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