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
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