Kayaking Behana Creek (Intake Carpark to the Bruce Highway) Queensland, Australia

Behana Creek



Behana Creek was an experimentation exercise for a possible relief of paddling the Mulgrave. Behana Creek, from the Intake Car park down to the Bruce Highway, is another of those babbling brooks that is there to be savored and enjoyed by the Nature admirer.

Most of the way along the creek, of which our fifth column advanced (namely Flick and Flounder), was filled with wonderous scenic vistas and bountiful swimming holes (most of which would not be able to be accessed easily ). The creek itself would need to be paddled and traversed at a larger flow of water than what we had experienced. Flick and Flounder found along the way that there was many a hard and bony option for paddling the kayaks at that level.







Many small cascade rapids line the way and the journey could be somewhat perilous if there was a much larger volume of water due to all of the strainers that are in the way. So some scouting is always a must.










However we did find some playful rapids and picturesque areas of which had quite some interest. Even an old Gold Sorting machine echoed the history of the area. The ghosts of many an old miner murmured with the sound of the babbling brook.







As with the Gordonvale Region, no journey around the area is complete without it's most stand-out citizen, Walsh's Pyramid. On many an occasion, the mother looks down from the clouds through the bountiful canopy, to ensure that our navigation is still complete and we are heading in the right general direction. On this occasion, we had to portage over this quaint little access bridge. To note.... this would be a large hazard if the water did in fact rise...so kayakers beware.








This actual access bridge may serve for a candlelight dinner for the team over 2010 when the night air is crisp clean, the stars are so close that you can touch them, and there is silence except for the quiet chatter of the crew against a backdrop of babbling brook noises. Of course when we seek approval....











The canopy resides most of the way down to the highway.....but also please beware of the nasty broken branches that may cause an injury if you paddled the creek when the water rose.

A rewarding experience is Behana Creek awaits the nature loving kayaker....and differs somewhat from our adventurous cousins who wish to paddle the extreme waterfalls of the gorge.







Behana Gorge Waterfall in full cry.

Remember, when paddling the fabulous natural watercourses of this great country, please do not leave anything except for footprints in the sand, and take nothing but photos and memories

Kayaking through the Little Mulgrave River (from Peevers Bridge to Ross and Locke), Queensland, Australia

Rainfall time throughout North Queensland provides the main catchments and waterways with much needed flushing out of the river systems. Hence, we like it so much, that the crew always looks forward to playful times on such waterways as the Little Mulgrave River.


Unlike it's mother system, the Mulgrave River, the Little Mulgrave provides a more aesthetically pleasing viewpoint of a bubbling brook, where the flora reaches down to the rivers edge and combines to give the kayaker a feeling of being one with the earth.
However, do not be fooled into thinking that this is a boring and easy stretch of a paddle. The Little Mulgrave provides for some quick thinking and rapid problem solving as there are many shutes off the main river where the kayaker could land in a spot of bother.

















The river has many obstacles of fallen trees and logs, and eddy swirls to catch the unwary. There are twists and turns, and a few rapid holes to play in. In all, it is a very fresh system and delivers to the soul an invigorating sense of healthiness and adventure.

This river system can provide the kayak beginner with some of the skills that is required, and a taste of what is to come for future adventures of the crew.








Most of the time, the crew prefers to end their little escapade at the ever enjoyable Ross and Locke Swimming Hole. But their is an allure to the Little Mulgrave paddle in that the Mountainview Hotel , which sits right on the rivers edge, provides a satisfying ale....and a hot serve of chips for the now de-stressed kayaker.



Thus, it is with utmost respect to Mother Nature that the crew waits in anticipation for the wet season of every year.....

Remember when paddling the fabulous natural watercourses of this great country, please do not leave anything except for footprints in the sand...., and take nothing but photos and memories !