous along this section, dropping from the hills of the South West Slopes onto the meandering riverine floodplain of the Hay plains.

What did we learn about expeditions?

Planning: The expedition plan provided a good framework for day to day changes to be made, encouraging paddlers to go harder and further on the first couple of days.

Boat Choice: The move to fast and light sea kayaks was popular, with more storage space and higher speeds. A comprehensive set of spares was invaluable when key components started to break.

Fleet Flow: The daily routine of paddling and resting every 15 kms helped to paddlers going across the full day.

Technology: While we had access to TSR locations, the process of punching in longitude and latitude into our GPS came up with some unconvincing outcomes. The What3words technology is a better way to close the gap between planning, preparation and actual on river navigation.

Paddler Capabilities: The qualification process was successful in building the capabilities and cohesiveness of the group. There was one injury, requiring a paddler to be left behind at the start of day 5. The paddler was picked up later the same day. There is value in bringing a paperback novel on an expedition. There is greater value in holding paddlers fitness high across the year, rather than a rapid build in the months before.

Risk Management: The more remote the paddle, the more thought required to manage risks by either being self sufficient or managing an incident for a long enough period for assistance to arrive. This expedition introduced the use of emergency services coverage and response maps into our planning.

New Equipment: Mirage repair kits