Tuesday 1/3/2016 - Wentworth to Frenchman's Creek

833km - 778km

Hello autumn, I think summer still has a sting in the tail. Looks to be a hot day. We start the day the same as yesterday with an 8am appointment at lock 10. This is just past the Darling river junction. 

A beautiful morning with an orange sunrise over the water as we paddle slowly through the junction. The river is huge here and almost looks like a lake. The reflections on the water are stunning. We can only imagine what it would be like if the Darling actually was flowing. This is the point where most of the water from NSW, Norhern Vic and southern Qld comes together. In a flood year the amount of water coming through here would be huge. 

We wait for the lock door to open and in we go. This is the biggest lock so far and is the standard size from here on down. Before long we are on our way toward the next lock in almost still water. 

The first hour of paddling is always stunning and is my favourite time of the day. The colours, animals, contrasts, reflections and temperature all come together in an amazing show. 

Today after the first hour is over it all goes downhill. It is getting very hot, the scenery is only good in patches and we have to plug through those kms. We stop for lunch at Fort Courage, a fishing club camping and meeting area. We thought that there may have been a shop, but there wasn't.  No ice cream today. 

After lunch we keep slugging away. We are now in some very arid red country. A stop at an old decaying paddle steamer  produced our first goanna for the trip. He kindly ran up the tree we are under.  The best part of the afternoon was the old trees on the banks. Very interesting shapes, contorted, struggling, half dead with new life and surviving. 

We hit the 50kms we need to do at 6pm and we then look for a camp spot. This is not so easy on these lakes and the closer you get to a lock the harder it is. We settle for a dry dirt spot. It is hot and the river bottom is full of green goop so we can't swim. Quite disappointing after the lovely river we had before the locks started. 

It is very still and hot, and always hotter in the tent. 

The Datling and Murray junction

Typical country away from the river. 

Another nice sunset. We 

Monday 29/2/2016 - Mildura to Wentworth

886km - 833km

We all say farewell to the ladies as we head out from Mildura. We have mixed emotions as we are keen to continue our trip, but we are starting to feel a bit weary. A short trip of about 10 minutes to the lock to be first boats in for the day. The ladies have driven to the lock to watch what happens. Not real exciting. A bit like being in the bath when you pull the plug out. 

The water below the lock is not flowing as it is already backed up from the next lock at Wentworth. It feels like our river paddling is over and we will now be just passing through a series of lakes. As we chat we do not feel that inspired about the prospect. 

The scenery today is better than the run into Mildura. There are less dead trees and it is nice to have the green colour back. The river is now very wide and the straights are in kilometres. This is good as we have a tail wind today. Battling up these stretches in a head wind would be very hard work. 

Lots of houseboats on the banks and most of them are just being stored there. Some show signs of permanent residences and we chat to the owners on the way past. 

A narrow and shallow shortcut allows us to cut 10km from the day. This is very welcome and we hit Wentworth before 4. We paddle through a small channel to enter the Darling river and pull up at the caravan park, very convenient. We are now at the junction of the Darling river. Sturt discovered this in 1830 and a lot has changed since then. 

EJ has some snags and bread from the weekend which he cooks up and they go down a treat. We then go to a very nice hotel for a big dinner. The rest of the week will be bush camping and camp food. 

We are all eager to go to bed as it has been a hard day. Thomo has recut the schedule for this week to account for less  distance being achieved each day due to the lack of flow. We aim to do 50 a day for the rest of the week. 

In the lock at 8am

The "river". Find Tony in the photo. 

Some sand beaches and red cliffs again. A rare sight for the day. 

Sunday 28/2/2016 - Mildura

Rest day - 887km

A perfect day in Mildura. It was a bit noisy last night with the hoons and party boats going by. A good sleep in before breakfast of egg roles. 

Massages are the order of the morning before we head to the shops for food and lunch. Time to fill the tummies again for the week ahead. 

We finish packing boats ready for a 7:45 departure tomorrow as Thomo has booked the lock for 8am. 

This is what fits into Sarg's 582. The food was still to come. 

Sarg decided to have a small meal. 

Welcome to Mildura

River and city view from the caravan park. 

Saturday 27/2/3016 - Psyche Bend to Mildura

905km - 887km

A short paddle into Mildura today so we plan to start a bit later.  A sleep in until it gets light. Yippee.  Janice, Kiera and Kerryn are coming today and Judy is already in Mildura to meet us. 

There is a lot of activity around the river as we paddle toward Gol Gol and Mildura. Campers and houseboats right along the river, ski boats and jet skis on the water and us. Certainly a change from the solitude of the last week. The houses along the way have magnificent lawns coming to the water's edge. 

After a couple of hours of paddling with the wind behind us we hit Mildura. The busiest place we have seen so far. There is a new marina and a number of paddle steamers. I never realised how many paddle steamers there are on the Murray, from small two people house boats up to the big tour boats. 

Once under the bridge we turn the corner to find Judy waiting for us at the caravan park. Thanks Judy for the fruit cake and hot cross buns. Just what we needed. 

The rest of the day we use to clean up boats, do the washing, relaxing and starting to get organised for the next leg to Renmark. 

It is great to spend time with the ladies again and we appreciate the long drive they had to be here. 

A couple of the paddle steamers coming into Mildura. 

Friday 26/2/2016 - Nangiloc to Psyche Bend

963km - 905km

So much can change in one week. A couple of days ago we had very hot nights and last night it was very cool, cold for Thomo. Jumpers on for breakfast and into the boats. Yesterday I was using the water to cool myself and now I am using it to warm up my feet and hands. 

Good paddle again today as we pass more sand bars and big red cliffs. The scenery is stunning as usual. We knew the flow in the river would slow and just after we round a huge red cliff corner we can feel the start of the water backing up from the lock at Mildura, 50km away. 

The day is going well with cooler temperatures due to the southerly blowing. This is also giving us a good tail wind, most of the time. Now that we are into the backed up water the scenery changes dramatically. Lots of dead trees on the banks with dry dusty soil. We are now in the worst scenery we have had all trip. The best part of the afternoon is the red cliffs of Red Cliffs and the thousands of Corellas that we disturbed as we round a bend. There was birds every where. They were playing "how many birds can you squeeze into one tree". 

We find it hard finding a camping spot because of the high water and lack of sand bars. Sarg finds an OK camp spot and we enjoy some dinner and watching the sun set. You just can not beat the sunsets and sun rises we get each day. 

We are looking forward to the weekend in Mildura. The boys have already got the eating plan worked out, and yes it starts at KFC. 

Thomo was looking forward to visiting Iraak. This paddle steamer was all we found. Thomo and I where our Arab hats which he thought was appropriate for Iraak. 

The river near Mildura is almost like a lake and very wide. 

Another sunset from our camp 

Thursday 25/2/2016 - Hattah Kulkyne National Park to Nangiloc

1045km - 963km

What a pleasure a cool night is. We slept like babies until 3am when it started to spit. We all got up to put the flys on the tents. EJ also got up thinking it was time to get up and packed up his camp, only to find everybody else was back in bed. He decided to spend the rest of the night in a tarp on the sand. 

An early morning has us on the water by 7, just before sunrise. A great time to be paddling. Today is cooler and the wind has not yet stared so we are having a great paddle through what I think is the best part of the river so far. Perfect sandbars, beautiful trees and forest and the river is quite clear. We see more sea eagles, a wedge tail eagle, and lots more goats, kangaroos, and our first emu. 

Good flow in the river and a couple of "discounts" (where the river has changed course and the new route is shorter) has us at the 998km marker by 11. A big celebration was had as we are now in three digits to go. Feels like it is just around the corner. 

EJ spots a ran stuck in the mud at the bottom of a steep bank. With the help of Sarg and Tony the get the ram out and prop it on the bank. We can only hope he can get up the bank when he dries out. 

Thomo has a plan to get to Colonan so we can have lunch at the store. We paddle until 1 and upon arrive we find the store has been closed for years. A big disappointment so we setting for the baked beans again. 

Thomo has a new plan to go to Nangiloc where we can get dinner at the store. We paddle hard in the wind all afternoon to get there before 5:30. EJ goes and asks the locals where the store is and we head off down the highway on foot. This time we find a store and the local Tavern where we have a great dinner. Thomo is now off the hook. 

After dinner we return to our boats and paddle across to a sandbar to setup camp, prepare for tomorrow, call home, watch the sunset and go to bed. 

A big day is over and we are well set to get to Mildura on Saturday. 

The great bush and sandbars in the national park 

Just another one of the endless sunrises and sunsets 

Wednesday 24/2/2016 - 1100 marker to Hattah Kulkyne National Park

1100km - 1045km

Another hot night, even hotter than last night. Only Thomo had a good sleep as he does not feel the heat. Up at 6 to see the moon low in the west and soon we see the glow of the rising sun in the east. The strong wind has stopped and it is a pleasant paddling morning. 

Around the first corner we see the first big red cliff for the day. It is still in shadow so it is not as spectacular as it could have been. In the last two days we have started to see goats on the banks and today is no exception. We pass a big billy goat and EJ thinks it is related to Sarg. We continue to see Sea eagles and as we pull in for our second stop of the morning we pass beneath one just sitting on a branch not far above our heads. We pass many more Pelicans now and they are also a majestic bird to watch. 

To our surprise this part of the river has many islands and outcrops in the middle of the river. We pass through some which create a swift current, More of this would be good. 

We reach Weman at lunch time and it is now very hot, but still no wind. We pull up at the "boat ramp" and walk 1km to the only shop in town. Walking on the red  sand reminds us that we are close to the desert country and the only thing making this area fertile is the water being pumped from the river. 

We have a good lunch of pies, hamburgers, chips, potato cakes, dim sims and flavoured milk. It is amazingly what this paddling does for your appetite, especially when you know tonight will be Uncle Bens rice again. After lunch we all use the "sit down" toilet, what luxury and beats digging holes. 

Back on the water with stomachs full and beer fridge stocked with cans and ice. I don't know where Tony keeps it all. Tony's boat is now known as Bar 580 and is open for happy hour some evenings. 

The minute we get on the water the wind swings from south to north-west and really starts to blow hard. It is like being in  a fan forced oven and given we are heading north-west it makes for a very hard afternoon. Big waves and strong gusts to rip the paddle out of your hand. 

We have had enough by 6 and find a sand bar to camp on. It is still very hot, but a bit protected from the wind. After setting up camp the wind once again changes to come from the south. Gusts rip through the camp, Tony's and EJ's tents go flying and we struggle to hold everything down. The good news is that it is now cooler and we head for bed, both for a cooler night and to use our bodies to hold the tents down. 

Bad news, the moon is rising and my tent is facing east.  Another night with the car headlights on. 

The setting moon before dawn

Love those red cliffs. Each one has a different character. 

Afternoon nanny nap time (scan). Thomo is reading. We thought of some captions for the photo including: Thomo has had backed beans again, or Thomo's bed time story time. Send me your suggestion. 

Tuesday 23/2/2015 - Tol Tol to 1100 Marked

1159km - 1100km

A very hot night with little wind and the moon was like car headlights in the tent. A very nice red sun rise and we staggered out of bed as this was the coolest time for sleeping. This meant we had a slow start and it was going to be a very hot day. The first shirt wetting happened before we started at 8 in order to keep cooler. 

The water feels slow as we make our way to Robinvale. As the temperature builds so does the wind and we are now going against 30cm white caps on the long straights. By the time we get to Robinvale at 11:30 we are all tired and ready for a break. We managed to save some distance coming into Robinvale as the original river does a 12 km loop away from Robinvale that we could bypass on the new river course. 

We pull up at the very nice Robinvale caravan park and pull the boats up the high steep grass bank. At the top was a couple from WA. Very nice people as they quickly offered us hot and cold drinks accompanied by fruit cake. Thanks Marie and Keith. 

A few of us had to get some supplies for the trip to Mildura so we head into town for lunch and shopping. It is now above 40 and the wind feels like a furnace. The air conditioning in the shops was a delight and we soaked it up for a couple of hours. 

At 2:30 we decide that we should push down to the lock as we have been told it is closed. A quick 5 km paddle with some good tail wind gets us to the lock quickly. The trick is to keep wet so the hot wind feels cool. Yep, the lock is closed for maintenance, for 4 months. The lock master asked why we did not read it in the paper. Maybe because we have not seen one for 3 weeks. We have to get the trollies out and do a cross country run to get the boats around the lock.  We then have to get the boats down a steep bank. Thanks to the lock master for the cold water to help us through this big task. 

Below the lock the water is running well and the scenery has changed. We see more red cliffs, nice sand bars , and places to swim without mud and weed. We continue to stay wet and paddle in the blast furnace temperatures. Actually, the best place on a day like this is on the water, or in the water, unless you have an air conditioner. 

The afternoon hovers around 42 degrees and we finally stop on a sand bar at about 7. We all set up camp quickly as rain clouds are around. The wind stops and starts and comes from all directions. At one point the wind picked up my tent and launched it over my head. I guess that is why you do not build your house on the sandy land. 

I am now in bed and it is still in the mid 30's. Not sure how much sleep we will get tonight. I am looking forward to the return of cool nights. 

The good news is we are now half way between Albury and the sea. All down hill now, or is that up hill?  I turned my GPS on yesterday and it said 50m above sea level. Not much drop in 1150km, so the flow will have to slow. 

The long straights we have had leading into Robinvale 

After our successful bypass of lock. Ready for the wilderness again. 

The impending weather over our camp site 

  

Monday 22/2/2016 - Boundary Bend to Tol Tol

1228km - 1159km

Up at 6:30 after listing to the B-doubles on the highway for the last hour. By 7:30 we are ready to go so we all trolley our boats down the highway once again to the boat ramp. We say fairwell to the remaining family and friends and head off towards Cod's Head Reef. 

The morning is warm and I have the first shirt dunking at 9am, a good hour earlier than in the last hot spell we had. The river  is flowing well; although, the water level is starting to drop. With all the big pumps running on the banks I am surprised there is any water left in the river at all. The river is now wider again and all day we have long straights in between the wide bends.

The morning goes fast as does the distance. By lunch we are at Cod's Head Reef, another infamous rapid in the river for paddle steamers. We have lunch and it is now real hot. We decide to find a better spot, with shade and swimming options. By 3 we stop for a longer break and a snooze. It is now hard to find places to swim as the current has slowed and thick weed is growing close to the banks. To keep cool we keep wetting shirts and hats. The coolest place is probably being wet in the boat. 

We push on until 6pm and we start looking for a camp spot. Not easy, and by 6:30pm we find a less than perfect place to set up camp. I went for s walk when I got out of the boat only to find that just around the bend was a cracker of a camping spot. This has happened s lot on the trip. 

I now in my tent on the bank of the river, a full moon overhead beaming into my tent, the mosquitos buzzing on the outside of the tent (I hope), the sounds of fish and birds in the river, and trying to stop sweating so I can go to sleep. It is s hot one and it will be like this for the next two days. 

Two big milestones today. We passed the half way point from Bringenbrong to the sea and we passed 1000km from Albury. That means we have done 2.5 Murray Marathons in the last 3 weeks.

No photos tonight as I left the camera in the boat and a annoy going to battle the mosquitos to get it. 

Sunday 21/2/2016 - Boundary Bend

Rest Day 1228km

Today we have the day off. It is so good to sleep in after quite a cold night. A leasurely morning having eggs and toast on the BBQ, followed by sorting the food for the next part of the trip to Robinvale and Mildura. 

His afternoon it is massage time again and our friend from Swanhill has travelled up for the afternoon to give us a once over and sort out our sore bits. I hope it works, it would make the paddle more pleasurable. 

After the massage it is time for swimming, sleeping, hydrating and eating. Kez puts on another nice BBQ for dinner. Thanks Kez, and Sarg for cooking. 

A big week ahead with the next 3 days looking to exceed 40 degrees. I am sure the nights will be warm as well. 😢

I just tried a new idea to cool the tent down. Leave the top of the fly screen door open a bit to increase the airflow. Those darn mosquitos can find that small hole real fast and I just had 5 minutes hunting mosquitos. I will not try that idea again. 

Saturday 20/2/2016 - Murrumbidgee Junction to Boundary Bend

1239km - 1228km

A short day ahead so nobody is keen it get out of bed. It is nice and cool so staying tucked up under the sleeping bag is so nice. I am awake so I watch the sun come up from my bed. It is good to leave the fly off the tent and only having a fly net. You can look up to the stars each night and enjoy the environment we are in. The wind we had for most of the night has now stopped. Eventually we get up and go through the morning packing and eating routine before hitting the water after 8 am. 

We see some more sea eagles and this time we are quite close. They are magnificent birds. 

By 10 we see Boundary Bend perched up on the bank and we pull up at the boat ramp, attach our wheels and head for the caravan park. It is an odd sight to see 6 kayaks in line going down the Murray Valley Highway. 

The early finish made for a relaxing day of  sorting out boats, sleeping, washing, and eating. Tomorrow we have a rest day so we get to do it again. Ahhhh. 

Sunday is Tony's 40th birthday so we are getting a large group of visitors coming to share the day day with him. It is good to catch up with them all and we have a great BBQ dinner to celebrate. Thanks to Kez and Fe for organising it. 

The river is consistently wide

Boundary Bend. A majestic view from the highway. 

I did not know these still existed

As promised. Tinky fishing yesterday. 

Friday 19/2/2016 - Wakool Junction to Murrumbidgee Junction

1285km - 1239km

Another beautiful morning to be on the water. We all slept in a little as the sun is getting up later and we were tired after a big day. The river is much wider now and it is amazing the contrast before and after the junction. 

The trees this morning are big old red gums that look like they have been there since the river began.  We also spot our first red cliff which gives us a taste of what is to come. This mornings animal list included a couple of foxes, the first we have seen on the trip, kangaroos, wallabies, a sea eagle, kites, etc. 

We stop for a long lunch and snooze before we hit the water again ton find the junction of the Murrumbidgee river. It is disappointing, I had much bigger expectations. As the afternoon is getting long and the paddling difficult because of the wind we decide to stop on another sandy beach just around the corner. 

A pleasant afternoon is had swimming, reclining and chatting. Tinky tries the fishing again. The cheese he is using for bait is not working and keeps disappearing. He tried putting it in tea bags, without success. In desperation he tries Sarg's hot salami. Within minutes Tinky's bells start ringing and Sarg jumps up to land a 45cm cod. We finally have a decent fish. Pictures are taken and kisses handed out before the cod is released. The funniest part was watching Tinky fishing on his jocks. We may have a picture on a future post. 

Part of the red cliffs and an old tree 

Tonight's camp

The big one.

Thursday 18/2/2016 - Nyah to Wakool Junction

1356km - 1285km

We woke to horses going around the Nyah trotting track. We pack up in the dark and watch the sun rise before wheeling our boats back to the boat ramp and ready for the days paddle. 

The river is flowing well with big eddies on the bends. We make good pace and with the help of a fast flowing and tight anabranch at Murphy's island we are on track to being at Tooleybuc for lunch. A rest on the nice green grass and lunch from the local cafe set us up for the afternoon paddle. 

The river in this section changes personalities often. Some times it is narrow twisty and fast flowing and at other times it is wide and slow. The bush goes from dry to lush to open farm land. After every 10 minutes you feel like you are on another river. 

We pass the famous Bitch and Pups rapid and given the water level is high we had no problem with negotiating them.  

We then push on to the Wakool river junction where Sarg had already chosen a nice sandy beach to camp on. 

Should be another pleasant evening for sleeping. 

Camp at the Wakool junction

Wednesday 17/2/2016 - Swan Hill to Nyah

1406km - 1356km

A cold night has us not real interested in getting out of bed, except for EJ who woke early packed up his gear and drove into town for egg and bacon rolls again. Thanks again EJ. 

We are on the water at 8am and the wind   Is going right through me. How it changes being on the water, from freezing to boiling. Next week is shaping up to be very hot so I keep paddling thinking how good it is to be cold. 

Before long we are at a fork in the river and we take the left anabranch as it is shorter and looks like it has a better flow. All is going well until we come across a private ferry where the cables are stretched across the river. We did not see them coming so we have to do a bit of limbo dancing to get under them.  Sarg thinks this paddling thing is getting dangerous, two days ago a snake swam a metre behind his boat when we were pulled up at the bank, and now he nearly looses his head. Hang in there Sarg. 

Soon after rejoining the main river we pass another ferry, this time the cables are under water where they should be. Thomo is disappointed that he can not go for a ride. 

EJ gets us to stop and we follow him up the hill to some farms, he knows everybody around here. We walk up a dirt track to an old homestead called Tyntyndyer. This was built in about 1840 and has been used as a museum. The place is now closed, but still has all the interesting artefacts to look at. It is s real shame the homestead is deteriorating. 

We have lunch next to the river and one of EJ's friend arrives with a parcel of hot sausage rolls. We enjoy this treat. After lunch we tour on into Nyah, which is only a couple of hours paddle away. 

We pull up art he boat to amp and stay in a town camping area with lots of retirees and caravans. We have been talking about the Nyah pizza shop for days now so we head off to find this treasure and how sweet it was to get some of that pizza health food in after a good days paddle. 

We have our first animal problem tonight with a possum investigating the boats  at the moment Thomo is running around the camp ground chasing the possum with his paddle. The possum is winning. 

Check out the roots on this tree

One of the original buildings at the homestead. 

Thomo's big hamburger. The rest of us eat pizza. 

Sunset over the river, again. 

Tuesday 16/2/2016 - Swan Hill

Rest Day 1406km

We experience the pleasures of life once more:

- A sit down toilet

- A shower

- A sleep in until 8am

- Egg and bacon roles - thanks EJ

- A leisurely morning not paddling

Does life get any better than this?

After breakfast we put on the washing whilst EJ goes to get his hip worked on. We are all eventually ready to walk  into town to meet EJ and get some very important jobs done. The 2km walk, as EJ estimated it, turns out to be about 6km, however we all enjoy the leg activity after sitting down so much over the last five days. EJ told us yesterday that he house was 1km down steam of Swan Hill, turned to be about 6km, so we know something new about EJ. 

The first important job is to find a bakery/coffee shop. A very nice start.  The second important job was to find KFC, the next important job is to find S supermarket to stock up on food, and lastly a Fish and Chip shop for the non KFC addicts. 

We return home for the afternoon massages, thanks to Tinky for organising, some sleep, boat maintenance and packing, and another BBQ dinner.  All of us have sore muscles so the massages are so good, the only problem is that it will hurt as we paddle tomorrow. 

It is cool and windy tonight so I am expecting a cool start to the day tomorrow. 

We have been working on our boat skills and yesterday EJ showed us what we can do. 

Monday 15/2/2016 - Benjeroop to Swan Hill

1466km - 1406km

A cool morning and hopefully a nice day's paddling ahead. On the water again at 7:30 and heading toward Swan Hill. We are all excited about a day off tomorrow and the chance to sleep, eat, shower and recover. 

We have a great paddle through some healthy red gum forest and before long Sarg spots an old boiler used to pump water so it is out of the boats for an inspection. This gives Tinky and I a chance to float down the river and observe the wildlife going about their morning duties. Today we see quite a number of wallabies as well as kangaroos. 

This part of the river has narrowed again and is very pretty. Before long the Forrest gives way to farming and the river slows but becomes quite turbulent. This makes keeping the boat straight a bit hard as their are whirl pools on the bends. As we get closer to Swan Hill the corners become very tight. 

Lunch is had near checkpoint Charlie and we then have the final 24km to paddle after lunch. What a long afternoon as we are now feeling tired. Swan Hill could not come soon enough. We all rejoiced as we passed the finish line of the Murray Marathon (reliving passed glories that we never had) and paddled through Swan Hill down to our camp spot. Thanks to EJ for  organising the back yard of the family home. 

A pleasant evening is had with lots of family and friends and a fantastic BBQ. How good it is to have a good feed. 

Today we passed the 1000km mark of our journey from Bringenbrong. 

Moments on the river

The fleet

Sunday 14/2/2016 - Barham to Benjeroop

1524km - 1466km

A hot night turns into a cool morning so at 6:15 I crawl out from under my sleeping bag to great another day. Even though the kookaburras are laughing it is still dark. Sarg and Thomo are up using their head torches. We have noticed the sun coming up later each day as we head west and February gets older.

I hear "happy Valentine's Day" as I see EJ giving Tinky some flowers, I ask no questions. 

We pack up as usual, however we plan to leave a bit later as we have an appointment with Macca at 7:30. EJ and Thomo both spoke. Following this we haul the boats back to the water and after a chat with done well wishers, they listened to Macca, we set off. 

The morning paddle is fantastic. It is cool, best it has been for a week, and the river is quit quick because in this section it is quite narrow. As we go down the river the volume of water we paddle on is becoming less. This is because of all the water being used for irrigation and pushed off into different channels. Not much more can be taken out before the river will stop. 

We have s quick morning with only a couple of stops. Our aim is to visit Thomo's relatives got lunch 28km down stream of Barham. Karen and Donna put on a good country lunch and we all enjoyed the food, chat and hospitality. It was all to soon before we scrambled back down the bank to put boats. 

The fast flowing river continued to Murrabit, the start of day 5 of the Murray Marathon. As we paddle under the bridge we all relive past glories. The river now widens and slows again. We spend the rest of he afternoon getting to a campsite which gives us less than 60km tomorrow to get to Swan Hill. 

We are always looking for milestones to celebrate. Today we went below 1500km to go, passed 700kms from Albury and we are now one third of the way to the mouth. Another milestone was that my shoulders do not hurt for the first hour as they have done for the last two weeks. 

Another great campsite next the river. It just never ends. One pleasure I do get is to lay in bed looking up at the amazing stars each night. 

The narrower river down stream of Barham 

Perfect. A camp site that already has a loo. No digging holes tonight. Even has paper

Another sunset to watch. 

Saturday 13/2/2016 - Gunbower Forest to Barham

1581km - 1524km

Another nice morning on the river after our normal routine of up at 6 and away by 7:30. Our aim today is to get to Barham and we need to keep moving to get there at a reasonable time. 

Most of the day we paddle through quite similar scenery of reasonably high clay river banks with smaller trees on them, or lower banks which are covered with tree growth. Both options make hard to find places to stop for a break. The bonus is that even with the low river levels we still have a reasonable current in most places. 

We see a lot of kangaroos and wallabies under the shade of the trees near the water edge. It is shaping up to be a very hot day and they are getting ready for it. As always we see lots of birds and EJ enjoys sharing the names of each. 

It is interesting to hear the comments as we talk to people we meet fishing or camping on the river. The question usually comes "where are you off to?".  Our answer now is "the sea". We the get comments like "you will get a sore arse", or "so you are going to Melbourne". 

I have my first wet down at 10. A good hour earlier than previous days. The wind starts and for the rest of the day we battle some strong gusts. As we get closer to Barham, the trees begin to thicken and we see more sandy beaches, which we stop and take a dip at. At 4 we arrive at Barham and check into the caravan park. How good is a shower and grass for the tent. 

After some cleaning up and prep for tomorrow we head for dinner to the Barham hotel to meet with Tinky's cousins. A good feed is what we needed to get some energy back for the paddle tomorrow. Beats camp cooking. 

Thomo declined the offer of garlic and cheese bread tonight because "I am watching my nutrition intake, and leaving room for the pavlova for desert".  Figure  that one out. 

It is another hot night ....

The morning river from our camp site

A nice stable bank with some uniform gums. Typical of this part of the river. 

We pass thousands to trees with their root exposed exchange day. I find it interesting to see what is happening with tree roots that should be under ground. 

Friday 12/2/2016 - Torrumbarry to Gunbower Forest

1645km - 1581km

True to form, the bogans had a big night with a raging fire, loud music, and engines revving. I am not sure what time the party finished, but now I do know that all bogans are hard of hearing as they have to talk at the top of their voices when conversing. We decide to talk bogan as we get up at 6am. 

Another beautiful morning as the sun rises over the lagoon. We hit the water at 7:30 and before long we hear the roar of the first big banger to take the water. The noise was behind us, and then in front, and then behind, and then in front before the boat finally goes past in a thunder and a blur. How it gets the heart racing. We soon figure out from the noise pattern that the river snakes a lot before we get to Torrumbarry weir. A couple more boats fly past and I am disappointed when we can not hear any more. 

After 15km of dead water we reach Torrumbarry weir where we will be going through our first lock. We do the compulsory visit to the kiosk for some real food: chips, ice cream and drinks. It is like sharks in a feeding frenzy. 

After satisfying our needs we look for the lock master, who is mowing the lawn, and organise a time with him. We have a good look at the weir, lock, and visitors centre before mounting our boats for the lock ride. 

Thomo wants to stay away from the front door as he expected it to open when the lock was full. What a wild ride that would be. Lucky for us they let the water out slowly before opening the front door. We paddle out and onward with our journey. It was a bit of fun. 

We are now in the Gunbower and Perricoota forests. The river continues to snake badly and we travel a long way north and south, and very little heading west. It is great to be away from Boganville and back into the quiet serenity of a river to ourselves, a few real campers, and the wildlife. We have a pleasant, but hot, afternoon before teaching our goal distance and finding a camp site. 

It has remained hot and very still m, which makes me think tomorrow will be another hot day.  Tinky tried fishing again today. Still no luck. I forgot to write yesterday that EJ found a good rod and reel so he will now be giving Tinky a run for his money. 

Entering the lock 

In the lock as the water is going down. We have to hang on to stop us being sucked forward. 

Exiting the lock

The banks river at the start of the Gunbower Forrest

A shady and sand rest stop. These places become less frequent during the day and the banks became higher and clay based.