Righto, what about Sunday the 18th of March for a day trip on the Shoalhaven, Oallen ford to power lines?
Gus
I’m in for this trip if we get the levels. A few things to consider based on this guide…Depending on numbers and group dynamic I would suggest putting in at Welcome Reef from a time perspective. I haven’t run the section from Oallen Ford to Welcome Reef but heard it can be time consuming flat paddling.
Another consideration is how far if at all we can get down the takeout road. I parked the full 4klm back up on the main road in case the property owners locked the gate. There are several properties, some with new owners that leave their gates closed and potentially locked. This was the case on my walk out last time at around 2 klms along the road.
There is a bit of a scramble at the takeout but nothing too serious for the surefooted. If we did the full 4klm walk it may take a couple of hours including the climb out of the gorge, temperature on the day and general shenanigans.
I’d recommend an earlyish start of 7.30 - 8.00am to give us time to huck some rapids that are worth repeating and keep a relaxed pace on the day. I have run the section twice, once as a day trip below the level and once above. It’s a fun day with some bigger rapids which are portaged easily. Actually everything could be safely portaged to keep within your comfort zone. It’s not a crazy high volume run, more drop pool style but does require the usual careful scouting.
I think for anyone not sure about it, check a few pics and videos before making a call. The river changes across the recommended spectrum as you can see in the vids.
A quote that reflects my thoughts on the AdventurePro site, “Overall, a magnificent section of river and a great introduction to big water for intermediate paddlers.”
Yeah Steve and I don’t think we are done yet either. Lets just hope it comes back down before the trip! I would hate to be in the gorge below Peggies right now.
Be interesting to see what the level does - I see it shot back up in the last 24 hours.
I’m working from home today (didn’t really want to be on the roads) - judging by the amount of rain in Sydney this morning I might be able to give my packraft a whirl around the block…
I’ll paddle anything Steve. Happy to keep the options open although I reckon we might be right (insert optimism here) with the levels.
A backup plan would be wise though.
Hi All,
I guess we’ll get a better idea of river levels during the week, given the soaking we’ve had I’m not sure it will drop as quick as it usually would.
As for back up plans I’m very keen to do this section of the Shoallhaven before winter, so one option would be to postpone, although I am very keen for a paddle, this could mean doing something locally (nepean pheasants nest or Colo) or if out of sydney I’m not too keen to drive any future than say Canberra given it’s a Sunday trip and I have to work Monday. I’m sure there ar plenty of options to look at at these levels, I’ll see what I can come up with, others feel free to do the same, there may be higher sections on the shoalhaven if the water level is too high.
It should be down to a metre by Sunday. Now its more about the local rainfall which I’ll be watching over the next few days.
As for backups I’m easy Gus. Something new would be nice.
