S-Teem Training and Coaching

The List of Legends....

2011-10-01T20:46:00.000-07:00

These are the legends that have had the opportunity to experience something special....Keep the smiles; keep the experience...and keep the passion

Please Remember : if you hike the tracks and trails of the sunburnt country , or paddle the great waterways of this fantastic country of ours....please do not leave anything behind apart from footprints in the sand or a ripple in the water....and take nothing away except for photos and memories.

Blue Skies

Flounder

A Bit of History - Stoney Creek Railway Camp Hike

2011-09-03T16:56:00.000-07:00

Hello to All Trailblazers,

It has been a while for an article in the blog.

This trip was recently completed by some friends and I. Some ladies had to sign up for a Walking Challenge that the Government had organised. So I thought I can help by getting these ladies to accumulate more steps on their pedometres, and show them about hiking in rainforest plus learning a bit about local history. The crew for this day were Myself, Mel, Jo and her son Bryce.

A Lovely Autumn day greeted us and the target today was a small camp in the middle of rainforest located in the Stoney Creek gorge. The gorge itself was a part of the Barron Falls National Park.

What is significent about this relatively minor campsite, was that it was the campground of hundreds of railway workers back at the turn of the century. These railway workers gave blood, sweat, and tears (and some their lives) to build the world renowned Cairns Kuranda Railway which rose up above the Great Dividing Range to carry goods and people to the Atherton Tablelands. As you drive along the Kamerunga Road to the Douglas Track Trailhead (see previous blogs), you achieve a magnificent site of Glacier Rock and Red Bluff. You actually cross this Railway whilst hiking up the mountain range.

The trail starts at the Douglas Track Trailhead. This trail is a communication trail that supplied goods to Kuranda and the Atherton Tablelands. Most of the goods supplied were transported by donkeys and oxen.

You travel on the trail for about only 40-50 metres until you take a minor track to the west to head to the camp. The track although dubious at times, is flagged and starts with the entry point on the Douglas Track with three large rocks close together.

The track itself is about 40 minutes of clear track walking. However, since Cyclones frequent this area, you will find that there are a few downed trees to navigate around. There is also a large Bush Turkeys nest built right in the middle of the track that you need to negotiate, as well as a small creek dam, most probably built in the same era, that you have to make your way downstream for about 15 metres to find the track exit and continue your progress.

The track itself is rather undulating, but does not seriously increase in altitude. A person of low to average fitness can adequately accomplish the task.

After about 40 minutes of hiking through the rainforest, whilst dodging Wait-a-While plants, you eventually come to Stoney Creek. Please be careful crossing the creek, and the best and easiest access is usually in the Dry Season.

On the way, you will find a mutitude of photographic opportunities to a varied amount of personal liking. One of which is the amazing types of funghi that you come across. This will appeal to persons who love their flora.

Once you cross the creek and continue on the creek overflow for 5 minutes, you will come to a high creekbank. Above that lies the remnants of the old Pub and it's Oven/Bakery.

The crew is shown here with the Bakery to the right of Bryce. Please do not be mistaken that there will be any significant features. The Pub and Bakery walls only amount to a few layers of rocks placed on each other.

A significent telltale that you have reached your destination, is that the area is overshadowed by a rather large Old Man Fig Tree. This tree is substantial and the fig itself is combined with a lot of rainforest Strangler Vines.

The Fig Tree serves as a great protector of the site. If you listen carefully with the wind through the canopy, you could almost hear the joviality and laughter emmanating around the site from the old workers of the past. Beer songs and the clinking of glass echo as the ghosts of the past enjoy themselves after a hard day's toil.

The Pub itself is slightly larger in area. The Pub would be of a 3 metre by 3 metre square. 3 rock walls are evident. However, what is the most telling of all, are the remnants of old beer bottle remains from all over the site.

These beer bottles are made of old glass about a centimetre thick and would do damage to a persons foot or leg if that person was not unduly aware of the surroundings. So please be very careful traversing the site.

Once you have taken in the history of the site, you can then take the decision to retrace your steps back to the Douglas Track, or even continue onto the base of Stoney Creek Waterfall of which , on a hot day, the water would be inviting for a swim. This track leads to the famous bridge of the waterfall of which is a main promotion of the far north.

On this particular day however, the goal had been achieved and the crew made their way back to the Trailhead....right in time for lunch. Enjoyed by all, this track is the perfect introduction for hiking in the rainforest.

Remember : if ever you sample the preciousness of our wonderful far north, please take care and look after your environment. Leave only a footprint in the sand or a ripple in the water....and take nothing away except for photographs and memories.

Blue Skies

Flounder

Rainbows and Waterfalls....Nandroya

2011-07-03T17:46:00.000-07:00

Hike to Mystical Nandroya Falls

On the first day of May, an intrepid crew set forth to investigate a hidden waterfall advertised in tourist mags and on National Park brochures. The promotion photos abound with beautiful waterfalls littered with pixies and elves in a golden tropical rainforest.

It was an ideal walk for some who had not hiked for a while....and even those who had not hiked at all.

Nandroya Falls was located about 20 minutes west of Innisfail in Far North Queensland. The falls themselves were located on a circuit track which were estimated at 3.5 kilometres on the eastern track and 1.7 kilometres on the Western Track.

The hiking trail itself is a fairly flat and easy negotiable track through rainforest settings with hardly any climbing involved. The Eastern track winds it's way through the rainforest, and then finds the side of the creek of which the Falls feeds into.

From the trail, the creek, of which would feed into the North Johnstone River, looks like a negotiable Grade 2 river mostly with the odd Grade 4 rapid thrown in.

Understandably, Tarzan, Timme, and Flounder were wondering if it could be paddled. However, drops of at least 10 feet waterfalls were on the cards. So if paddled, it would need to be scouted rather than a read and run.

Along the way there were a couple of waterfall crossings for the hikers, and it gave the intrepid crew a welcome break plus a great photo opportunity.

On reaching the main falls, of which the group heard before we viewed the falls, the group settled down for an early lunch.

Nandroya Falls consist of two sets of waterfalls. The higher falls which also housed the main swimming waterhole, was a 100 foot drop of majestic power. It was a sight to behold. The Lower Set of the Nandroya Falls consisted of numerous pourovers of a level set of waterfalls. Photo opportunities of both sets of falls were evidently the main drawcard of this mystical canyon.

The main waterfall emptied into a swimmable basin of freezing mountain water. However, going this far, a swim was always on the cards. The brave few could end up swimming to a few appropriate located sand bars. One of which was right next to the boil of the main waterfall.

On locating ourselves next to the main boil, we found it difficult to keep our footing on the sand with the power of the waterfall being wind and rain the strength of a category 4 cyclone.

It definately was a different experience of feeling the power of something so majestic up close.

After basking in the sun for a while , it was time to brave the lower set of falls. A motley crew of 6 ventured down through the tricky slope and out onto the unstable rocky bank of the lower falls.

This gave us the experience of a swimmable lagoon located under the waterfalls. Yes, even at this stage of the day, the water was still freezing.

Once the group had stayed for enough time to be fed, watered and relaxed, it was time to head back to the Henrietta Campground from whence we came. We completed the 1.7 kilometre track with ease enabling us to get back to the safety of our vehicles inside of 20 minutes.

All participants of the day thoroughly enjoyed themselves and found that they had been touched by the mystical qualities of the waterfall. This then trasferred into motivation to complete more hikes around the area.

Proud Supporter of Adventure Equipment Cairns.

Remember, if you plan to hike along the most wonderous trails of this great country of ours, please only leave footprints in the sand, and take away only photographs and memories our you experience.

Blue Skies

Flounder

Confront your Fears - Split Rock - Barron Gorge

2011-07-02T17:24:00.000-07:00

Jump into the Unknown - Abseiling Split Rock - Barron Gorge

As a part of motivating friends of mine, I had organised Pete Dumson (Roper Extraordinaire) from Top Knot Climbing to facilitate a couple of abseiling sessions on a basic rock drop called Split Rock in the Barron Gorge, Cairns.

The crew consisted mainly of the regular paddlers, and a few friends from the Department of Environment and Resource Management.

So on a balmy April Sunday morning, the first crew set foot in the gorge to challenge themselves for an introduction to abseiling. Pete led us through directions of our safety gear, and to initialise us with the practice of relaxing when being suspended on a height above the ground. Split Rock is only a 15 metre granite rock base. But the speciality of this site is that it is a flat rock all the way down and does not have features of any overhangs or craggy rock pieces to overcome.

The teams were split into two groups and everyone was keen .

Pete had people practise on a small practise rope with their descender and harness before stepping up to the main abseil.

For some, this was a challenge at abseiling for the first time. A notable reaction to first time abseiling is the trust you need to place in your equipment.

Below are some of the images of the abseil day for the team.

The experience was enjoyed by all who participated and some had come away with a new-found confidence of conquering their fears.

After each session, Pete had then led the group down to another part of the rock to show a small cave which houses small micro-bats. It also accomodates rock climbers for a crevice to scale internally.

The cave is only a small worn crack in the rock and was yet another experience for the participants to overcome. So Fear of Heights and Claustrophobia were checked off in the same day.

Well done to all who had participated for the day.

Proud Supporter of Top Knot Climbing and Adventure Equipment Cairns.

Remember, when you are hiking or boating through the natural trails and watercourses of this great country of ours, please leave only footprints in the sand or a ripple in the water, and take nothing away apart from photographs and memories.

Blue Skies

Flounder

In the Shadow of the Mountain.......

2011-04-14T03:42:00.001-07:00

In the Shadow of the Mountain..........

Lower Behana Gorge....

Well this was the plan for a sunny Autumn day. Unfortunately, the plan did not come to fruition as when the crew got to the measurement guide, it seemed to be too large for our skills. The Measurment Guide as per our adviser Deb, is that the water running over the causeway below the Behana Gorge Carpark, should be below ankle deep. Unfortunately this was not the case.

Decision making was made and the crew under impromptu pushing from Craig (another gun), The mighty Russell River was chosen as the target. Yep, the crew were about to step up....

The Mighty Russell River....

Rocks, Tree Branches, cold water, ducking, diving, swerving, swinging the kayak to miss obstacles, leeches.....and that was just the hike in !!!!

Yep, the hike in for newby's is a very tough 3k's with a boat on your shoulder. In the team were Craig, Flounder, Adro, Sandy, Laggy, Gonz, and the indefatigable Tarzan. Incidentally, Tarzan had Timme's boat....which was lightweight....but he was uncertain about a smaller boat in a bigger rapid for the first time.

There were two major creek crossings for the hike in, and the crew made the most of the second crossing. Very cold refreshing water livens up the soul.

Not long after we arrived at the drop in. We had a small break (which I sooner learnt that it wasn't big enough).

We received a surprise when Deb and Jeremy turned up. That now made the numbers as 1 gun per 2 novices which were great odds.

Our introduction was the Leichardt Rapid, a solid Grade 3 of which looked straight out of the movie Deliverence. Flounder did a turn of significance due to the fact that he did not panic in the midst of churning water. Tarzan had carried a small gecko transported from Timme's place. Tarzan went for a swim himself and was surprised that the gecko had a bath in a washing machine. The gecko was let go in new surroundings of which he would be very anxious let loose in the jungle in the shadow of the Mountain.

After boats and gear of swimmers introduced to frothing water was collected, we were off for the next small grade 2 followed by a small grade 3. The interesting thing about the Grade 3 which shows Adro's yellow helmet, was that there were two large holes and as paddlers , the group had to cicane through the turmoil one by one.... All passed with flying colours.

Once that was completed, it was now time for yet another step up. We found that we were on a river with big water.....and bigger than Craig had initially thought. The next rapid was "Three Ways". This can be a very dangerous rapid and has been fatal in recent years. The dangerous part being the imposing rock in the midst of the rapid. It is undercut....and to the left of the rock, there are a few sieves which are fatally dangerous to paddlers.

Jeremy, Deb, Craig, Adro, Sandy and Gus were the ones to try this rapid with successful outcomes.

The other crew were just happy to portage around. It was at this point I had realised I was dead tired from carting my boat everywhere in the Shadow of the Mountain.

The Waterfall Rapid. At this level, it was considered dangerous. The crew had spent at least half an hour discussing options. I had landed on a separate rock island to the main crew, and looking around, I realised in horror that we had to run this rapid. there was no portage around.

What made the Waterfall dangerous was that there was a massive hole that would hold you for days if you were caught in there. So we didn't want to go there !!!! Option 1 was the Chicken Shute which seemed viable to the crew, and Jeremy successfully ran it, then Deb also . However, the crew chose option 2... the Chicken Drop . The Chicken Drop, even though is not seen here clearly was the best option for us novice paddlers.

I was worried in regards to reading this rapid (the Chicken Shute) as I was thinking about the recirculation of River right of the big catch rock at the bottom. That is if you were swimming this. However, I was to be proved wrong shortly.

The Chicken Drop was about 2 metres of a hard rock slide of which Tarzan and I had done successfully. Unfortunately, Laggy had made the decision to run it then changed his mind and went down the Shute....indecision kills... From this point I am unsure of what the rest of the crew had done, as I was paddling hard to river left to get to the portage area for the next rapid to aid the guys with Laggys Boat. The next rapid was the Rollercoaster of which the guns ran successfully . Everyone else portaged.

The Rollercoaster....a Grade 4 living hell that you must hit right at the sweet spot. Apparently it is a quick ride down....if you hit it at top speed. River right is the direction and all you have to do is keep your balance....apparently !

Next was a smaller decent Grade 2 of which was to prove my downfall. My downfall was brought about by broadsiding some large standing waves at the bottom of this. I then got separated from my boat of which Craig and Adro chased. The boys had chased my boat until it got hung up on a tree branch on River right just at the gates of the next Grade 2. From there, my boat, with a little bit of adjustment from Adro, then promptly travelled the rest of the river without me. From here my river tales differ from the crew. My experience of the last three rapids were of climbing over Cyclone Yasi trees, dodging Wait-A-While, and uttering very loud technical terms.

I did however get to have a decent view of the bend in the river for which I could see the crew's antics.

The Standing Wave Rapid is a rapid which has a couple of breaking waves in which could unseat the unwary paddler. At this level, it would be one hell of a pushing wave. From my perch high atop the ridge, I had seen Laggy and Adro both go for a swim....whilst the young gun Gonz, successfully negotiated his way through.

Gonz then paddled his way through some splashes onto the last main rapid of the day.

This is where Gonz had his fall from Glory. His brace was not quite correct and thus he went swimming all the way to the get out at Golden Hole.

Jeremy ended up passing his paddle to soapslick hands Adro. As Adro had then lost his third paddle of the day from his grasp. Adro must have been tired as he also went swimming at the last rapid....I would say he would have been tired from the full day out as I can attest to.

At long last we reached the placid water of Golden Hole. However, we did not stay in those depths for long....due to prehistoric lizard sightings made a while back. But it seemed to be a fruitful day and in the aftermath of the journey, everyone from the work team did own up to be very weary over the next few days.

Thanks for the day go to Craig, Deb, and Jeremy for not only their humorous remarks on our paddling styles, but their ever consistent lookout for our safety.

Remember : if you are paddling in the fabulous waterways or our great country, please do not leave any more than a ripple in the water and a footprint in the sand, and take nothing away but photographs and memories of your wonderful adventure

Blue Skies everyone

Flounder

Proud Supporter of Adventure Equipment Cairns, and Top Knot Climbing

Upcoming Date Claimers

2011-04-08T18:37:00.000-07:00

Confirmed Upcoming Date Claimers for April Hi all, this is just to keep you in the loop... Sunday April 10 : The crew ventures to the Lower Behana Gorge : A 30 min hike in with the boats on the shoulders, and then hopefully an exciting Grade 2-3 paddle back down to the Behana carpark or the causeway further down. Trip photos and stories will be on here next week. Sunday April 17 : Top Knot Climbing takes the adventurous crew (plus some others) through the rigours of abseiling Split Rock on Barron Gorge. Sunday May 1 : This date sees the crew tone it down a little and head to the wondorous national park containing Nandroya Falls. This will just be a hike and some lunch after a 90 minute drive from Cairns. All in All : a natural way to live life. Proud Supporter of Adventure Equipment Cairns

Proud Supporter of Top Knot Climbing Cairns Please remember : if you paddle the fantastic waterways of this great country, or if you hike through the wondorous landscapes, please always only take out just photos and memories....and leave nothing behind except for a ripple in the water....or a footprint in the sand. Blue Skies Flounder

Barron River - Tinaroo - under the Dam

2011-04-07T05:04:00.000-07:00

Barron River - Tinaroo - Under the Dam

Well it's raining still in the North. However, does that matter to kayakers ? I think not.

The crew had a plan to head to the Mighty Russell River, however due to the river undergoing a "Deliverance" transformation....we decided that brains are better than valour . Hence, the decision was made to head to the Grade 2-3 river track of Tinaroo.

In the crew for the day were (left to right) : Tarzan, Flounder, Oppa, Dene, Gonz, Yank, Tooey, Laggy, Adro, Deb and Dano. A delightful mix of skills and competantly led by Deb for the day.

The river itself was higher than our last visit (at least by 60cm). After setting up the vehicle transfer for pick-up vehicles, we were on our way.

First rapids on the menu were the holes and waves used for the recent Freestyle National Titles. There was a nasty looking hole in the middle of the river and we easily slipped around it ....except for Oppa who charged through it with his sturdy Steed the Hero.

We powered on led by the untiring Deb through the Drop N Boil rapid. The water in this was more pushy and as we lined up, unfortunately Gonz fell straight in front of me.

I added a bit of red plastic to his helmet, not that he felt it. I had slowed right up to not totally park my boat on top of his head searching for air, when unfortunately I had hit a rock and promptly went swimming myself. Fortunately, after going sideways through a couple of small holes where water flooded the attic of the helmet, we settled down into the big pool following....much to the chargrin of the others.

A decision was made to portage the boats back upriver, and do the fun rapid again. Apart from Oppa who practised his roll midrapid, all kayakers made it through in the glaring spotlight of the truth recorder...(camera)

Of course, doing the rapids also means a heap of surfing practise on any hole we can find. Here, Dano and Tarzan show their wares.

After paddling through some obstructing pine trees, the crew then made it up to the Cascade Rapid leadup for some more surfing practise.

With the Cascades rapid looming, Deb broke the group up into a few smaller teams of three/four. This made it easier for each group to eddy hop the 300m rapid. The Cascade Rapid features a lot of rocks where we ground our boats over, skipping around holes, and taking the right lane to safely get through the rapid. All except for young Dano, who right at the end of the rapid, had got stuck in the large hole at the end. In Dano's defence he was practising his rolling skills....but unlucky that the water kept catching the edge of his boat and tumbling him around again in the washing machine. His decision to pop out of the cockpit was absolute flawless timing , as I had then added the red colour of my boat to his grey helmet. Alas, it seemed the momentum of the day....oops. Dano's boat then promptly wrapped around a rock, and his paddle went walkies down river quickly pursued by Deb and Flounder. Alas, we were followed by a riderless boat of Dene's which was followed by Dene's paddle....and then humbly by Dene.... All over the Rock Drop rapid in that order. After much collection of kayakers and gear, we had successfully lost nothing at all....much to Deb's surprise. But this is the S-Teem Crew....we only lose gear in dead calm areas... At a long flatwater area, people had tried their rolls and Adro pulled off a magnificent hand roll to the applause of the crew. Tinaroo Falls was looming.....

Deb quite rightly led the group into the Chicken Shute. This shute skirted the main Tinaroo Falls of which we heard thunderous water. However, the chicken shute featured little grinding rock drops and were easily manouvered by all the crew with all of the enjoyment of children flopping down on tyre tubes. A lot of fun....

It was time to check out the falls. They definately were Grade 4. Deb took the group to a decent viewing platform and I personally think each of the crew were saying a silent prayer overjoyous that we were not doing this rapid. PHOTO TIME

Once the falls were successfully negotiated via portage, the crew set about playing in the bottom rapids and waves. Deb discreetly advised that the main catch rock, hid a dangerous sieve and overhang to catch unwary paddlers.

We could not leave until some of the paddlers experienced the bigger water with Deb.

Adro, Yank , and Dano had a go at ferrying out to the main eddy right under the falls, and then promptly passed their way through the large wave at the bottom of the flow.

Successful it was.....with Adro picking the best line across the frothy water.

All in all, complete with fantastic Coffee at the caravan park cafe, so ended the adventure of Tinaroo. Remember : if you paddle the amazing waterways of this great country of ours, always take nothing more than photos and memories, and leave nothing but a ripple in the water, and footprints in the sand. Blue Skies Flounder

2011 - the year for Rescues

2011-02-25T16:36:00.000-08:00

Carnage on the Mulgrave

A few weekends ago, a crew of unknowns hired the Adventure Equipment Boats, 4 canoes, 2 sit-on-tops, and the 2 Bass kayaks. Staff at Adventure Equipment understood that the trip leader was fairly equipped in knowledge about river travel. Unfortunately, this leader did not have the adequate skills to take people on the watercourse of where heand their crew should have been.

The watercourse was the top track of the Mulgrave. Unfortunately, the river level was at maximum....of which the S-Teem crew would not even take canoes. To make matters worse, he had a couple of 4-5 year old kids with them.

To make matters EVEN worse, he supposedly accessed a locked gate. The gate at Arnolds was locked by QPWS Staff earlier during flood and cyclone clean-ups.

The end result ????? Wrapped canoes and people in the water at dangerous places such as the culverts at Arnolds Bridge. Lucky in this case , no one lost their lives. However, 2 canoes and 4 paddles were lost.

A week later, the S-Teem crew offered their services to search for and recover the lost Canoes and equipment. We had accessed a key from the QPWS Rangers. It was interesting to note, that when we were accessing the lock, we were told of a couple of unknown 4WD vehicles accessed the gate with an illegal key. The crew had set about "Operation Ham and Lettuce Wrap".

Joining us for the first time was very competant kayakers, Gunny and Craig. These guys are part of the gun crew that paddle high water.

Gunny had the recovery gear in his arsenal.

He also looked after Mobbsy , who after a 2 year absence, had resumed her love of kayaking. As a matter of course, Mobbsy was rusty and showed first up on the S-Bend Rapid. However, all been good, she survived and we continued on our way. The other rusty beginner was Beefy. Although....he had paddled really well throughout the day.

So whilst the search went on and on throughout the morning, it was evident that the crew was also out for an enjoyable paddle. So it cames as a surprise that a rock we had always surpassed and paddled by unknowingly, Gunny and Craig illuminated our thinking towards updating skils for seal launching.

Seal Launching is a skill to "launch" off a height above the water....whether it be a ledge, a bridge, or creekbank.

Gunny had asked for a couple of volunteers and of course, the two resident crazies stepped forward.....Adro and Tarzan.

Both had successful seal launches.

Although, Adro , when he had plunged into the cool waters, proceeded to come straight back the way he entered.

Both had completed the launch successful pulling off a combat role to the applause of the rest of the crew.

All ready to go for a swim at the Eddy Trap, crew had spied the first of the canoes . It was wrapped on the prominent formation at the top tier of the Waterfall rapid.

Gunny assumed command and got about the recovery operation.

The boat was well and trully wrapped. A wrapped canoe is where the canoe comes in flat contact with a rock or obstacle with the cockpit open up-river. The force of the water then holds the boat in place and "wrapping" around the obstacle, sometimes breaking it's back.

Boats do become wrapped around obstacles with the cockpit facing downriver and these are easier to dislodge.

Craig and Adro had gone out to inspect and find out the best angle for leverage of the rock.

Ropes and Pully systems were put into place. Crew were placed in various locations for situation changes.

Once the boat was levered succesfully off the rock, we transported the boat to a stable platform to hopefully be able to push the dents out of the hull. The hull seemed to be intact and no cracks appeared. Thank god for plastic.

The boat then was refloated and Gunny used his cowtail hitch to tow the boat downriver. He would be the best qualified to do such a manouvre. We still had one major rapid to go through until our exit point at Arnold's bridge.

Once the crew was successfully eddyed out at Arnolds Bridge, the canoe was secured in a safe spot, to allow the rest of the crew to have a bit more fun paddling through the Shark's Tooth. This was another fantastic level for paddling this Grade 2+ rapid.

All in all, the crew had a great day.....1 out of the 2 canoes was recovered, along with three paddles and a PFD. A successful day.

Remember, when paddling the fabulous watercourses of this great country of ours, please do not leave anything behind other than a ripple in the water, and footprints in the sand, and do not take anything away except for photographs and memories.

Blue Skies

Flounder

Proud supporter of Adventure Equipment Cairns

Flexible Date Claimers - up to June 2011

2011-02-12T16:39:00.001-08:00

Hi Crew

This post is just to sort out some of the targets for the Year of the Rabbit .ie 2011

Paddling :
There is not much left of summer as in one and a half months to go. So the main aspects will be on paddling the lesser creeks and streams that we don't have a chance to do most of the year around. These would be generally Freshwater Creek (from Crystals Bottom Pool down) and Little Mulgrave River. However, a couple more may be added into that now. But with these, special circumstances are to be applied. These are the Russell River, and Harvey Creek.

To add weight to the circumstances, these would be shown to us by a paddler known as Gunny.

Special Circumstances would be weather, river levels, expected rain, and guide availability.

Also a target is the Barron river under the Tinaroo Dam. This would only be to special circumstances also. Mainly due to river levels. We have to catch it when the water drops for going over the dam wall to the river drying up. So a constant look is required.

With the top trip of the Mulgrave being affected from the floods and Cyclone Yasi, there will be limited supply for the start of the year. Either I or Tangles will let people know of the top trip availability.

I would expect to be taking canoes again by about late April early May.

So dates for paddling weekends should be :

Feb 19/20; Mar 5/6, 19/20; Apr 2/3, 16/17; 30; May 1, 14/15, 28/29; Jun 11/12; 25/26

Hiking
I expect us to start doing a few hikes from April as to when the weather calms down a bit. First in the hit list will be Behana Gorge for a chicken champagne lunch....and a swim. Other targets will be as always....the ever-elusive Mt Emerald (backpack hike and camp), a year for the Pyramid (groan).... and possibly a partial Misty Moutain hike into Nandroya Falls.

Dates for these would possibly be:
Apr 16/17, 30; May 1, 14/15, 28/29; Jun 11/12; 25/26

Candleight Dinners
With the wind and rain around, I don't expect to kick the dinner off until about May. The locale for the first dinner will be Freshie Creek at the Wall Rapid. It is not too far to take the tables and gear in....we may even get in a swim if we get there early enough. So once the weather calms down....it is on ! A few people have expressed interest in this , but it still should be capped though. But for now, I leave the number for later consultation.

Abseiling
On speaking with Pete Dumson, who is the proud new father of the business "Top Knot Climbing", Pete assures me that we can organise an abseiling day at Split Rock in the Barron Gorge. Split Rock is a nice Granite Boulder with a perfect descent for a really large boulder, and has the descent of about a 20 metre drop. People will be able to perfect their abseiling technique, and harness work. There is also a possible chance of abseiling from "Slippery When Wet" at Lovers Leap in the Gorge. However, this will be for the more brave.

Pete is a respected member of the climbing fraternity and also works at Adventure Equipment in Grafton Street.

Pete's fees are usually in the range of $70....but he may be able to get the price down to about $40 for a three hour jaunt on Split Rock.

Abseiling in the Gorge would need a beautiful day and hence this would also be generally in May.

Possible Abseiling dates are :

May 1, 14/15, 28/29; June 11/12, 25/26

Proud supporter of Top Knot Climbing

Proud Supporter of Adventure Equipment Cairns

Australia Day Paddle 2011

2011-01-29T17:32:00.001-08:00

Australia Day Paddle 2011

In a time honoured tradition, the crew set sail for another paddling adventure on the high rivers. Last year was a flooded Mulgrave, with this year, rains come and gone for a while, the plans had been set about for an adventure on the mighty Russell River. Unfortunately, due to Adro's unfortunate back injury, and Gunny's domestic Straya Day duty, we had no guide who had paddled the river regularly. Laggy did offer but was not confident due to river levels, thus the location was then changed to the Freshwater Creek, a lovely little play river which, at the right level, provides a lot of fun and frivolity.

The crew this time were : Flounder, Tangles, Tarzan, Lucky, Freckles, Tooey, Snowwy, Sandy, and Laggy. Four of the crew had been through this part of the creek before, and for the other five.....an anticipated fun adventure was about to begin.

The crew met in Crystals Carpark, and compared boats and dynamics of boats. Most of all interest was Snowwy's sit-on-top....for which a many raised eyebrow looked on due to the size and length of the boat.

But to his credit, Snowwy manouvered the aircraft carrier with ease through the Grade 2 Boulder Garden Rapid of which surprise came to us all.

First Stop was the portage and insertion at the bottom pool at Crystal Cascades. Above this point, there lies many a Grade 3+ rapid. A few of the crew decided to have a go at the two drops above.....for which much interest was observed.

Flounder set up safety of which he recognised the first rapid was slightly a bit dangerous for the way the water flows over the slide, it tends to hold the unsuspecting kayaker within it's realm at the bottom.

First down was Lucky with the Mamba which seemed to have enough bouyancy to take him through the reticulating slide.

Next through was the ever-present Laggy. His Axiom , which sometimes resembles the USS Enterprise for it's size and volume, had no trouble negotiating the waters of the middle pool.

Once two were through, only one remained. Young Sandy started his journey for something he had never done before. But all was in place....

Oops....the Perception did not quite have the volume and gave Sandy a good back-somersault. To his credit, Sandy did not panic and did try to roll twice without success due to the churn of the boil.

Flounder deployed the throw bag but was not needed as the two other boys successfully rescued the waterlogged Sandy

The crew then added Tooey and Tarzan to the list at the middle pool, and then Laggy Luke and Tarzan then led the crew through the last drop into the Bottom Pool. All succeeded. Well done to all.

The crew then made preparations to journey down Freshwater Creek....their target being "The Rocks Causeway".

The Boulder Garden was the first rapid. Unfortunately , this rapid was not easily disposed of due to carnage with Freckles Deisel. The boat travelled down the river with Tooey in pursuit and Freckles made plans to hitch a ride with Snowwy and Tarzan. Welcome to the water Freckles.....

Many Grade 2 rapids were then dealt with with no real carnage and the crew settled down to a good team process in that leaders would help out the virgins of this creek.

At the end of this technical part of the river, we all faced the culmination. This was a small drop rapid that verges on Grade 3. With water in the river from previous rain, it makes it easier to negotiate. See the Drop Rapid Video below. Tooey and Snowwy came to grief to add interest to the rapid.

Once the Crystals Bridge was reached, things settled down once again with normal Grade 2 rapids. Rock Drop, hang vine and 1st weir were all negotiated well.

The Wall Rapid provided some interest. Sandy, with much credit to his persistence, went through a successful roll....encompassing some seven tries in a row. We all stopped for a swim....and I am sure Sandy was thankful for the rest.

The main Weir was then disposed of and minor Grade 2 rapids were then disposed of after that.

See the video showing the Redlynch Valley Bridge of an example of a "nice little flow".

Finishing at the Rocks Causeway, the crew felt relief of a longer than normal paddle. The crew dispersed happy with some following other Straya Day plans....and some adjourning to the Red Beret....a local watering hole with beautiful food....and cold, cold ales for all.

In all, another successfull Australia Day Paddle had been completed.

Remember, when paddling the fabulous waterways of this great country, please do not leave anything except for footprints in the sand and a ripple behind the boat, and please do not take anything away apart from photos and great memories of the event.

Blue Skies ....Flounder

End of January Paddle Plans

2011-01-17T21:54:00.000-08:00

End of January Paddle Plans
(you can expand pictures by clicking on them)

Plan for Sunday 23rd January:

The main plan is for the usual top trip from Kearneys to Sharks Tooth Campground. Water is good at the moment with only 30cm below Fisheries.

Option A (if the gate is still closed) : will be Arnolds through to Roos - Tangles will be contacting the ranger on Friday.

Option B (if water is over Fisheries) : either Fisheries to Peetes or the Little Mulgrave River depending on water.

Meet at the Servo at 9am on Sunday. Bring usual paddling gear of clothes you can get wet; shoes you can get wet, bottle of drinking water; dry clothes; towel; and a small watertight container for your car keys.

Plan for Australia Day Paddle ( Wednesday 26th) :

The Main Plan is the Russell River. This will be only open to the usual crew. Adrian will be the lead on this one as he knows the river. We do face a 45 min portage in with the boats, thus we need an early start. The river level for us needs to be 3-3.5 metres at Bucklands on the BOM Site. Any higher we may have to revert to another watercourse. This will be decided on the day before.

So details are as follows:

Meet at Gordonvale Servo at 8am and travel to Golden Hole together by carpool.
Get to Golden Hole by 9am, unload.
Portage up, and have a swim and a decent rest at top.
For paddling, do major rapids two by two with others as safety cover with throw bags.
Once finished, Miriwinni Pub for a debrief.

Option A : Barron River just under the dam. Dano will check the water level on Monday/Tuesday. It is going over the dam at the moment. We just need water in the river. There are a number of great little Grade 2-3 rapids on the way....with the culmination with Tinaroo Falls being a Grade 4. Maybe we can paddle it this time. We did this Aug 2 years ago when they released. Pics below :

Proud Supporter of Adventure Equipment Cairns

Remember : when paddling these fabulous waterways of this great country, do not leave anything behind except for a ripple in the water and footprints in the sand; and take nothing away except for photographs and Memories.

Blue Skies.....Flounder

First Paddle of 2011

2011-01-15T15:54:00.000-08:00

The First Paddle of the Mulgrave River 2011
(The story of Lawrie)

Christmas 2010 in the North brought presents to children and among other things....with heavy downpours in the Mulgrave catchment, a huge level of water. Just as a guide intrepid paddlers utilise the Bureau of Meteorology's website of recording river levels. The level and recording gauge used for the Mulgrave River, among others, is at The Fisheries .... a low bridge of just 1.85 metres from the river bottom. Most of our paddle trips are based between 1 metre to 1.85 metres or in our terms from 80 cm underneath the bridge to bridge level.

The news events of early 2011 of Central Queensland and South-East Queensland brought sobering information in regards to driving over flooded causeways with many vehicles lost and some tragic lives lost.

So when the intrepid paddlers learnt that the river level for the Mulgrave was at 9 metres, there was no way paddles were going to happen in the Mulgrave Valley. Paddlers went to other funspots at Freshwater Creek and Crystal Cascades (see earlier posts).

The first paddle of the Mulgrave started with a group of 11 venturing forth on usual plans....to do a trip from Kearneys to the Sharks Tooth. However, a locked gate at Arnolds Bridge soon had us changing our paddle plans to paddle from Arnolds to Roos Road bridge.

This meant that the virgin paddlers, Lawrie and Cameron, were to be thrown in at the deep end to venture through the Sharks Tooth rapid first up.

Lawrie and Cameron went through initial refresher kayak training

and increased their confidence to at least face the first rapid.

Some of the crew as a warm up ventured up to the swing rapid to play in holes and the standing waves to then meet us at Arnold's Bridge. Once they came down , our adventure began in earnest.

Once through the Shark's Tooth rapid being separated from his boat, Lawrie was told that he was through once of the hardest rapids that the river had to offer. From this photo to the left, Lawrie found that if he was to venture into troubled waters.....he had crew and friends ready to help.

Once all was reset and people emptied their boats of water creeping in, we followed the river to find an unusual small hole and wave just below of our normal pull out at the campground. Here Timme and Adro went through a usual play of surfing their boats.

Unfortunately with this part of the river, a long serene flatwater section of the river has to be traversed to get to the next set of rapids.

Due to the ageing nature of our paddlers, and the more interest in paddling the flowing waters, we rarely travel these sections anymore.

However, this section of river does provide interesting vistas of quiet paddling and Lawrie took full advantage of a serene paddle.

Once the first set of lang flatwater was behind us, the intrepid paddlers now faced the rushing waters of Melaleuca Corner and the ever present Rock Garden rapids.

On his first try, Lawrie surpassed the expectations of the crew, and managed to paddle through the Garden. However unfortunately, the same could not be said for Cameron and Gus who had not done the Rock Garden previously. Chaos reigned and carnage followed.

They were not the only ones.....

Tarzan had previously not paddled for a while and found that he had problems with rocks. He also found that his pretty Perception kayak had close encounters with submerged rocks and ended up for a while sticking end upon end out of those same rocks much like the Lady of the Lake held Excalibur.

Tarzan had then submitted to following the river on his backside....much to the bemusement of the other crew.

The river then flatens out for most of the way with trivial rapids on the way. Portages over the Fisheries Bridge gave a chance for Seal Launches. Overhanging branches then claimed the ego of Spray, Gus and Cameron.

The day ended quite satisfactory with Laggy cooking a magnificent meal of sausages and onions for a sizzle to fill the hungry torsos.

Please Remember : If you paddle the amazing and natural watercourses of this fabulous country of ours, do not leave anything other than footprints, and take nothing away other than photographs and memories.

My best wishes to the unfortunate people of South East Queensland for the tragic events that have unfolded in the past week.

Christmas Paddling 2010

2010-12-29T20:29:00.000-08:00

For when the usual haunts are too big for our skills....

such as the "Butchers Knife" Rapid on the Barron Gorge....

And the "Cheese Churner" Rapid on the Barron Gorge.... we then revert to :

A usually Babbling Brook that turns into a seething torrent....well for Grade 2 paddlers....

Freshwater Creek : Crystals Bottom Pool to Redlynch Valley Bridge

The river run on the Crystal Cascades Gorge Rapids at this time of year are inundated with the gods of kayaking from the Cairns Kayaking Club, who run devastating rapids like "No Fear".

However being true to the first rule of kayaking - only run rapids of which you are confident in doing - brings us to the Grade 2-3 section beneath the Gorge Rapids (of which are Grade 4-5).

This section of rapids generally have pushy water at Grade 2 level where the adventurer needs to clearly read water dynamics to ascertain the flow, pick up on any water pillows (water flowing over rocks and boulders), and dodge any tree limbs that threaten to unseat the unsuspecting paddler.

The crew for the paddle (Dec 27th) were Adro, Lucky, Dano, Tangles, Flick, Tank, and Flounder all in kayaks, and we were also joined by Dan and Eddie in a small two man raft.

Most of this expose will feature around the Grade 3 Drop rapid of which everyone took part in. But with the lead up to this rapid, we all had our share of drama and fun. A safety note for this though is that there are a couple of downed trees across the river of which we had to carefully navigate, and to be utterly safe, you can always portage (carry the boat and walk) around them
.

Eddie and Dan navigating their way through the rocks. Footnote : Dan was the absolute virgin paddler, of which we carefully watched.

The crew after a downed tree. We eddyed out mostly where we could on the stretch between the bottom pool and the Crystals Bridge.

The Drop Rapid : This is a Grade 3 drop of about a metre and a half to which it flows into a boil basin, and then the paddler needs to negotiate a rock wall to get into the flow. You need to paddle middle to left of middle for the correct line. Too far right heads you into a nasty tree branch. Safety Cover was set up, and the group went through three by three with the raft heading out in the middle of the group. (Adro to the left about to jump into the boil).

Once you negotiate the drop, you splash through the boil at least about chest deep, follow the river flow after the branch and head river right.

(Dano splashing through).

(Flick negotiates well)

Once you leave the secondary rapid, you can then either eddy out right or left.

A no-no. The raft boys headed too far right and had to fight with the tree branch. Dan then complicated the matter of not fending the tree branch away however, then grabbing hold of the branch (another no-no) and of course as always happens, the boys went swimming. In this case, the boys were covered by Adro, Tank, Tangles, and Flick. While Flounder and Dano paddled off in search of dropped paddles (another no-no). Footnote : those paddles were recovered a further 100-200 metres down river luckily.

(Flounder leaping above the wave train)

The Crystals Bridge is another small portage due to the water pipe shown left. This is where we recovered one paddle....the other eddyed out another 100 metres down stream.

This water pipe is a great indicator for water levels further up. But this is a dangerous spot as the water pipe can turn into a strainer where a person can get entrapped easily if they do not eddy out ot the right in the appropriate time.

After the carnage of the Drop Rapid, the crew then set about running the grade 2 rapids below. The Boulder Slip past did not claim anyone, but the Liana Hang Vine Rapid did. Adro managed to cut across Flounders Bow only to be upturned, then turning his (brand new) Nevis paddle into two small hand paddles, thus then eventually losing them to the river when he decided to submerge for a swim. Yep, he snapped it straight in half....and they disappeared. This is how it goes sometimes on the river.

Eddie and Dan surrendered a paddle (Adro's old faithful) and the crew continued to play in the small Grade 1-2 rapids that followed, occasionally eddying out to take in the scenery that is Freshwater Creek.

Flatwater Relaxing.....

The Redlynch Bridge provides an easy extraction point for paddlers. However, on a safety point, please be aware of the river levels as the older bridge is a lot lower to the water than the main bridge. This can also act as a strainer depending on water level.

Please remember : If you paddle the fabulous waterways of this great country, always take nothing away except for photographs and memories, and do not leave anything behind except for your footprints in the sand.

Events coming up

2010-12-19T20:20:00.000-08:00

Xmas Eve Paddle (Fri 24th):

This is plainly just for Jeremy and Nathan as I am dragging them (kicking and screaming) away from the XBox and Call of Duty.

The plan is to paddle the Mulgrave top trip unless we get heaps of water between now and then, and thus we will go to Crystal Cascades. So meeting at Gordonvale Servo at 9am otherwise will be organised by text for Crystals.

Russell River (Mon 27th):

This will be an exploratory paddle. Adro assures me that we will get through even if it is scraping the boats. Highjump....you really should come. Interested parties so far are Flounder, Adro, Dano, Lucky, Boagy, Gunny, and maybe Tangles and Flick if they stay in the North.

Tues 28th through to Friday 31st : various paddles organised at a drop of a hat. Some interested beginner paddlers so most probably upper Mulgrave.

LET ME KNOW BY TEXT IF YOU WISH TO COME N PLAY.....

If you wish to paddle our fabulous waterways of this great country....remember to always take nothing except for photographs....and leave nothing behind except for footprints in the sand.

Merry Xmas to all

Flounder (and Santa)

Upper Stoney Creek Falls - Douglas / Smiths Track

2010-11-06T18:06:00.000-07:00

Hike to Upper Stoney Creek Falls via the Douglas and Smiths Track

On a nearly cloud free day, a group of paddlers set off for a different kind of adventure. Basically we were off on a hike in search of an elusive set of waterfalls which existed on Stoney Creek high above the tourist falls, which you see in every tourist brochure.

The plan was to do a circuit of Stoney Creek Gorge with the lunch being at this most beautiful vista. The author had being here once before but had come up from below via the railway track. This access was no longer viable unfortunately.

The group existed of various levels of hiking experience, mainly with Quirky who was in the elite Bushwalking Club, Pete who relived his expertise of a long ago Scouts experience, the author whom hiking experience stretches back a few years to 2004, and Tarzan, Laggy, and Dano who will try anything.... as seen previously in paddling experiences.

The intrepid group left early on the saturday morning to hopefully get rid of most of the humidity of climbing through tropical rainforest. To access the Douglas and Smiths Track, you need to take a left at the Kamerunga Villas turnoff before crossing the Barron River bridge , and continue through the multitude of roundabouts to as far as you can go.

Once well into the Douglas Track, you finally reach the ridge over-looking our familiar Lake Placid playground after about 45 minutes to an hour. You head out on the ridge to the turnoff to Glacier Rock to suffer another 30 minute climb. However , on this track the vistas are superb.

Once getting to the lookout of Glacier Rock, the group tends to be tankful for the rest. A bit of sight-seeing is to be done, including the secondary lookout of which it looks over to the target of Stoney Creek falls.

Another bout of walking for about an hour, will get you to the Stoney Creek Crossing, which basking in the cool of the tropical rainforest setting of the flowing creek, adds refreshment and rest to the weary traveller.

It is here that there can be a choice to continue on for about 15 minutes....or rock-hop down the creek to the destination. Due to prior knowledge, it was agreed to press on and access the area from a different point.

Once getting to the bluff where the Smith's track travels along the southern ridge, there is a small pathway leading down to a rocky outcrop which offers amzing viewpoints of the Gorge, the famous railway bridge, and on the other side, sheer drops leading into the target pool of the trip.

It must be said at this point that ropes must be taken to traverse the travel down the precarious slope. The decision was made that we could not get to the bottom pool due to it being too dangerous. Hence the decision was to take our lunch at the top of the falls and bask and swim in the beautiful setting. The water was actually ice cold and felt like an athlete's ice bath. It actually did the same thing as an ice bath in that it refreshed and rejuvenated the tired aching muscles and limbs.

After lunch and a rest, the intrepid travellers again geared up for the hike back. However, looking from Glacier Rock, the view of the ridge was unlike anything we expected. From the turnoff to the creek, Smiths actually took a long two kilometres on a steady incline of which there was much complaining eventually from the author.

On the way up over the Smith's track, it again offered amazing vistas showing Glacier Rock from a different view.

Muscles tiring, limbs aching, the hiker actually looks forward to reaching the pinnacle of the hiking track from hell. Unbeknown to the hiker....worse is yet to come.

Smiths Track is an amazing trail in that the descent covers a 1 kilometre descent at an amzing 45 degrees at least. Together with loose gravel, and casuarina seeds acting as mongrel ball-bearings, it makes the descent very heavy and slow-going.

After about a good hour of torture, you eventually arrive at the trailhead of the Smith's track...only to face another 500 metres of undulating bitumen to be able to come back and kiss your vehicle vowing that you will never leave your car behind again !

Even for the muscle torture for the next few days (half the group actually kayaked the Barron Gorge the day after)....travelling around the Stoney Creek gorge was a rewarding experience. Well....enough to know to avoid the Smith's track in future anyways....

Remember, when you hike through the magnificent trails of this great country, always leave only footprints, and take nothing out except for photographs and memories.

Blue Skies

Flounder

The Cheese Churner Rapid - Barron Gorge, North Qld , Australia

2010-10-08T17:58:00.000-07:00

The Cheese Churner

The Cheese Churner rapid on the Barron Gorge represents the second hardest rapid that kayakers face. The first being the Roosters Tail which is the of course the flagship of this kayaking adventure.

However, rafting companies use Cheese as a perfect photo opportunity for their clientele. It is a bit of a different story for kayakers. Cheese is definately a grade 3 rapid and provides fun and enjoyment for the participant.

Hazards of Cheese : apart from the usual hazards of whitewater kayaking, you have the imposing rock on river left which has the possibility of an underpin catch if you approach on the left; the hole in the middle drops you waist deep and gives a possibility of turning you over; and the exit has two channels - it is best if you exit through river right channel, as the river left channel has a rocky embrace waiting for the unexpecting adventurer.

How to paddle Cheese (at 20 megalitres) :

You basically enter via river flow about 1 metre from the rock edge on river right, fall through the drop and your target is to cross the left side flow wave about mid channel. Slightly edge your boat downriver (on your right side) to allow the flow to push you through to the correct position.

You then face the hole in which all you do is keep your brace and push through the oncoming wave. Once that is done , use your draw to get to river right to exit through the correct channel. Push through with the flow and complete the small drop using your brace.

Once done, Cheese is a satisfying rapid and provides enormous esteem and confidence to the kayaker .

Remember, when paddling the fabulous natural watercourses of this great country, please leave nothing but footprints and take nothing out except for photos and memories of your visit.

Blue Skies

Flounder

Date Claimers - Sept - Oct 2010

2010-09-06T04:19:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

Please have a look at the tenuous plans for the upcoming 8 weeks below :

17th Sept - maybe a jog down the Barron Gorge - up to 30 meg only - Grade 3.
18th Sept - a run down the Upper Barron (TimMe want's this one) - Koah to Mantaka - Grade 2
2nd Oct - a possible hike over Goldsborough Saddle ? - Medium - 4 hours
3rd Oct - another run down the Barron Gorge - Grade 3
16-17 Oct - Finding water where we can - open
30th Oct - Douglas/Smiths Track hike to go in search of the upper Stoney Creek Waterfalls - Medium day hike
31st Oct - Halloween paddle....maybe dress up river run ?

Remember, when paddling or hiking this great country's watercourses and trails, please leave behind only footprints and take nothing out except for photographs or memories.

Blue Skies

Flounder

Short but sweet

2010-08-27T21:23:00.000-07:00

I placed this on facebook also. However, this is a short but fun video of the crew in the gorge.

Surfing the Whitewater Kayaks at the Beach

2010-08-21T21:37:00.000-07:00

Kayaking the surf at Yorkey's Knob

Every now and then, the crew sets sail for a different kind of paddling. We forsake the usual fresh river/stream smells and the lush tropical rainforest for one of salt air filling your lungs and the sounds of crashing breakers upon a sandy slope. The paddling is great when the winds rise and at Yorkeys Knob, Queensland, Australia, it is done at least when the blow is about 20-25 knot Sou-Easterlys.

Yes, this day at the beach was attended by some of the usual kayak crew namely : Flounder, Dano, Tarzan, JT, Freckles and TimMe. There were a number of small challenges to be had.....we now know why surfing is such an addictive sport for the lads down south (Even though these breakers only reached the dizzying heights of one metre). Nevertheless, it was great fun had by all.

The first challenge of the day was to be able to get into your kayak, get the deck on, hold the paddle close whilst being shuffled about by the everpresent waves. You then need to shuffle forward somehow and be patient to get the growing depth of water under your boat.

We all now know the feeling a baby turtle has in it's desperate attempt to get from the hatchery and into the safe haven of the ocean. It is a slow process.

Your next challenge is to battle the constant breakers that come your way. Be prepared to have your nostrils stinging with salt and the dry parched taste of the beach on your tongue.

As Freckles had stated for the day, it is great balance practice and your brace stroke gets a work-out.

Once out past the breakers, the waves do settle down. You can meet, converse on the laws of nature, and then be ready to catch your wave.

Your next challenge is looking for the next suitable wave. This in itself is a little harder than our actual surfing colleagues, as they are not restrained by full gear and limited vision. But you do get the feeling of being part of the surfers set when you learn to get ready for that wave you are hoping for.

The next challenge for you would be to jockey the kayak into position, paddle your heart out to get to the required speed of the wave, and once on the wave, lean back and steer with the rudder strokes to enjoy the ride.

The only thing is you must be mindful of when the wave is just about to end, be ready to ditch the wave or become stranded yet again to do the turtle crawl.

Only then you would get that ecstatic feeling as surfers from around the globe will tell you.....riding a wave is the best...."radical duuuuddddeeee !"

Enjoy the attached videos.....

However, it is suggested and recommended that you do take full gear with you....only for the plain reason of being dumped and have the kayak on top of you burying your face into the gritty sand of the beach.

Remember : as with our cherised river and streams, when paddling our great coasts of this great country, please do not leave anything behind except for your footprints in the sand, and take out nothing but photos and memories of the day.

Blue Skies

Flounder

Paddle Barron Gorge on Sun 8th August

2010-07-30T16:46:00.000-07:00

Paddle organised for whitewater kayaks on afternoon of Sunday 8th August.

Meet at Lake Placid carpark at 1.30pm

Attending so far : Flounder, Tarzan, Adro, Dano, Lag and Anna
Possibles : TimMe; Flick, Tangles, Fordey, and Casper
Blue Skies

Flounder

Candlelit Dinner - Behana Creek

2010-07-30T16:34:00.000-07:00

Welcome back all,

Hopefully we have seen the last of the unseasonal rain. Hence, the candelit dinner is a go-ahead for next Saturday night. So here is basically what you will need to do and bring :

First rule is you have to cook something on site....or be able to re-heat it somehow.
You must be able to at least cook for one or two people
Best if you bring :
Ingredients of what you are going to cook
Maybe a dessert
A folding table and folding chairs
Tableclothes
All types of Candles and Candle holders are accepted....if you have a candlelabra all the better
Eating utensils, plates and cups/wine glasses
Your Cooking utensils
Torch
Sandles or some kind of footwear
Mossie spray
Coffee and ability to cook great coffee
Warm clothing (maybe)
Your hiking gear or swimming gear....however, water will be cold

We will be meeting at 4pm on next Saturday afternoon....please email or contact myself for the meeting place.

So far, participants that intend on attending are :

Flounder, Adro, Flick, Tangles, Anna, Colleen, Greg, plus 4 unconfirmed friends of Colleens. Hope I have not forgot anyone else.

Blue Skies

Flounder

Paddling weekend for 24th - 25th July

2010-07-17T18:57:00.000-07:00

Hi all,

Just a reminder for the addicted.....

Paddling weekend (kayaks only going) next weekend for :

Sat 24th : a late Mulgrave run, meet at the gordonvale servo at 1.00pm - Kearney's to Sharkies
Sun 25th : a Barron Gorge run, meet at Lake Placid at 1.30pm

Who's going so far : Flounder, Highjump, beginners - Kelly, and Luke

See you there....

Flounder

Calendar Activities for July; Aug, and early Sept

2010-07-10T19:11:00.001-07:00

Hi All,

Just to let you know of upcoming plans.....

As per the post on 3rd June :

25th July : Canoes and Kayaks on the Upper Mulgrave - usual trip - Kearneys Campground to Sharks Tooth Campground.

This is all depending on how many we get for the canoes, otherwise it will be just a kayaks only trip. If you are interested, please see the contact details below

7th August : Candlelight Dinner on Behana Creek - We have about 10 people who are interested in this already...only need a couple more - capping at 12-13 -

This also depends on tables that we can take. We also need some Candlelabras if people have them. The rule is for this that you take food up there to cook at the site, either that or able to re-heat the meal. You need only to cook for one-two people....as it will then all be placed on the tables as buffet style.

8th August : Kayak Paddle on the Gorge. I will not be hiring out boats for this one. If you wish to come along, please organise with Mark at Adventure Equipment to hire boats and gear. This one is special as I have one of my old friends accompanying us and Anna was on the original Outdoor Rec course that inspired my love of Paddling.

21st-22nd August : Emerald Hike and Camp - This is just to get away for the weekend. If you are interested in this, please let me know. We have 4 people interested in this one. You will require a hiking backpack and decent hiking boots for this.

4th-5th September : Possible Paddling Camping Trip - Another getaway. This is Amatuers weekend, so no-one will be on the rivers....peace and quiet.

This all depends on my sons soccer finals. If Jeremy or Nathan makes Grand Finals this day. This trip will be suspended until next year.

Remember : when hiking or paddling the fabulous natural trails and watercourses of this great country of ours, please leave only footprints in the sand and take nothing away except for photos and memories.

Blue Skies everyone.

Flounder

Achievements

2010-06-11T19:18:00.000-07:00

Fantastic Achievements

Hopefully this post is aimed at inspiring you to come and update your paddling skills with us in the near future.

Over the years , there have been a number of people who have paddled with me down the rivers of Far North Queensland. These rivers include :

The Mulgrave River
The Little Mulgrave River
The Barron River
The Barron Gorge
Freshwater Creek
The Upper North Johnstone River
and Behana Creek

Unfortunately, the list below is not fully conclusive, so if I have omitted your name, please accept my apologies and let me know so as I can rectify this post. There will be groups of people of whom I do not know there surname so I will not place them in the list. These may be if you travelled in a group such as Renee's, Sarah's or LJ Hookers Edge Hill's for example.

The achievements are listed as :

Honour Student : This is basically the people whom I have instructed and in my mind, are willing to have a go at anything, have achieved trips in a whitewater kayak in a Grade 3 whitewater environment, have done innumerable trips down various sizes of Grade 2 water, or have paddled a grade 2 river and has never been unseated from the kayak.

Outstanding Achievement : These are the people whom I have instructed who have paddled Grade 2 whitewater in a whitewater kayak.

Highly Regarded Efforts : These are the people whom I have instructed on a Flatwater environment in a kayak, or who have paddled with us in a canoe.

Honourable Mentions : These are the people who are already versed in the ways of paddling a kayak, and have helped out over the numerous adventures that we undertake.

Honour Students : Gillian Corse, David McGill (Macca), Jenny Blomfield (Screech), Nicola Mellick, Colin Moon (Moony), Jennifer O'Connell (Freckles); Michelle Puddles (Puddles); Adrian White (Adro); Shane White (Tarzan); Steve McDermott (Tangles); Felicity Adams (Flick); David Allan (Bonnet Boy); Daniel O'Connor (Dano); Marshall Pedersen-White (Beefy); and Mellissa Spry (Spray)

Outstanding Achievement : Damien Blunden, Victoria Carillo; Benjamin Carter (BC); Warwick Fegan; Barry Gosden (Gos); Jeremy Hodges; Steve Junnison; Stephen Lagerroth; Patricia Lee; Neil Maver; David McKie; Michele Mobbs (Mobbsy); Karen Patrick; Renee Ruthenberg; Katie Taylor; Jacob Toe; Leander Wilson (Wilo); Carolyn Wisby; Peter Zieth; Mike Loly; Rob Baker; Trent Gleeson; Annette Davis Bill Snowden; Maxine Lauriston

Highly Regarded Efforts : Louise Barbour; Lynette Binder; Jordan Blomfield; Reg Cornish; Kathryn Cruickshank; Luke Edmonds; Carrie Goldsmith; Graeme Masterman; Sean McGuiness; Tracey McKie; Kelsey Ormsby; Rachel Wicks; Colleen Wilson; Liam Nicholas ; Dianne Maujean; Kevin Allan; Angelika Ziehrl; Rayleen Silverman; Donald Taylor; Sally MacDonald; Sarah Morrissey; Marika Blohelm; Helena Blohelm; Renee Wright; Kevin Woodward; Julie Fry; Karen Meadows; Rachel Whitla; Scott Knowles; Michael Coots; Steve Lavery; Kylie Lavery; Brett Bowen; Michelle Bowen Brenda Squire; Belinda Thompson; Neil Savina; David Paton; Hamish Paton; Scott Littleton; Danielle Oertel; Frances Cameron; Michael Matthews ; Eloise Kippers; Sonja Aston; Jemma Picco; Eddie Picco; Robyn Lomax; Mark Roberts ; Craig Roberts; John Bergman; Megan Bergman; Luella Thomas; Peter Moore; Elena Carboni; Tony Shehan; Lee-Anne Stevenson; Dallas Speeswood; Helen Chapman; Rayleen Silverman; Georgina Mockel; Deidree Fitzgerald; Mason Bombardieri; Andrew Bombardieri; Sue Bombardieri

Honourable Mentions : Timothy Abinnett (Tim-Me); Andrew Harynden (Canuck); Deborah Bass (Bassy); Denise Hardesty (Hardy); John Forde (Fordey); Jamie Snowden (Highjump); Nigel Kelly (Senior); James Kelly (Junior); Peter Stock (Stocky); Matt Yates (T-Bone); Gavin Yates; Jared Moore; Craig Brown; Terry Reid; Allan Fitzgerald

Congratulations to all and we would like it if you joined us in further adventures to upgrade your already fantastic achievements !

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

Blue Skies , Flounder

Available days for activities - hiking and paddling - July and August

2010-06-03T06:02:00.000-07:00

For ease of access and a bit better planning, I have mapped out July and August for possible activities for the crew and others who wish to come along. Please remember, if you are paddling the first time in a kayak, please ensure you have been through a lesson with me. Please view the post " A Flatwater Lesson with Flounder" dated 22/03/2010 to understand what's involved. Please also remember that other trips such as the Mulgrave Trip, would be from Insertion at Kearney's to Extraction at "the Shark's Tooth Campground". Basically if you read the post of the "First Trip down the Mulgrave " dated 07/02/2010.

Since June is a write off for activities for myself, I thought it would be better to have some sort of follow up plan. This does not mean that the usual crew need miss out on any paddling....go right ahead guys....enjoy.

3rd - 4th July - Upper Barron River - Koah to Mantaka

This would be a good trip for anyone who has not yet been down this part of the Barron River. Although I am unsure of the river levels at this time, I am pretty sure that it would be ok.

This is generally Grade 2, and depending on levels, a Grade 3 may be thrown in for good measure - I am referring to "The Crunch".

Above is young Victoria on the "Three Ways" rapid.

Moony taking to the "Step Down Rapids".

And Mobbsy slips down the Chicken Shute for "The Crunch"

The logistics for this trip is a meeting place opposite Smithfield Shopping Centre on the Kuranda Highway at 8am. We leave a pickup vehicle at Mantaka, and go forward to Koah township. We will need lunch for this day trip. This will be a kayaks only venture.

10th July - Back to the Barron Gorge

Yep it's back to the Gorge for this Saturday afternoon venture. Probable meeting place will be Lake Placid at 1.30pm.

This is Adro on Maccas Wave

This is Adro cutting through part of the Butchers Knife rapid.

Again.....Kayaks only for this trip.

25th July 2010 - Back on the Mulgrave for a final Canoe Kayak Paddle.

Usual logistics with an 9am start. Advise friends of this one, particularly beginners to fill up the canoes. Most probably 3 canoes available and a range of beginner kayaks from Adventure Equipment. Bring Lunch.

This is Screech on the flatwater leadup to "the Strainer".

Fordey in his conquest of the Canoe on the quiet paddle after the "S-Bend" rapid

7th August - Candlelight Dinner - Behana Creek

To be either held on the bridge if we get permission, or the little swimming hole upriver of the bridge.

This is an event where you either cook dinner by the river, or be able to re-heat something palatable by the river. Examples in the past have been Thai Rissoles, Thai Green Curry, Sumptious Spaghetti, or home made Italian Pizza. This will be completed by wine and the ever-present candleabra of Flick and Tangles.

Here is the view of the swimming hole from the bridge

For this, remember to bring warm clothing.

21-22nd August - Mount Emerald Hike

Ages in coming but a date has been decided. You will need a proper backpack for this one and good hiking boots also. The hike is about 1.5 hours long and gets steep in some places....but it is do-able....even for beginners.

Other items you will need are : a decent sleeping bag or swag; carry your own water; food or share food for one night and morning , cooking implements; torches and a Camera.

No, I am not doing what you think. This was in 2004 looking at the Balloon launch from adjacent to the campsite at 5.30 in the morning

This is the peak and off in the distance you can see the upper reaches of the development at Tolga.

So ends the plan for the next couple of months. Please remember activities can change depending on weather, and other obstacles along the way.

Remember, when paddling the fabulous natural watercourses, or hiking the magnificent walking tracks of this great country, please do not leave anything except footprints in the sand, and take away nothing but photos and memories of your time spent there.

Easter Paddling - Day 1 (Good Friday)

2010-04-19T16:53:00.000-07:00

Easter Paddling - Day 1 Good Friday - Crystal Cascades

Easter 2010 set us for an adventurous journey. The crew had planned for an interesting set of paddling, starting from hardest to dead easy. At this age....yes we all relished the thought of toning down the skill level as we progressed through the long weekend.

First up was Crystal Cascades. In my absolute ignorance, the crew and I gazed with sheer terror upon the grade of the Crystals flow. In memories now in a distant haze, we all remember the flow of Crystal Cascades being a charming set of rapids that one could float down dreamingly on a tyre tube.... NOT THIS DAY.

As we walked up the path listening intently to the ominous roar of water upon rock, our hearts sank to the depths of despair when we realised that paddling this Grade 4 stretch of water was beyond our scope. However, we obeyed the first rule of kayaking, and reasoned that we should stay firmly within our skill level.

The intrepid crew of Mulgrave paddlers (Flounder, Adro, Bonnet Boy, Dano, and Tarzan) were joined by four gods of the water, being Callum, Zack, Dean, and Debra. All of whom went to just about to the top of the grade 4 rapids at the infamous "No Fear" jumping area.

Our crew, with wide eyes watched in wonder, as Zack being first in the water with his boat, was soon first out of his boat, slipping over 2 raging ten foot waterfalls.

Debra who was still on the track, organised the rescue effort like the slick professional that she was....hand signals directing Callum and Dean to ensure Zacks safety.

Meanwhile, Zacks boat had slipped into an eddy in the midst of tumbling water and huge boulders (photo opp). Zacks boat rescue was underway with Dean and Callum undergoing the problem solving processes on how to get Zacks boat out of the perilous eddy and back into his hands.

Our intrepid crew then , having making sure that we were not needed, then proceeded back down the track to gather our boats at the bottom pool. The prior exercise had only confirmed our fears.....yes....it was not for us, THIS year.

On coming back down, we re-checked ourselves and with astonishment, realised we could possibly do the drop of the top pool. However, what lay below, seemed like (as Adro delicately stated) Death on a Stick.

The problem lay between the top and the middle pool. A nasty jumble of twisted rock garnished with the odd log to act as strainers not of this world. We hastened along the track yet again.

Upon reaching the middle pool, we were adament that we were doing the right thing by entering into the bottom pool. However, doubts started to trickle into our minds that we could possibly have a go at the next slide...with a little less water.

However, we reasoned that if we ended up doing periscope dives, then it would take a supreme rescue attempt to secure our lost boats downstream.

Thus, without further adieu, we descended the stairs to place our boats into the bottom pool to await the gods descending from the gorge (which actually was not long).

In all reality, each of the crew did look long and wistfully at the bottom slide into the pool and possibly thought to himself, that he could attempt that flow of moisture.

For warm up practice, the guys then had to get used to the cross currents and practiced the art of surfing a hole.

The journey downriver did not deliver any unknown territory to us. However, we did follow the track fo the gods and not our usual safety route, in which Flounder and Dano found most displeasing coming adrift of the boat in the sharp rocky precipes of the Boulder Garden.

Time was against the gods so they then departed to further their adventure downriver. Their destination was the Crystals Bridge.

Our journey down to the Crystals Bridge was amazement for the likes of Adro and Dano whom hadn't seen that part of the river as yet.

The bottom flow of Crystals is said to be a lot of fun amongst the paddlers with a number of lesser Grade 3 drops and swirls and the main part of the river Grade 2.

Upon reaching the main drop for that part of the river, Flounder ensured everyone had a look at the approach and flow.

Flounder portaged so he could set up cover, and it was decide that the other adventurous quartet would run the rapid two by two.

Amazingly, the crew had polished that rapid off fabulously. All and sundry had agreed that having water buffeting the bottom of the boat was indeed a thrill and made for slightly easier paddling.

Morning break time and the bridge crossing was reached with no further hassle. To up and coming adventurers, the water pipes that run adjacent to the bridge, give a fairly good indication as to what to expect as a river level for the above journey. When the water is at the bottom of the pipes, it means for good water. If the water is flowing OVER the pipes....go home...it's Death on a Stick.

This part of Freshwater Creek was very familiar to us all. However, that did not mean that we didn't have our share of problems. Flounder, fell out in the Slip Past...Bonnet Boy the Hang Vine, Dano in the Boulder walk.... and Adro in the mists of the swirls at the Wall Rapid.

Actually , Flounder was amazed at Adro....since having his new dagger boat.....actually seemed to disappear in a whirlpool at the Wall rapid right in front of his eyes. An event that Flounder is entirely gracious for. It's usually Flounder that does that trick.

Uneventful passing of the Freshwater Weir ensued, since the crew had paddled that to regulation....heading down the extreme right. Memories flooded back for Adro as last year, this was his first taste of paddling and promptly went "Duck up" in the holes of the weir. We all still have a chuckle at THAT thought.

There were a lot of rest and respites along the way whilst hanging onto vines, tree roots, and the cane grass.

Reddy Valley bridge passed by without incident. Further down, Adro being proud of his boat, managed his first nosestand along the way....much to the bemusement of some young teenagers horseplaying at waters edge. It was onto the Rocks Bridge we went.

In all, the activities of the day were tiresome. There was little thought about revisiting the bottom slide at Crystals....but the idea of having a cool ale at the Red Beret beckoned. Unfortunately that turned into a coffee at the Golden Arches ....after all....it was still good friday !

Tomorrow was a rest day, but the rest was onward and upward!

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.

Flounder

Easter Paddling - Day 2 (Easter Sunday)

2010-04-09T23:45:00.000-07:00

Easter Paddling - Day 2 - Little Mulgrave River

After a layday from the first day's paddling in the Grade 2-3 of Freshie Ck, it was good to enter a clear clean flowing creek, smelling of all of the usual scents of the rainforest and fresh rain.

On this trip were the usuals, Flounder, Bonnet Boy, Tarzan, Tangles, Dano, and with the days addition of Fordey and Snowwy.

The Little Mulgrave river was up , and we found what we expected......a lot of standing waves and eddie swirls. Fordey and Snowwy tried their new boats from Rays Outdoors....with Snowwy actually getting a proper deck/skirt...rather than using a sheet of clear plastic from his last trip.

With the Little Mulgrave River, it is only accessible for paddling when there is heaps of rain as the creek is a shallow brook most of the time.

However, when it floods the creek, under the river you have a number of obstacles creating various river dynamics, which in turn gives you a lot of standing waves in which to surf on. This fact was enjoyed by the boys who at every opportunity, took the cahnce to enhance their surfing skills.

Dano and Tangles had experienced at every hole, the skills update of targeting the waves of each.

At most stages throughout the creek though, there was plenty of flat travelling spots and the general banter of the day was enjoyed.

There was even a chance to slander Fordey's choice of headwear.....which was an abseiling helmet covered by his non-descript fishing attire....

Flounder enjoyed the chance to camoflage his helmet with various ferns so he could blend more into the background.

Next was Snowwy's aptitude in making new friends on the river. A delight that when mentioning the words of "Dinner's up..", the floating menu then took their leave.

The trip for the day was actually completed twice for paddles up to 2 hours each

The pleasing aspect about the Little Mulgrave River is the fact that you actually finish at a particular watering hole called the Mountainview Hotel.

Please remember, when paddling the fabulous natural watercourses of this great country, please do not leave anything behind except for footprints in the sand, and take nothing out except for photos and memories.

Easter Paddling - Day 3 (Easter Monday)

2010-04-08T16:22:00.000-07:00

Easter Paddling - Day 3 - Babinda Creek

Yep, the rain continued to fall but a little less than the other days. Today was the day that the intrepid group planned to explore. There were only the 4 of us, Flounder, Adro, Bonnet Boy, and the irrepressible Tarzan.

Today we decided to tone things right back to paddle a flooded Babinda Creek. After finding our way up Stager Road to the end, we had found that the creek was not too far from the access road. However, to spice things up, we decided to enter the creek via a drain....something that Tarzan was scolded for for mentioning that we should do it. However, enter we did,and found our way to a beautiful flowing mountain stream. The top of Babinda Creek was truly a fantastic area and I would assume it is a haven of locals. The water was crystal clear and only murkied up once we got well and truly into farmland....one for the river conservationists arguments.

The paddle itself was a blessing in disguise as the group generally does not paddle more than twice a fortnight in most cases. It was rather pleasant just floating and going at a speed of 5 k's an hour without pulling through the water.

Along the way, in the first half of the trip, we enjoyed the necessity of relaxing from the last couple of days. This gave the boys a chance to experiment, with Adro trying out his new boat whilst trying to do nosestands, and Bonnet Boy trying to perfect his roll.

Tarzan was just happy to complete the picturesque snaps with his kayak mate. For once his camera was not on his helmet.....due to the fact that he wore his unbelievable German War helmet for the trip. Flounder did manage to whinge, though due to a guava thrown to him by Adro, and getting a rock hard seed stuck in his teeth for the whole trip down the creek.

On our way down the creek, we did notice a few outstanding facets of the north queensland nature. A flowing waterfall existed above on the range. We surmised that that flowed into the creek that we were now traversing....having come from the Boulders area further upriver.

It was a chance to observe closely a couple of Jabirus who seemed oblivious to our presence only when we reached an impertinant 3 metres away, only to fly away into a clouded mist....yes it started to drizzle once again.

Once gaining the main highway bridge after a couple of hours of floating, it was discussed amongst the group that a seal launch off an old cane tram bridge (3 metres off river level) may be the go....but in the nature of the paddle, no-one was really excited to do such an energetic exercise. However, once passing the highway bridge, the group then presumed their efforts of a now imposing "croc watch". Yes, we were in fact, not that far from the Russell River. And thus, a closely observed paddle thus ensued....except for the period of "Grid Iron Kayaking" that occured with some sort of tree seed pod.

Indeed a few parts of the river were eerie....

We soon reached the township of Babinda and proceeded to extract the boats from the flowing exodus. However, Adro still wanted to try a seal launch down a muddy embankment and succeeded to do so.....all 15 metres back into the clear river. Onto the pub we went....only finding that in the country town, people still celebrated Easter with the respect it deserves, and no meals were served in the town at any of the establishments. Onwards to the cafe we went....to finally decide that we would then head back to Ways Bridge on the Little Mulgrave River for a bit of Surfing practice.

Easter Paddling - Day 3 - Little Mulgrave River

The group agreed to continue their skills on the river. A spot that we had located the day before became the ever-present practice area. This gave the enjoyment for practising everyones surfing skill. At this stage, we now enjoyed the company of Flick and Tangles, who decided to get some time on the river.

A matter of swapping boats ensued, and Flounder declaring he was too old to play late in the day, and volunteering to take the pics and the vids for the group, and the group played late into the day.

An enjoyable time had by all, the intrepid group of adventurers then retired to the Mountainview Hotel for some well earned refreshment.

So ends the tale of a wet Easter in the North.

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

A Flatwater Kayak Lesson with Flounder

2010-03-22T04:23:00.000-07:00

Yet another change of direction.....

After thinking about it, I have decided to give a low down on a Basic Flatwater Kayaking Lesson. This post will attempt to explain what is expected from one of my lessons. I will take you through a journey of safe exit procedures, basic paddling strokes, Deck/Skirt Exiting procedures, other advanced paddling techniques, Self Rescue techniques and finally, paddling techniques on moving water.

Entering the kayak

To start with , an explanation of hopping into the kayak. Make sure that the footpegs of which will give you some control over the craft, are set to your height and comfort. Everybody is different in size and stature, so adjusting the squeeze triggers of the foot pegs should give you the length of the following :

You should be able to sit in the kayak with the balls of your feet well and firm on the footpegs either side in the front bow of the boat. Your knees should be placed up and inside the "knee braces" of the cockpit. Both the footpegs and knee braces will aide you in turning manouvres of the craft.

Ensure that the boat is stable before you enter into the cockpit at any time. You can place your paddle at the back of the cockpit to slide over the paddle and into the cockpit. This will do two things....your paddle will not go floating down the river, and it will give some sort of stability entering the kayak if it does tip over. Once you are in, you can then swing your paddle around in front of you.

On the first lesson (with the skirt NOT placed over the cockpit), you will be upside down in the water. So first thing....DO NOT PANIC, the exit procedure is that if you fall out or tip over, you need to put your feet together, drop your knees and place them together, place your hands on the craft at about where your hips are and slide yourself out of the cocpit to surface in time. This is in fact, the final part of the exiting technique.

The Forward Paddle Stroke

In effect, I have heard that it is harder to paddle in a straight line on flatwater than running rapids....which I had also found when I first learnt. However, the theory is simple. You will find that the kayak double blade is offset in angle. This helps with wrist and torso rotation when paddling. At first, you need to grip the paddle with your dominant hand firmly. Your submissive hand pivots the kayak shaft when paddling. With your dominant hand , you reach forward using your body core and place the dominant paddle blade in at your toes into the water. Bring the paddle blade equally and smoothly through the water back towards you, and bring the paddle blade out at your hips. You then pivot your paddle shaft in your submissive hand and reach forward on the other side at your toes and pull the blade through the water alongside the kayak, pulling out at the hips. This is whilst your other hand will be high above your forehead with an outstretched arm. It is best if you paddle with the kayak paddle as close to perpendicular with the water. This effectively makes the paddle hand NOT making the stroke as punching the sky in front of you.

You will experience the boat turn from side to side at first. However this will soon sort itself out as you get more and more speed and the boat tracks through the water better.

Reverse Paddle Stroke

Obviously this will be a reversal of the above. However, it is important to remember for an effective back paddle that the kayak paddle also remains in a vertical position. This paddle stroke needs to be done at a fairly quick time depending on circumstances and will draw more strength from you. You also effectively utilise the back of the paddle blade.

The Sweep Stroke

The sweep stroke is your most effective turning stroke. This is a positive paddle stroke as meaning as it is still positive in that you are also still going forward. However, the thing to remember is that whichever side you use your sweep stroke on, the bow of the boat will turn in the opposite direction.

What happens is, that compared to a forward stroke, the sweep is a horizontal paddle stroke. You place the paddle blade in at the toes yet again, but this time you keep the shaft and your other pivot hand low. You then pull your outstretched arm around in an arc so the paddle blade moves in an arc, and effectively pull the boat around in the other direction (ie. If you do a right sweep stroke, you are effectively turning the boat in an anti-clockwise direction - or to the left). You will find that you will have to accomplish a "torso twist" to do this manouvre, and it is good practice to do so. That way you get a lot of purchase on your stroke.

You will also find that a slight lean to the opposite side of the boat by your body will occur. This will also aid your turn and effectively create the situation where it will happen at a quicker rate of turn. You will find this also in the section of "edging" your boat.

The Rudder Stroke

This stroke is another turning manouvre. However, it is more of a "negative" paddling stroke in that it slows the speed of the boat to some extent. What happens is you place the paddle into the water at your hip and using the back of the blade. you hold the paddle in that position against the flow of the water. You can even push the paddle blade against the water to effect a quicker turn. If you continue this stroke, it basically turns into a "reverse" sweep stroke.

Please remember, that with this stroke is that the boat will turn to the side that your paddle is on.

This stroke is also used a tool to straighten your boat whilst paddling forward. In reality , since paddling is hard first up on flatwater, you can use this stroke in conjunction with your forward paddle to keep the boat on the track that you wish. You would use it limitedly and then go straight into your forward stroke. However, the trick is once you feel the boat coming around, you effect your forward stroke by starting your forward stroke from the other side.

The Exiting Manouvre

This is the part of the lesson that gives the most anxious feelings for the kayak trainees. Basically the thought of being trapped upside down, strapped into a kayak underwater, is definately an unnerving feeling. However, it is better to learn on flatwater with someone standing beside you to aid you, than trying it out on the flowing river for the first time.

A kayak skirt or deck is the covering over the kayak's cockpit so water does not flood into the boat compartment.

Like entering the boat, it is best when putting on your skirt/deck over the boat's cockpit, to be able to do this on a stable platform. That way you are not worrying about whether your paddle will float away and any rapids are rushing up to greet you.

You always feed the skirt on from the back to the front over the cockpit , whilst ensuring that the tag, which is your escape pull cord, is out and free of being stuck under the skirt

The next requirement is to listen intently to the instructor's procedure. I will then explain your exit procedure which is : when I tip you over, you don't need to panic. Instead count to three and this can be done by placing your hands on the outer bottom of the kayak (whilst you are upside down). This gives you time to think about what to do next. You then find the edge of your cockpit, slide your hands along it until you find the tag, pull the tag forward and "up" towards you so that it will "pop" the skirt of the cockpit. You then put your feet together, your knees together place your handson the side of the cockpit and push away, effectively sliding out of the boat. Then obviously you look to getting your head above water.

You will be asked to do this procedure at least twice. The last time will be to do that procedure whilst hanging onto your paddle. This is because paddles have a tendancy to run rivers effectively on their own and find themselves out to see swimming with Nemo.

Self Rescue

Self Rescue is all the same in paddling white water whether you are canoeing, rafting or kayaking. If you get separated from your boat in the midst of a raging torrent of whitewater, hang on to your paddle, point your feet down river with your toes pointing out of the water, lay back keeping your body straight, but still looking downriver.
If your feet are out front and up, this does two things. The first thing is you will not get caught in a foot entrapment. A foot entrapment is when you leave your feet dangling below you and your feet slide down the bottom of a hazard and effectively trapping you underwater. With the rushing water pushing on your back, you cannot go back the same way you came, and you cannot go forward due to the rock or obstacle. Hence you are in a very dangerous situation. Lives have been lost this way.

The second is that your feet can actually "bounce" you off any oncoming obstacles. You also leave your hands out to the side so as to do the same things with your hands.

Once you are in gentle flatwater, you can the swim to the side. However, you may still be in the rapid, try to find an eddy (of which we will discuss later) and then you could work your way to the side of the river, or you may have been lucky and grabbed hold of a throw rope (rescue rope - of which we will also later discuss) and can be aided to the side by the safety person.

Once you are able to exit a kayak safely, you will find that you have newfound confidence in the boat. No longer you will be worried about water getting in through the cockpit to sink the boat. Once water is in the boat, it does make your paddling harder as due to weight transference, it will throw out your balance and ability to guide the boat properly. You will now be ready to move up to more advanced paddle strokes.

The Draw Stroke

As discussed earlier, kayakers and river runners look for places on the river known as "Eddys". Eddys are a safe haven for a kayaker in that the eddy is a place directly behind a rock in a middle (or to the side) of a flowing river. This enables the kayaker to compose themselves and enable them to scan downstream for what lays further ahead in the river. It also enables the kayaker to a safe place to display to his paddling colleagues information that they may require for travelling downriver.

Due to the speed of rivers, eddys tend to form better in faster flowing rivers and where there are larger rocks or obstacles. So in fact, the kayaker should be able to make a quick decision to turn into a small eddy. This decision will be followed by a quick turning stroke known as the bow draw (or duffek as some know it).

The Bow Draw is done by cocking your bottom wrist, placing the paddle at a verticle angle to the water, and allowing your top hand to be over your forehead whilst hanging on to the paddle. This effectively makes you lean into the turn whilst holding your hands on the paddle shaft. This will enable the boat to swing around and pivot fairly quickly on the spot at which you placed your bottom hand blade. By cocking the wrist , you enable yourself to "catch" more water with the bladearc facing downriver compared to it's normal position. When you effect this turn, it is imperative that your bottom elbow sticks close to your torso, and your upper hand is close in front of your forehead.

Your kayak should then swing around in a small arc and you should end up facing upriver. With river speeds and the speed in which you "break out"(breaking out of a river is also known as eddying out), you must remember to keep your balance as the law of physics is when you come to rest in the eddy, you will have speed in which to flip you over in the other direction.

The Brace

Bracing is a balancing manouvre where it enables you to keep upright on the river once going over a rapid and hitting rocks or different angles of river flow and dynamics. What happens is that the kayaker pushes the paddle blade hard and fast downwards in the water to give momentum to force the physical direction in the other direction due to water displacement. You can have a Low Brace and a High Brace. A low brace is pushing down the back of the paddle blade into the water.....a High Brace differs due to a rather large tip of the kayaker and the kayaker reaches out to stablise himself.

Edging the boat

Edging is a term in which you utilise your torso and basically paddle the boat on it's side. you can use this in a number of ways. Edging a boat is invariably about balance and you can use this as a way of "breaking in" to a rapid. Edging a boat allows water to get on the underside raised side of the boat to push you further downstream in an arc.

Edging a boat can also aid you in river running in that you hit a rock partially with the boat and the physical force wants to tip you into the river on the other side. This will keep you paddling forward and accept the rock into your life, and then manouvre past the hazard.

Ferrying (or Ferry Glide)

To ferry across the river, is for the kayaker who requires to get to a safer eddy, or merely just wants to cross the river at the flow. This is done by pointing the boat upstream and angling across by utilising a combination of Forward strokes, Sweep Strokes and Rudder Strokes. It is imperative to keep paddling forward at the angle. It all depends on how fast the river is flowing as to how fast and hard you need to paddle. On the above left photo, Lawrie successfully manouvres the boat across to the eddy across stream (in the top left of the photo). A point to note is that once the bow of your boat crosses into the Eddy Line (the distinction between the eddy and the flowing river), the river force will want to turn the boat downstream. So it's a "feel" thing....it is up to you as the paddler as to how hard you need to paddle to keep the boat on the angle.

Breaking In

To break into a river, what happens is that you similarly paddle as to your ferry glide and then when you are ready, you simply do a Bow Draw Stroke on your downstream side. This will edge the boat and you should be leaning downstream, and this then will show more of the bottom of your hull to the oncoming water. With more water directing you, this will tend to turn your bow and enable you to turn downstream.

Once you are turning, you only need to power into your forward stroke to maximise your speed.

On some occasions, you can effect a "break out" or "eddy out" and eddy out over on the other side of the river.....this then becomes an "S" Ferry.

I hope you enjoyed the basics and if you would like a lesson, please free to contact me

Blue Skies

Flounder

Remember : When paddling the fabulous natural watercourses of this great country of ours, please do not leave anything except footprints in the sands, and take nothing away except for photographs and memories

Kayaking - Broadwater Creek with the Gods

2010-03-13T17:39:00.000-08:00

A bit of a different tack exists for today's post. This trip was undertaken by the Gods of Cairns Kayaking and not any of our usual paddling crew. The destination was Broadwater Creek....paddable apparently only in the wet season, presents one of the ultimate thrill rides. As you will see it is only for the dedicated thrillseeker and the Passionate.

Ultimate dedication is a must in this as the thrillseekers were choppered in with the boats on slings....which also must have been a sight to the normal person in the street. Upon talking to Peter Blakey, one of the participants, this trip was classified as an overnighter and was apparently 2 seven hour paddles of the Saturday and Sunday. The only placid part of the journey, was the last 40 minutes of the paddle when it reached the Herbert River plain.

Apparently this is the second descent of Broadwater Creek (of which the boys had carried their boats in) which starts in the apex of the hills up behind the township of Cardwell, Queensland, Australia. The creek then follows steep gorges down to the foothills and sugarcane territory of Ingham and the Herbert River Plain.

This trip was undertaken by Peter Blakey and his crew, Kristian who took the photos, Josh Bond, a couple of hard core paddlers from Townsville, and one paramedic whom I don't think his skills were required and 11 all up.

These are the gods that we aspire to, although I am not sure that any of the regular paddlers would undertake such an adventure....all except for Tarzan, who upon seeing the photos....asked when were we going ????

I cannot name any part of the gorge or the paddlers within....sorry about that.... But in reality, I suppose this page pays homage to the guys with the courage and bravery to paddle such a monster.

Once Blakey writes it up on his website, you may have a further insight into the trials and tribulations of such an expedition.

But Enjoy......

Remember, when travelling the vast waterways of this great country, please only leave footprints in the sand, and take nothing from the area but photographs and memories.

Teamwork, Team Games - Group Initiative Tasks 1

2010-03-06T01:45:00.001-08:00

Peter Drucker quoted once " The Leaders who work most effectively, it seems to me, never say "I". And that's not because they have trained themselves to say "I". They don't think "I". They understand their job to be to make the team function. They accept responsibility and don't sidestep it, but "we" gets the credit. This is what creates trust, what enables you to get the task done. "

Peter Ferdinand Drucker (1909-2005) was a writer, management consultant, and self described "social ecologist". His Books and scholarly popular articles explored how humans are organised across the business, government and non-profit sectors of society. His writings have predicted many of the major developments of the late twentieth century including privatisation and decentralisation; the rise of Japan to an economic world power; the decisive importance of marketing; and the emergence of the information society with it's necessity of lifelong learnings.

So it is with S-Teem Training and Coaching. The company is empowered to aide persons, either management or staff, to understand the "team concepts" of which can produce fruitful activities of efficiency and brand realisation.

In past blogs, we have explored basic team games to aide the person to understand the "helpful" concepts. It is only when you place all of these bases together, that you can then empower the team to function to complete a required task. The courses supplied via S-Teem enables the group to take a journey together through all of the four main stages of team bonding . These are Forming, Storming, Norming, and Performing. I have outlined two major games below that can be described as group initiative tasks.

TP Shuffle

This is an exercise which incorporates the previous factors of which we have explored, personal space, communication, supporting of teammates, and group initiative thinking.

What happens is that the Leader explains that the team is perched high above a boiling pit of lava (Radioactive Dinosaur Snot comes into play yet again...). The initiative is to get the team to swap it's order of standing on the perch. At this point, "the Perch" can be just a plank of wood capable of supporting the team placed on a few bricks - or a Tent Pole placed on stumps as in the photo.

The itiiative task is for the whole team to swap their positioning on the perch and they must complete the task by not touching the ground.

Personal space becomes an issue, and thus it is advisable that this initative task be undertaken once the team members are familiar with one another.

The solution for this task is basic in it's explanation. Team members move from one end to the other of the task area. Team members aide each other by "supporting" the passing person by hanging on to their body or clothes as they pass. Other team members support the aiding team member by hanging on to them. Thus forms a chain link.

If you think about it, support for colleagues forms a concrete basis for an organisation to operate. Once colleagues discover the fact of trustworthiness amongst their workmates network, the organisation/group runs to an optimal level and thus the "performing" stage kicks into action.

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Prouty's Landing

Another of the Group Initiative tasks, Prouty's Landing also demonstrates the power of support between colleagues forming the stabilisation brick for teamwork amonst the individuals of the organisation/group.

The Leader explains that the group , to get off an exploding island need to get to the highest point for a helicopter extraction. In this case, the extraction point can be just a crate lid or platform. You also need a "swing" to be able to transfer group members from the eroding safe zone to the extraction point. The swing should be made of at least a 24mm rope attached to a bombproof pivot point. Generally that pivot point would be a sizeable branch of a tree, or a beam of a building.

The team is then to transfer all of their members safely across to the platform via the rope swing, avoiding the radioactive dinosaur snot, in a timeframe determined by the leader.

The team has to work out that to have the 10-12 people to land and stay on the platform, they are to each give everybody in the group support by hanging on to the bodies whereevr possible to stabilise the area and not "fall off" . The rule is that no one is allowed to touch the ground around the platform, or otherwise the team starts the task from the beginning.

The Leader ensures that the team has "qualified" to complete the task by remaining as a group all as one on the platform by an amount of time.

Feedback is definately required by the group to partake as it is up to them to realise the gravity of group communication, personal space, trust, and working together all builds to ensure their understanding.

The leader also ensures that all of the team participates and above all that everyone has fun.

Whilst partaking of team games, also try to ensure that all team member participants remain safe.

Trip 1 - 2010 Kearneys Flats to Sharks Campground - February 2010

2010-02-07T04:07:00.000-08:00

The first trip of the top of the Mulgrave for 2010

Normally, I will not be placing a kayak/canoe trip on the blog unless there is something special about it. Last week was about how the kayaks floated in the flooded Mulgrave. This is placed on here for the first trip of the usual river track.

The other main thing that makes this trip special, is the fact that we had an abnormal amount of kayaks on the river. Our crew consisted of 13 but in essence, we really could have had 18 kayaks on the river. We have had more than 13 people on the river at the one time....however, a lot of those trips were the fact that they were in hire boats. Today was the surprising amount of 11 personal craft and only 2 hire boats. It seems that I have infected a whole lot of my friends with the paddling addiction....and we as a group, seem to "picking up" extra paddlers who are interested for an easy paddle.

Let's have a look at the crew that was there today....Flounder, Flick, Spray, Adro, Tarzan, Bonnet Boy, Schultz, Tim-Me, all regular paddlers were joined by the Kelly Boys, Gos, Dano, and Stocky.

Another special fact about today was the fact that there was another crew of 6 kayakers in an advance group in front of us....so the normally placid and quiet river turned into a frothy mess of social gossiping, info trading, and respectful questions about each other's paddling experience.

The measurment at The Fisheries was at a quite respectable .7 of a metre under the fisheries bridge....perfect for all types of boats.

It was quite a relaxing paddle today as no-one was in a hurry, and we all seemed to be quite content to tea dip the paddles all day long. Starting with a later start than normal, and followed by a couple of practice rolls from Tim-Me, Tarzan, and Adro, the crew set course downriver.

The first swim did not come until "the strainer" where all boats bar Schulzy stayed above water. He had a fight with a swinging vine and it turned out he lost. The crew swung into action to rescue his boat and meet up with him for another 50 metres downriver. It has to be pointed out that Adro also almost went swimming, but seemed to disguise this fact from the super-sledgers until later.

First Timers Dano, Gos, and James Kelly stayed in the boats until later....

The next psuedo swim was taken yet again by Adro at the "Eddy Trap". However, he rescued it with his first ever rapid eskimo roll. A fact that he was overjoyed with....that was his first shot in the war.

The next swims were taken at the later lunch spot. It was both disappointing and joyful that all paddlers made the "Waterfall" rapid. However, confidence now overwhelming, Bonnet Boy and Tarzan trying to show the exquisite rolling skills didn't quite pull it off....and the end result was they voluntarily went swimming. A fact that we all enjoyed.

The lunch spot, although that we were there at 11.30, was a quite joyess location to have a break where we actually had the boys....flounder, bonnett boy, tarzan, tim-me and James Kelly try their rolling skills. A relaxing laugh was had by all.

Tarzan , sporting his new "helmetcam", gave the group a humourous outlet for practicing their sledging.

It was not long until we were underway again, and all that remined for the trip, was the Swing Rapid, Arnolds Bridge, and the tumultuous Shark's Tooth Rapid.

The swing rapid came and went and onto Arnolds Bridge we went. To the delight of young children and their parents or elder siblings on the bridge, all the paddlers avoided the imposing tree and eddied out at the proper river right eddy spot.

From there, the imposing "Sharks Tooth Rapid" remains.

It has to be said at this point, Gos, the journey's virgin kayaker had to this location stayed in the safe Bass boat. This all changed when he dropped into the hole at the Tooth and then received a microscopic view of the river bottom. Much to the delight of the others.

However, he was not alone as Nigel Kelly, also came away from his stable sit-on-top....much to the delight of his son, James.

Upon reaching the campground, a relaxing cool swim session was then on the agenda. Once all vehicles had been returned, the group then sampled some of the river cherries that area in the river in multitudes.

So ends the first trip for 2010.

Please remember : when paddling the watercourses of this great country, please take only photographs and leave nothing but footprints.

Teamwork, Team Games - Trust Games

2010-01-31T02:03:00.001-08:00

Trust Games

If we think about it....we use trust everyday in our normal lives.... We trust that car that is coming towards us has an experienced driver beind the wheel when we cross the road, we trust our friends when we tell/ask them various information, and we trust that pilot in the cockpit of the jet plane that we are travelling on to see our loved ones.

Trust is a very hard thing for us to do....but an easy thing for us to master. Trust is usually a matter for us to learn....and with some people, they take all their lives just learning to trust. Unfortunately, in this day and age, of all of the wild things that people do, trusting people in society may be like climbing a huge wall without the end in sight.

S-Teem places in the eye of the participant, a chance to enhance their trusting ability without any prejudices, and with the aide of the many team building games that can be accomplished. All people, even shy people, will always be happy in the fact of accomplishing a very intuitive, interactive team initiative. Trust forms the basis of this fact. So the circle is formed....to trust, you have to know whether your teammate is competant....and to know that your teammate is competant....you have to trust them.

Teamwork is fostered by respecting, encouraging, enthusing, caring for people, and not exploiting or dictating to them. Trust is gained in that the participant must respect that the fact of the matter, is where their teammate would not voluntarily place them in danger. To illustrate this fact, blindfolds are a great aide to enhance this special trait. In the above photograph, the game called " Blind Train Walk" , enables people to trust in the person who is driving the train. The driver in this case, is the person at the back who "drives" the train by squeezing the shoulder/s of the person in front, and that person although blindfolded, does the same, and the person in front of him/her, does the same. This is communication at it's most basic so as to guide the team through a safe passage. Trust comes about by the fact that the person in front has to believe that the train driver will affect the necessary changes and thus keep them safe.

For this game to work, the rules are that if you are the driver, you need to squeeze the shoulder of the person in front for the way you wish the train to move. On no account, is there to be any verbal communiaction. For the team to go straight ahead, a squeeze on both shoulders at the same time should be affected. To stop, the driver just needs to affect a "double squeeze" on both shoulders. The train driver also needs to affect the change with enough time for the message to get from the back to the front. Thus, the driver has to anticipate the amount of time to affect a change at the front.

In this game, it is easy enough to complete without blindfolds....but blindfolds would enhance the trust factor. "Blind Train Walk" is a simple and easy way to introduce the team to trust issues, and a gentle game to play on the way to the "Games Area".

"Hug a Tree" is a pure blindfold game where trust is placed in one person. The participant is blindfolded and "led" by the guide who is not blindfolded of course. This game is best used in Nature....or some park . The object of the game is to get the blindfolded participant to retrace his/her steps to find out the journey that was recently undertaken.

The guide having blindfolded their "mate", then takes their mate on a journey over the ground in the immediate area, getting them to experience the absolute despair of not having the advantage of sight. The guide leads them all around the area for a number of minutes and then gets the mate to grab hold of a tree/object. Then the guide leads them back to the start. The mate then takes the blindfold off and has to go and identify the tree/object. Once this is done, the persons swap the tasks.

" Magic Hat" is a game of strength and team initiative. The task is to get the team from one side of a defined area to the other other something like a "River of Radioactive Dinosaur Snot". The trick is that only one person wearing the "Magic Hat" can be able to walk across the river. The "Magic Hat" can only be worn once by each person.

The solution is basic. One person caries another person across. That person walks back with the hat on and then waits while the rest of the group follows the same with the final person carries two people across.

This game enables people to understand that with communication, they will eventually get the solution while throwing their ideas into the ring. It also shows the team that various people of different sizes and strengths may be used at cruicial times during the game.

"Tic Toc" is a basic game to enable trust to grow between the team members. In groups of three, One person "the clock hand" stands in the middle of the other two facing one, and with their back to the other. That person fold their arms across their chest, keep their feet together and close their eyes. (You can also use a blindfold). Keeping their body stiff, and their feet still, they gently sway between the people who catch them and redirect them back to the other person. Once people get comfortable, they may increase the distance or speed. This is a great game to start your trust activities with.

"Wind in the Willows" is another game for basic trust principles and is a respectable game in which to follow "Tic Toc". It is just a formulation of the Tic Toc game where the unsighted or blindfolded person stands in the middle of a tight circle of the whole group. The person then can sway in any direction. The whole team keeps their hands up to support the "Willow" in the middle.

"Bull at a Gate" is another intimidating trust game where the group lines up in two lines facing each other with arms extended out so that their fingertips are touching. One person stands about 10-20 metres away and runs at full speed towards the middle of the two lines of people. Just before the person running gets to the outstretched arms of the waiting team members, the persons standing in the two rows lowers their arms quickly by their side allowing safe passage for the person running.

This is a fun game and to have different sized people running at you is another anxious trust activity.

The "Trust Fall" is the Epitome of any trust game and is seen on many displays of personal character building games. Usually the person faces away from the catcher and falls into their arms. However you can add an increase to this challenge by having the group line up closely in two rows facing each other with their arms slightly bent and alternating with the person beside them and opposite to them. The restriction for this game is that the lines of catchers must be longer than the person's height who is falling. The person doing the trust fall stands on a table with their back to the group, closes their eyes and crosses their arms on their chest. Keeping their body stiff they fall backwards to the group who should safely catch them.

This game has different analagies to it as it shows that "if a person falls, the group can be there to catch them if trust and respect are in place."

Please remember that there is a high level of risk to this challenge and leaders must be confident that the group is up to this challenge. Leaders would do well to have all of the safety precautions on hand for any of the risk trust activities.

All of these trust games will eventually lead to or build up to common teamwork ideals. The formulation of the team through Forming, Storming, Norming , and Performing rituals will enhance the team and enable it to get through the rough times as well as outshine others when the calm times are there.

Look forward to the next installment where we will explore Team Initiative Games.

Kayaking the (Swollen) Mulgrave - Aussie Day Paddle 2010

2010-01-27T03:49:00.000-08:00

Kayaking the Swollen Mulgrave - Australia Day 2010

As Cyclone Olga fizzled out and travelled westward over the Cape, and Cyclone Neville made the outstanding manouvre of a Statue of Liberty Play to head towards Mackay, the decision was made to continue with a planned paddle of the Little Mulgrave River on Australia Day 2010.

However, the heavens opened up and gave the Cairns Area a drenching to change plans of many a family. But the kayaking crew of Flounder, TimMe, Tarzan, Adro, Bonnet Boy, and the irrepressible Freckles made the plan to press on but change it to the lower Mulgrave River.

The height of the water was a telling factor being 1.25m above the telltale Fisheries Bridge. It was planned to enter at Roos Road near the Little Mulgrave Pub and extract at Greenpatch at Gordonvale (a distance of 10-11 kms).

Once unloaded it was time to check the river from the familiar Roos Road bridge . Familiar in the fact that we usually see the underside of this bridge. It was planned to enter with a seal launch.

The intrepid crew of Adro, Freckles, Flounder, TimMe, and Bonnet Boy....with Tarzan taking the photo snap

The photo looks good but Flounder, unsure of where the water was going (possibly back under the bridge), decided to launch closer to River Right and taking Freckles with him for a safer launch.

Once in the main channel, the intrepid crew found the going easy as to sit back and enjoy the ride as not much paddling was required.

We passed the Little Mulgrave exit into the Mulgrave and found that the Little Mulgrave width was also swollen 6 fold.

The first portage was over the upriver Ross and Locke Rail Bridge. We found that we really only needed just 30cm more of water, where we could have easily floated over the bridge.

It was a different story at the Ross and Locke Picnic Area. Here you can see the faint ripple line just behind TimMe's RPM. The crew were in some indecision prior to this as to what entry we would need to make. The water was flowing, and a choice of paddling down through the riverside carpark was not decided upon, and the correct decision of the main channel was chosen.

The river made it very easy on the Flatwater as the crew had just to float with the river debris. This gave Freckles her chance to remind everyone of her patriotism and her tatoo on her cheek. Of course , we all had tatoos generously supplied by Freckles and wore them in various places....on the faces....or on the helmets (to stay with us for a little while at least).

Since the catchment had received enormous amounts of rainwater, it made the trip fairly hard to recognise familiar features that we have come to love through this part of the river. Fallen trees that appear in normal levels now sit below us by 1 or 2 metres. Of course, on a safety note, it is better to stay in the boat than explore any depths in a swollen river.

The time had quickly passed and the intrepid crew had found themselves at the Peetes Bridge Portage. Peetes Bridge, we learned later, had gone underwater later in the day by only about 10cm. At this stage, there was no other option other than portaging.

The Peetes portage gave us another different experience of launching in an actual carpark and picnic area.

Just downriver from the Peetes Bridge area, the river pans out into a couple of large flatwater areas. There were rumours that horses had been spooked by the riverside, so the crew was thus placed on guard for any seemingly unshapely logs.

A lot of these flatwater paddles were conducted in the middle of the flotsam and debris travelling down the main river flow. This made it easy for us to identify so as to reduce our paddling, and to still sit back and enjoy the ride. However, when paddling amongst the debris, please be aware that the area could be a haven of any unsightly creatures such as snakes.

On travelling down this part of the river, there is a rail bridge further down, which is located just downriver of a junction of two branches. The unwary paddler choosing the right branches of the river, will find that the situation may turn dangerous as the two branches joining create a turbulent mass of water ready to unseat the kayaker. Hence the decision was made to always travel close to the Northern Bank (or on Extreme River Left), and paddle through a part of the National Park. This gives a safety pillow if anyone does come adrift of their kayak, they can easily get to the bank and sort out their boat and gear. At this stage , the river now flows through a lot of foliage and was estimated at probably about 500 metres wide.

This part of the paddle laced the kayaker with a ghostly feel and always be on the lookout for any hidden tree branches ready to flip the unwary kayaker.

After an unestimated amount of paddling time, the adventurous crew broke clear of the vegetation and once again found the main channel. It was surprising to note, that where the crew broke from the treeline, was the location of the Blackwells Swimming Hole. Of course, due to the current weather conditions, there was no serene sandbank to be had. It was just another sea of water.

At this point , travelling through the main channel and dodging the edges of the canopy, Freckles had unwarily seemed to have wanted to go for a swim. I'd say with the aid of a tree branch....but the story has not yet come to light. Being the gentleman that he was, Tarzan quickly lept to the rescue, and the rest of the group soon were aiding Freckles to finally get to some stable ground and jump back into the cockpit of the diesel. Unfortunately, having done the initial rescue, Tarzan waiting downriver seemed to have a mixup with a tree and headed for a swim himself. Unfortunately, Tarzan's paddle seemed to have broken free of his grasp, and is most probably currently bypassing the Frankland Islands by now, and heading to Sydney with that lovable little Clownfish, Nemo !

The crew now faced a decision of how to aid Tarzan to paddle the distance to the extraction point. The hardship of navigating a flooded river established the fact that we could not exactly determine our location on the river. We estimated that we had about 15-20 minutes of paddling left.

The decision was made to closely shadow Tarzan to aid him in any required turns that he would need to make. Teamwork is alive and well in the group.

It was lucky however, when we had broken out of the treeline, that the adventurous crew had found themselves only about 500 metres to the Bruce Highway Bridge at Greenpatch, our extraction point.

Also unfortunately, Tarzan has now found that the crew, no matter how polite they are....are very adept at the art of sledging . Thus, photos and videos of the yellow helmeted legend had been taken of Tarzan's damaged pride,where he had actually hand paddled the last 500m of river to the extraction point.

Good Natured Sledging is alive and well within the group.

The extraction point was a welcome sight for the crew and made for an easy exit. The shuttle car was only at the other side of the bridge and contained our desired lunch and dry clothes.

Any kayaking trip in this part of the river, at this time of the year, is not to go without the obligatory photo opportunity with the sign for a most dangerous hazard.

Although none were seen, these hazards should command a healthy respect and a determination in keeping a keen eye on the lookout for moving objects in the water.

Pic : from left - Tarzan, Adro, Flounder, Bonnet Boy, Freckles , and TimMe (kneeling).

Once the shuttle crew was organised with Bonnet Boy and Freckles left to guard our most precious transport vehicles, it was time to head back to Roos Road Bridge.

What we found was that the river had indeed risen most probably about 50cm, and the seal launch that was to be had earlier in the day....would no longer be an option. Lucky for us.

Thus ends the patriotic paddle, and the journey to have a cold ale at a nearby Gordonvale Watering hole was underway. Happy Australia Day 2010.

Flounder

Teamwork, Team Games - Initiative Group Games

2010-01-19T22:44:00.000-08:00

Teamwork

Great teamwork makes things happen more than anything else in organisations. McGregors X-Y Theory illustrates how and why empowered teams get the best results. Empowering people is more about attitude and behaviour towards staff than processes and tools. Teamwork is fostered by respecting, encouraging enthusing, caring for people, and not exploiting or dictating to them.

At the heart of this approach is love and spirituality, which helps bring mutual respect, compassion, and humanity to work. People working for each other in teams is powerful force , more than skills, processes, policies, annual appraisals, management-by-objectives, more than anything.

Teams usually become great teams when they decide to do it for themselves - not because someone says so !

Something inspires them possibly, but ultimately, the team decides. This is usually after the team goes through the Forming, Storming, Norming and Performing process. Some teams can do it quicker than others....and usually find greater rewards for themselves earlier.

How is this achieved ? Through good communication with each other...that's how... Communication is vital for teamwork to occur and to have everyone thinking and working towards the same goal. Consider a Hockey Team..... they all have the same goal...by scoring the ball into the net to win the game. However, this does not happen unless team members communicate well. This is where the coach comes in....he/she sees it all from the sideline and tells each member what they are doing well, what's not going so good etc.

Some of the games that coaches and instructors from S-Teem Training and Coaching would utilise are shown below :

Blindfold Line Up : This is a great communication tool where the group is blinfolded. The instructor would whispers a different number to each of the participants. The group needs to line themselves up in the correct increasing sequence. Variations can have this game increase in difficulty by -

the group not being able to talk
the group needs to make a perfect square with a long piece of rope they are holding
the group needs to line up in height, shortest to tallest, or youngest to eldest.

It is advantageous for the instructor to run through the game without blindfolds first to highlight the advantage that communication by spoken word has on ourselves. The participants would then find it slightly hardedr to complete the task when blindfolded, and no one is able to speak.

Giants, Wizards, and Elves : Purely a communication Game similar to paper, rock, and scissors. The team as one, has to decide as to whether they are to be Giants, Wizards, or Elves....and must do the accompanying action along with each of the choices. Giants are to raise their arms high and scary over the head whilst roaring in a deep grumbling throaty yell. Wizards are to crouch and place their hands out as if they were projecting a spell and make an electrical buzzing noise with their mouth. Elves are to crouch even lower and wiggle their fingers towards the other group whilst whimpering. The two teams line up facing each other about 10 metres apart when they have decided as to their choice. At the call of 1,2,3, they are to action out their selected choice. Now the fact that remains is that Giants scare Wizards, Wizards scare Elves, and Elves scare Giants (sound familiar ?). The losing team then runs for a safe area about 10 metres behind them while the winning team chases them to tag as many people of the team that they can. This can be done on a timeframe, or when one team runs out of participants. If both teams choose the same choice, then they go back to their safe area to choose again. This then becomes the strange strategy of people thinking about what the other team is thinking.
Sociogram : With communication, comes awareness and familiarity. In this game, the group needs to organise itself with the people who know each other the closest by standing closest to them, and the people that they do not know or are the lease known, are to stand furtherest away. The group will start off confidantly, but it will take extra shuffling around as the exactness of familiarity is questioned, or the people who know someone well, may not necessarily know someone else who is standing close to that person well.

This is a great before and after game as to let each participant realise in graphic form as to how the team has bonded.

Human Knots : This game gets the participant up right and the personal space is definately invaded. The group stands in a tight circle places both hands into the middle of the circle, and grabs the right hand of someone else. They then do the same with theoir left hand grabbing the left hand of someone totally different. The group is then to untangle themselves and make a circle without letting go. The grip however can be adjusted accordingly.

Remember : When considering organising games of a nature where there is body contact or an injury can occur, please ensure that all safety precautions are in place before you start.

Teamwork, Team Games - Tag Games and Personal Space Games

2010-01-15T21:44:00.000-08:00

Tag Games

Consider when you were a child....

Playing tag was very simple when someone was "in" and if you weren't....you tried your best not to be. Simple rules to simple games....make life simple. You can possibly then make the assumption that simple rules of your life....make simple life direction, morals, behaviour etc.

So to add to that simple games were FUN. Doesn't everyone want a FUN life ?

You ask how does this relate to team building strategies ? Well, whenever you are in a performing team, you have to be comfortable with the person next to you, the way they act in certain situations, the way they speak, and the way they think etc. So being comfortable means being comfortable with an impingement upon your personal space, mind, and thoughts.

Tag game represents a simple rule of touching and you the are "in".

S-Teem instructors may spend only a small time on this subject to demonstrate, but how many times do you play tag with your children, and instantly your face breaks out into a smile ?

So here are the games :

Chain Tag : In a small cordoned off area, people are ushered into the area, and one person is "in". That person then tries to tag another person, they then hold hands and try to tag other people. When tagged, the person must join the chain. However the rule is that only the outside people must tag the free runners or otherwise the chain is broken, and thus the tag is ruled invalid. The chain must act as a team to successfully tag all and sundry within the area.

Seem familiar ? The chain is a team of people trying to reach their goal of tagging a person/s to successfully reach their goal.

Smurf Tag : Again, in a small cordoned off area, one person is Gargomoyle (tagger) and walks around with stiff arms and legs. The rest are the Smurfs, and they mustonly skip while singing the smurf tune (la la la lalalah lala lah). When a smurf is tagged, they stand still and call out in a little voice..."help me , help me". Other smurfs can free them by pairing up and holding hands around the tagged smurf whilst jumping up and down three times calling out " be free, be free, be free". However, it is important who you first select as Gargomoyle. If Gargomoyle struggles, you can add another Gargomoyle to the game to help wind it up.

Smiling yet ?

The above may seem childish, but how many times we let our barriers down once we are having fun. These games have a direct feed into teamwork, whether they are acting together to tag the "survivors....or they act as a team to "free" their friends...albiet in an impish sort of way.

Remember : When considering organising games of a nature where there is body contact or an injury can occur, please ensure all safety precautions are in place before you start.

Teamwork , Team Games - Icebreakers and Energisers

2010-01-15T01:34:00.000-08:00

IceBreakers and Energisers

Games are an excellent way to understand peoples thinking and feelings. They provide an insight into the personality and even sometime the soul of a person.

The way that the games would draw out these integral facets of the person's being, would be to instigate basic strategies and theories into the mind of the participant.

Consider two people. One who is relaxed and pliable to ways of meeting new people, and flexible enough to accept new ways of learning , as compared to the person with only one line of sight, and socially unaccepting of other people's ideas.

Whom do you think may be the better team player ? Whom do you think would be more able to have their own personal space invaded. Personal space is an issue in everyday life, but when aiding in teamwork, honesty, trust, respect (all important building stones to a great team environment),... personal space issues can be eliminated to form the basis of a successful team.

So in the first of the series, we examine some of the energisers and icebreakers that will be used in the programme.

Icebreaker games have the role of getting people to meet each other for the first time, and also to get each participant to be more relaxed in the company of the others. The target is to enable each participant to provide their own input and personal experiences into the strategies of the team and the task at hand.

Some of the Games that S-Teem can use to get this task underway are :

Toss a Name : The simplist form of learning names of people in the group. Task 1 is where people are to assemble in a large group, and toss a ball to a person across the other side of the group. When the person catches the ball, they say their name and then toss the ball to someone else. A variation to this would be that when catching the ball, the person can indicate something about themself to enable the group to link what they indicate to their name. (eg. the theme may be what country they would like to visit and why).

Task 2 could be an addition to enhance the memory by calling the persons's name, and the n throwing them the ball.

Gotcha : where people are grouped into a large circle and position their left hand palm up and open, and their right index finger pointing and resting in the left palm of the person to their right. On a command each person has to try and grab the finger of the person to their left whilst not trying to get their own finger caught from the person on their right. This shows reactionary cognitive thinking and adds fun as an energiser.

Killer : This game can be played for the entire duration of a required task. At the start of the task (for example hiking the Pyramid), the group forms a circle and each person closes their eyes. The leader then explains rules to them whilst walking around and around the group. The leader then selects the "Killer" by tapping them onto the shoulder. Once all rules are explained and the killer is selected, the group undertakes whatever task that they may be doing.
The rules for this game is that the killer has to try and secretly "kill" all of the group whilst remaining undiscovered. He/She does this in the way that they indicate a sign to the intended victim (such as the fingers forming a circle on the knee). Once the victim receives that sign and no other person sees that happening, they are then "killed" and encouraged to die a rather noisy and dramatic death by acting at a later stage. But they must not give the identity of the killer away.
The surviving group members have to try and solve who is the killer before the group task is completed. The killer is the winner if he/she is able to "kill" all members of the group. The surviving person who solves the case and correctly identifies the killer is the winner.
This games adds the element of intrigue and fun to such outdoor tasks of hiking and bushwalking in groups. It also adds dramatic tales of assination attempts at the feedback sessions after the group task is completed.

Game : Mirror Knock Over

Game : People to People

Other Icebreakers and Energisers that S-Teem staff like to use are :

"HandShake Knockover"

"Mirror Knockover"

"People to People"

"Boffer Name Game"

"Walk this Way"

Ask about these games through the comments.

Remember : When considering organising games of a nature where there is body contact or an injury can occur, please ensure all safety precautions are in place before you start.

Coming Soon in first half of 2010.....

2010-01-12T06:14:00.001-08:00

Exciting Adventures to come......

Hiking up to the peak and camping on the plateau of Mt Emerald, Tolga.

Info on where to access and where to camp on the cold mountain and what is needed and what you can find there.

Games that the Team can play....

Support in everything we do is an everyday requirement....from viewing and participating in a few simple team strategies....you will find out how and why you can get support when needed.

Pic : This is the "TP Shuffle"

Geocaching

This is now a recognised "sport" and can be accessed by the everyday person for the sole cost of a GPS, and some faithful hiking boots...

I will explain this exciting new phenomenom

Hiking up to Glacier Rock, Cairns

A step by step account of the tribulations of this day trek. Harder and longer than the Red Arrow.....and thankfully shorter than the Pyramid

Hiking up to the upper Stoney Creek Falls

Yes, the yellow indicates the winding goat track which leads to a fantastic set of waterfalls above the world famous "Stoney Creek Falls". We hike through virgin rainforest and hopefully have an easier track than you might think but receiving some aid from Ghosts of the Past....

Hiking to Peetes Falls , Mulgrave Valley

This out of the way area is not as quite as far as you think....and it can be seen from the Gilles Highway.

You get to cast your vision splendour on a stunning two piece waterfall...that no tourist ever goes to.

Pic : Upper Peetes Falls

Pic : Lower Peetes Falls

The Challenge of the "Cheese Churner"

Yes, our intrepid kayak adventurers return to the gorge to conquer the Grade 3 tumultous "Cheese Churner".

One by one the crew sets out to upgrade their skills.

Rapid Descent

The drop of the "Roosters Tail" epitomises the kayaking everest of the Barron Gorge....eventually our intrepid kayak crew will finally have the sense of giving up portaging their boats on their shoulders around the dreaded "Roosters Tail", and try to conquer their fear.

Pic : Johnno on a WRONG line

Pic : JG splashes through to make a successful run

Stay tuned......

Kayaking the Barron Gorge, Barron River, North Queensland, Australia

2010-01-09T16:07:00.000-08:00

Kayaking The Barron Gorge, North Queensland, Australia

White water Rafting is known for the adrenaline rush all over the world. However, kayaking in whitewater provides in my mind a bigger rush....and a more self satisfying one.

The Barron Gorge is noted for the Whitewater Rafting activities done just about 365 days a year. However, most of those days, the Cairns Kayaking fraternity also paddles the gorge at the same amount of paddling time with obviously more fun to be had.

Water is released from the Hydro Station at the top of the accessible gorge at various amounts. It is of this intrepid adventurer's experience of only paddling this stretch of river at 15 or 30 megalitres release. The Cairns Kayaking Crew are very, very expert paddlers, and paddle the gorge at 80 to 100 meg sometimes. 30 Meg appears to them as being a low level, and 15 is almost barren ! However, for novice kayakers like myself and the crew that paddle with me, generally 30 meg is more than enough.

Water is generally released at various times but most usually at lunchtime going through to about 5.30pm.

It is a tribute to Blakey, Dom, Riley, Glenn, Kristian, Rod, and the rest that they always lend a helping hand and words of wisdom for paddling the Gorge and I cannot thank them enough.

The "Drop In" point at the hydro station is a very scenic area, and provides the tourist of insight into the Tropical Rainforest in which surrounds the Gorge. It also provides a safe and easy access for the novice paddler to get in and warm up the muscles for the daunting stretch of river that awaits them.

It enables first time paddlers to get used to the kayak and the water flows of the day.

The Barron Gorge is rated at a Grade 3 to 4 Class River. Grade 3 means that there may be some turns required mid-rapid, compared to the Grade 2 of the Mulgrave River in which the rapids flow through fairly evenly.

Generally, it is understood that the more water released could increase the grade of the river. The time taken for the expert kayakers to traverse the gorge would generally be in the whereabouts of about 2 hours. However, in comparison, our novice paddlers would take close to 3 hours due to various portages that need to be undertaken for the level of our skills.

1. "Piece of Nuthin" Rapid (Grade 2) is just a flow through and a slight smooth rapid to allow you to get used to how much positive paddling you will require for the day. Positive Paddling is the amount of forward power paddle strokes and Sweep stroke manouvres that you will need to ascertain the strength of the water flow

2. The "Face Wash" Rapid (grade 3) gives a good account of what can be expected over the afternoon. This gnarly little lead-up requires you to miss a couple of sizeable boulders that peak out of the water, and you are to make a hasty right hand turn when required to land in a nice flush out basin. In 30 meg, there is a small chicken shute that can be undertaken on extreme river left. You would need to bounce over some hidden rocks and keep your balance to enable you to get into the basin below.

3. "Pyramid Pass" (Grade 3) is to me, the epitome of the gorge. This drop of a metre and a half, empties into a sizeable boil, and flushes out into a large and wide basin. In that basin, there is only one large rock under water which is about 30 metres from the drop. This is an ideal rapid to enhance your brace strokes and if you can do it, your roll.

4a. The "Butchers Knife" Rapid (grade 3) rates as my first personal nemesis. This stretch of rapids encompass a few flow throughs at the start which are very enjoyable. This gives you a decent practice of utilising your "break out" or "eddy out" skills.

It also gives you chances to take your time through the rapid and enables you to have a look at the next part of the rapid.

4b. The hole in this photo does give you a bit of a grab once you are most of the way through and I have seen a couple of partial tailstands for this rapid

4c. The final part of the rapid is a challenging decision. On the one hand, depending on the water level, for 15 megs you can take a path to river right in which you have to avoid a dissecting rock which decides the path of the river, you can then take river right and this places you in a path to drop of a metre and a half over a large rock and empties into yet another basin.

For 30 meg however, it is wise to run the small shutes on river left to final empty out into yet another large pool.

5. The "Kitchen Sink" Rapid (Grade 2) proves to be a straight through run with the target being a shute between two large rocks of about a metre and a half wide. It does contain small eddy swirls at the bottom of the rapid to catch you if you are unaware.

At various viewing points, this rapid actually seems harder than what it actually is.

6. The "Maze" Rapid provides the chance for the novice paddler who cannot roll, or does not have the confidence for a following Grade 4 rapid, to portage out on river left. The Maze is a place where, if you actually come out, it can lead to a nasty experience for the lead up to the "Roosters Tail".

This portage around Roosters is about 150 metres clambering over rocks and ledges and must be undertaken slowly and safely

7. The "Roosters Tail" rapid (Grade 4) is the flagship rapid for the Barron Gorge. You need to be very certain of your skills and confidence to undertake this rapid.

To paddle this challenge, you need to take a line of extreme right to get into the proper flow and river left lands you onto some very unkind rocks and boulders.

I myself, choose to portage this rapid at the moment...health before valour !

8. The "Rock Garden" Rapid (grade 3) after the portage supplies a cooling down after the heat of the walk with the kayak over the hot gorge rocks. This gnarly piece of river changes it's appearance depending on the river level. It is a pure decision for the paddler to portage past this rapid. However, if you do choose to run it, you need to enter into the water flow and get your paddling up very, very fast. Once you bounce over these rocks, it again flushes out to a small basin and you can eddy out into various amounts of safe spots.

This rapid is starting to more represent another of my nemeses as to my confidence of engaging 30 meg, has presented a rough ride on the posterior....away from the boat.

9. The "S-Bends" Rapid (Grade 3) lightens the challenge a little as to by now, the novice paddler is more adept at selecting possible eddy spots

Of course, just about after each rapid, there is the easy paddle of flatwater....so as you can take a break from the crunching. A lot of photo opportunities can be taken during this time to see the Natural Beauty of the Gorge.

10. The "Tunnell of Love" Rapid (Grade 3) is another rapid where you have to make a definate decision to paddle river left or river right. The river actually pounds into an imposing rock and the flow actually takes you towards this rock. What the crew have found is it depends on the water level as usual. If it is a 30 meg release, the best option is to go river right, if it is a 15 meg release, then river left might be your option. Behind the actual left turn, the river chops and presents a number of standing waves that may catch you unaware. With the right, you would need to catch a couple of quick turns and boof the kayak over a rocky ledge.

11. The "Cheese Churner" Rapid (Grade 3) is another for a portage for our crew to bypass. The Churn has an imposing rock under the first drop on river left which has a small overhang of which you do not want to get caught under. From passing that rock, you need to make a switch to river right to boof over. If you take the left shute, unfortunately you would place a few dents into the bottom of the kayak as there are a few immovable rocks just waiting to catch the unaware. If you have fallen out over this side, you may need a new dental plan.

The gun kayakers absolutely love the churn to play in.

12. The "Mother-inLaw" Rapid (grade 3) so named as that once she gets hold of you....she doesn't let go ! The Mother is a reticulating rapid in which once you go over the small drop with a descending angle, you need to lift the kayak and boof if you can and paddle hard right through the rapid. With a reticulating rapid, the water works back on itself and ensnares you for a small minute of your time. Larger water would represent a danger for novice paddlers. There is a line on the extreme river right for this drop in which you can boof into a small eddy.

The guns use this rapid to practise their playboating skills such as bow and tail stands, spins, and usual kayak surfing.

Nearly home....

13. "Hells Gate" (Grade 3) is a playground of numerous rapids forming into one large train of turns.

This is the place for a novice kayaker to play in as it has different skills to be used for different lines, different breaking out techniques, and practice for your bow draw.

For absolute beginners, this is an ideal place verging on the flatwater of Lake Placid, to enable the kayaker to understand about river flows and river dynamics.

Hells Gate represents the end of the flowing water journey. The avid novice kayaker has made the jump to a level up in completing the new level of kayaking.

Obviously, beginners and novices are relieved to get to the ease of the flatwater, and thus enjoy the pleasurable cruise back up the Lake

Lake Placid is the budding playground of the kayaker offering spectacular views of the gorge. At the end of the day though, a headwind usually ensures you a hard journey back to dry land.

At the end of the journey, Lake Placid usually offers a chance for a cold ale; or a hot coffee; and a laugh to ensure the memories of the trip stays vivid and the humour begins.

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

Hiking up Walsh's Pyramid, North Queensland, Australia

2010-01-06T17:04:00.000-08:00

Hiking up Walsh's Pyramid, North Queensland

At a point in one's life, each person in Cairns, North Queensland thinks of scaling "Walsh's Pyramid" at some stage of their lives.

Walsh's Pyramid stands at 922m above sea level and is a must for the hiking enthusiast. A target that this intrepid adventurer seeks is that it is a dream to undertake this journey once every two years. I try to organise a group of friends for the assault usually between May and October as these are the cooler months of the year.

The hike itself is a very hot walk and there are no rivers or creeks to fill up your water bottles. Hence you have to take everything on your back. So it is wise to plan to go to the top with someone, and it is very wise if you organise to take at least 5 litres of water with you.

At first, the gradient is very steep, and joviality of the group is soon lost in the never ending plodding ever upwards. However, people soon get into their stride and it is here that teamwork does in fact come into play. This is particularly so for those of us who are on the unfit side of healthiness. It is worthy to note that your team members do aid you to keep going forward, and of course to keep your spirits and humour up.

The track is not much more than a goat track in places. However, there are always markers along the trail, such as paint on rocks, marking tape on trees etc. These will aid you if the trail seems to have vanished

At the half way point, it is noted that various people do have their own currency on time taken to hike. The Halfway point is well marked with paint on rock, and does give you excellent views of the town of Gordonvale at the base of the mountain.

Rich farming land and agriculture stretch to the limit of your vision and enrich your soul for you to say to yourself to keep going to achieve the summit.

It is worthy to note that you must take enough snacks and energy food (good old scroggin) to ensure you keep your energy up. At the halfway point, it would be wise to place a water drop of a litre or two. In fact, it is wise to place water all along the trail so as to reduce the weight of your pack on the way up and you can refresh on the way down. These water drops can be marked with a GPS if you carry an instrument.

Climbing the pyramid is definately a strenuous climb and there are numerous resting stops to be made. These are delightful, in that you then think of the runners for Gordonvale's Mountain Festival, of whom only take just over an hour to run from town, up the full 922 metres, back down, and back into town. You then understand the fitness that they must have (or the insanity).

Along the way, there are a couple of scrambling points of which the Traveller must climb. It is always worthy to have the proper hiking boots to enable your ankles to keep functioning properly. As I am from the State Emergency Service in Cairns, it is with the respect of the mountain that if emergency services were in need, that the SES wishes that the QES Rescue Chopper is available. However, the SES Teams are more than capable,always ready if needed and have brought down injured parties successfully previously.

On reaching the top of the mountain, the Pyramid offers 360 degree views. Mainly over the Township, the Mulgrave River Valley, The Behana Creek Valley, and the eastern canefields of Aloomba are highlighted.

At the pinnacle, there is enough room for the intrepid adventurer, to rest have an early lunch, and relax amongst the sound of the wind and air currents whistling through the trees.

For the more extreme adventurer, camping on the mountain is achievable as the one and only camp spot offers room enough for the tent the size of a three man abode. However, please remember that you need to carry the gear upwards.

The return journey is a little less expendable in time, however, the downhill journey does play havoc with the quads and ankles, so it is imperative that you pick and choose your footsteps. On reaching the bottom, it is also a favorable pastime to have a small dip in the Mulgrave River that runs at the base of the mountain. This refreshes the soul, and with the glances towards the mountain, you then have the feeling of achievement. If you do go to swim at Greenpatch, please watch out for lurking lizards...at least from October to May.

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

Kayaking Upper North Johnstone River (from Malanda Falls to Platypus Pass)

2010-01-02T02:00:00.000-08:00

The Upper North Johnstone River

On a cold wintery day, three couragous souls decided to brave the conditions, to complete an expeditionary journey along the Tablelands section of the North Johnstone River. These souls, namely Flounder, T-Bone, and Jorvo, decided to try the general flat paddle and to see the lay of the land.

Most of the first part of the river, was a flat very shallow, 5 metre wide section as we first launched under Malanda Falls. There was some thought later in the day (as we were bored) that we should have launched above the falls to see if we could brave doing a leap of 10 feet.

There are a couple of portages to be undertaken and some problem solving to be completed also.

Most of the river in the first half of the journey of 9 k's was where the meandering river was bordered by thick foliage and hard to traverse due to accompanying mud. So staying in the kayak was a plus.

However, the river soon panned out and into open country were the trio made a few friends of the bovine kind.

Three quarters through the trip, the adventurous group found (in the Middle of Nowhere) a gnarly rapid which housed slimy sharp black rock....of which Jorvo (in the blue RPM) soon became acquainted with.....much to the laughter and smirks of his accompanying comrades. So thus the rapid was named...."Middle of Nowhere"

After much intrepidation, and research into the lines that should be taken.....Both Flounder and T-Bone had successfully negotiated the rapid , as to where Jorvo....kissed the lip of the entrance and spent a few seconds admiring the rocks at close quarters.

It is amazing that you are still surprised of how much water can actually get into a small kayak....if you drive it like a U-Boat commander !

Towards the end of the journey, the river once again pans out to be a babbling brook amongst the backdrop of cow paddocks, and to the added surprise...river edging abodes of which feature many quaint corso structures.

This journey is thoroughly recommended as a flatwater paddle suiting the old canoe of which a most suitable social atmospere can accompany a very stressless lunch in the Tableland convenience.

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

2009-12-30T21:45:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-30T14:28:00.000-08:00

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 !

To come......

2009-11-13T16:43:00.000-08:00

The continuing exploits of parts of the team exploring Barron Gorge with the aid of some gurus of the NQ kayaking world .

Hiking adventures from around North Queensland featuring Stony Creek Falls, Mount Emerald, and Glacier Rock.

Team Games and Strategies that will possibly be utilised in the Company's business in the upcoming future.

Kayaking the Upper Barron - under the Tinaroo Dam Wall

2009-11-13T16:13:00.000-08:00

Barron River under Tinaroo

On a quiet August day, our intrepid travellers decided to try new water. We had heard of a little play area underneath the dam wall where the rapids were Grade 2 to Grade 3 . This set of rapids were only about 3-4 kilometres in length, but the time that we had to check everything it took some considerable time.

However, the trip took us through some very pretty Tablelands area and it culminated in the last expanse of the Tinaroo Falls Rapid. Blakey had told me that this was a Cascade rather than waterfall . He should know.

Please note, on doing the car shuffle, it is wise and polite to contact the owners of the house above Tinaroo Falls and ask for permission to extract the boats from the river after the paddle over their land. Seemingly very nice people, it is by their generosity that we would end up having a good day. Don't forget to flag the exit area for your paddle arrival at the spot.

The intrepid team, namely Flounder (Myself); Tangles (Steve); Flick (Felicity); Bassy (Deb) and Tim-Me (Tim), worked through the early flows as a gun SWAT team travelling two by two to explore the various channels and lines.

The first major enounter of a decent grade 2 was what we called "Drop N Boil". Once picking your line, it was easy enough to get over the drop of a metre, and then have to paddle through the boil which swings you to your right and out into placid water. Tim-Me had a go first and rightly went swimming....but he seemed happy about it. All of the others managed ok.

The next noteworthy set are the "Cascade Rapids" which are a set of cascades that you have to pick your way through for about 200 metres. The set I think actually features Blakey in a YouTube video called "Barron River Beating" . Look it up. However, we did not face the water that he had at that time. On our trip, Flounder decided to slide down the middle rock and all of three centimetres of water flowing over it, and into the boil at the bottom. It is different to try turning in this rapid where you have to use a low brace to grind your paddle on the rock to hope it catches. Tim-Me had a go at a similar cascade but seemingly no turns.

Then it was onto Tinaroo Falls. A set of Cascades features the lead-up to these falls and the team had to pick it's way through flows into various eddies and ended up eddying out on river right and portaging. The final cascade drop was about 15 metres into a boil contained by a rock wall and the cascade, and then a hard left into the flow, a hard right, and a push through the fairly big standing waves through to flatwater at the bottom. On our skills (wished we had Blakey with us) , we made the wise decision to portage. The adventurous Tim-Me, Tangles, and Flounder again tried the bottom of the wash and entered mid flow in the standing waves to push through the final 20 metres.

The paddle ends with a wooded exit and carrying the boats over and through a culvert for 50 metres to the road.

An enjoyable day had by all.

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

Canoeing and Kayaking the Upper Barron, (Koah to Myola) North Queensland, Australia

2009-11-13T03:46:00.000-08:00

The Upper Barron - Koah to Myola - 6 hours plus lunch

The Upper Barron (Koah to Myola) is a much more serene river trip , less accessible, but satisfying no the less.

A group of intrepid kayakers did this trip....in single boats and no canoes. Canoes would have choked up the carnage total for sure.

The river winds it's way along the Tablelands but within the river, black rock and shallow portages make the trip a little difficult.

The river starts at Koah with a flatwater paddle but soon gets into edgy Grade 2 rapids.

The first interesting rapid that is worthy of a note is one we called "Three Ways" basically for the three ways that you could approach it.

However, on closer inspection, it was decided to attack it straight down the middle....as River right had a very bony, and a very sharp drop onto unkind rocks. River left contained a few caught up logs and due to the skills of the party at the time...the two drops and turn right was the decision accepted.

The second noteworthy challenge that the intrepid party had come across was a race of about 250 metres not unlike the Rock Garden in the Mulgrave. However, it had one difference. It contained a little nasty Grade 3 at the end of it....of which a couple of travellers (moir and BC) came to grief... Thus the "Crunch" was born.

The crunch gave absolution to the ladies of the party and we found that a chicken shute on River Right which had a drop and flow of about 1.5 metres in height. Don't forget this was in medium to low water. Apparently the safe journey is river left with a small chicken shute granting you access to the flatwater easier

The last noteworthy challenge is a very pretty cascade drop of three of which we called "The Step Down" . That's exactly what it was with the last one being a turn as soon as you enter the boil.

This then pretty area would push you out to a local named place called "Big Sands" a very popular swimming area.

Once that was completed the journey leveled out into pretty river being flatwater most of the way. A few little flows through at the Mantaka Bridge and closing on Myola helped aid the sheer boredom of flatwater paddling.

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

On a sad note, one of our group of paddlers left us for the big city Brisvegas and we hope to see her back again in the future....good luck Ms Victoria Carillo....we all miss you.

Rapids and Challenges on the Mulgrave River, North Queensland, Australia - Challenge 3 - "The Rock Garden"

2009-11-12T03:40:00.000-08:00

The Legendary "Rock Garden" Rapid

The final chapter for a days play on the Upper Mulgrave is the pinnacle of the day....a 250 metre collection of rapids involving large and small boulders called "The Rock Garden" . As the name implies, the rapid is a collection of granite boulders that can unseat our intrepid paddlers and place them unceremoniously into the water flow.

After a day's paddle and enjoyment, the kayak safety crew are bemused at the serious faces on the travellers of which they see a stark determination for the culmination rapid.

Having come out of the boats at a few times themselves, the kayak safety crew sets about placing their boats and aid into the various safety spots to aid our adventurous participants.

The Rock Garden does place a culminating effect upon our travellers and it is here we see the grit and determination as they paddle past us dodging rock after rock, boulder after boulder.

It is the last gasp of the 250 metres (some 50 metres worth) in which the canoe crew have to face some devastating decisions of which track that they must travel. Beware of the last few boulder lips and the standing waves. Water has been known to flood our ships of the river and turn them into the Titanics of the Valley.

Hint : The best track for this particular rapid, is to follow the kayaks crew versions of "keep left until you come close to the large boulder in the middle of the rapid....and then the way will open to you if you look to 2 o'clock and follow the track into the middle after the boulder. Then you track either down the middle...or down the right to success". Beware....there are only a few novice canoe crews to make it intact...however, success and acceptance into the Mulgrave River Hall of Fame awaits.

Again , a clean up ensues...and once again the travelling troupe sets off for the final flatwater paddle to the warmth and comfort expectations of dry clothes awaiting in the pick up vehicles. All participants then leave the river sated until the following weekend and they are sure to get good sleep that night.

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.