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Whitewater Rafting Camping Sites, USA

Qld Canoeing Inc . Canoe Polo
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Website: www.qld.canoe.org.au   Upstreampaddle logo
PO Box 79
Sherwood Qld 4075
proud to be associated
with Qld Canoeing Inc.

The Guidebook contains an index of the paddling destinations covered in these pages.

Blaksleys  Anchorage Borumba  Dam Bramble Bay Bremer River
Brisbane  River        The Broadwater

Bulimba Creek

Burpengary  Creek
Caboolture  River Clarrie Hall  Dam Cudgen Creek Cudgera  Creek
Lake Cootharaba Ewen  Maddock  Dam Hinze  Dam Jacobs  Well
Jumpinpin Maroochy  River Maroon  Dam Mary  River
Mooball  Creek Moogerah Dam Moreton  Bay Noosa  River
North  Pine  River Nudgee  Creek Oxley  Creek Oxley  River
Peel  Island Petrie  Creek Pumicestone  Passage Rous  River
Somerset  Dam South  Pine  River South.Stradbroke Island St  Helena  Island
Tinchi  Tamba Wetlands Tweed  River Wivenhoe  Dam  
   

 

 
Advertisers/Web traffic statistics information page:
 
Upstreampaddle Magazine is a free online quarterly magazine available as a pdf download.
The magazine covers the geographical paddling area of the Guidebook, and also items of interest to the greater paddling community. Current issue is Summer 2008 (see below) available 1st December 2008. Next magazine (Autumn 2009) is available 1st March 2009.
 
Summer 2008
Index of Contents
Summer 08 cover
image left: view from the Bridge to Nowhere, Whanganui River, NZ
 
. Keppell Islands trip report

. Gladstone to Keppells trip report

. Lawn Hill Gorge
. Desolation Canyon, USA
. Magnetic Island Guide
. A Very Long Paddle on the Murray River
. Pumicestone Passage - Bribie Bridge to Golden Beach
. Whanganui River 5 day canoe trip, NZ
. Baffin island - canoeing in the far north
Download pdf® file
image left: A. Hubert
 
Spring 2008
Index of Contents
out 1st September - now available
 
cover Spring 2008
. Magnetic Island City of Adelaide- shipwreck

. Waimakariri River NZ    (Coast to Coast Multisport Race)

. Northern section, Moreton Island
. Puysegur Point NZ (Long Sound)
. Hinchinbrook Island - trip report
. Hinchinbrook Island - photo essay
. Coolmunda Dam and MacIntyre Brook
. HMCS Protector Heron Island - shipwreck
. Lake Manapouri, NZ
. Rah Island, Vanuatu
. Richmond Christian College school camp
Download pdf® file
 
 
Winter 2008
Index of Contents
out 1st June - now available
 
Whetstone Weir pool, MacIntyre Brook, Yelarbon
Download pdf® file
. Sea kayaking, the Isle of Skye, Scotland
. Exploring Palau, Micronesia
. A Klepper on the Yukon River
. Voyage to Antarctica (Feathercraft)
. Cooloola Sandpatch, Great Sandy Nat. Park
. The Dumaresq River, western Queensland
. Toonumbar Dam, Kyogle
. Tabulam Bridge, Clarence River
. fitting knee braces in a Mirage sea kayak
. basic skills on whitewater - DVD review
 
 
Magazine back issues
Winter 2008 - download Autumn 2008 - download Summer 2007 - download
       
Spring 2007 - download Winter 2007 - download Autumn 2007 - download
       

 

Have you a trip report or notice of an upcoming trip or event to share?
Other news including lost gear, road or river closures? Email here
 
Canoeing Western QLD Guidebook ...... readers are invited to assist in compiling a Guidebook entry for the Paroo, Warrego, Balonne, Thomson, Cooper, or your local waterway. List of information required

 

Photo Gallery  
Statistics  
Canoeing in Western Australia  
Instructors/Guides
Manufacturers
Tours and Expeditions
 
 
 
 
Latest news ......
 
recent reports confirm the presence of salt water crocodiles in the Hervey Bay region, with sightings at Deep Creek on the Western Fraser Coast of a 3.5 to 4.0 metres crocodile, and other regular sightings in the mouth of the Mary River region (River Heads etc.). .. take care sea kayakers.
 

Upstream at the logjam above Lowood, the river is blocked, about 150m upstream from where the portage trail finds the river again on the downstream side.

The first rapid at Lowood Corner now should be run on the right to avoid a fallen bottlebrush.

The river flow is back to low and slow.

03 December 08

  logjam
 
Recent flood rains in the Lockyer Valley saw the Brisbane River 2 metres above the bridge at Savages Crossing, Banks Creek Road, Fernvale. The river level has now dropped back to normal. Some bridge archways may be blocked by flood debris. The river weed and hyacinth has been cleared from the river. Water is still a light brown colour. Photo left: flood debris, left bank. Photo right: river running strongly at Savages Crossing. Dated Monday 24 November 2008.
 
flood debris Savages Crossing   view from the bridge, Savages
 
Weekend of the 22/23 November 2008 BOM river heights on the Upper Clarence River are looking better
 
Whitewater rafting Campsites USA   The new linked logo under the navigation banner at the top of the page is to Whitewater Rafting Campsites USA. Planning an American river rafting trip? You'll be camping, but do you know where? This site is a gallery of photos of river campsites, covering more than 400 campsites on the most popular white water rivers in the Western US. Each campsite has its own photo album. And each river has its own albums containing photos of the river scenery and rapids.
 
Reminder for the King Tides heights (blue) in January 2009, for those planned paddles that require a little extra tide height and run. Note on Monday 12, a height of 4.73 metres.
 
Fri 9 Sat 10 Sun 11 Mon 12 Tue 13 Wed 14 Thu 15
Time Ht Time Ht Time Ht Time Ht Time Ht Time Ht Time Ht
0109 0.79 0205 0.62 0258 0.48 0345 0.41 0431 0.45 0515 0.61 0003 3.66
0739 4.37 0830 4.58 0918 4.70 1005 4.73 1051 4.65 1136 4.46 0559 0.88
1408 0.83 1500 0.63 1546 0.49 1631 0.45 1715 0.50 1756 0.63 1219 4.18
2006 3.43 2058 3.57 2146 3.67 2232 3.73 2317 3.72     1836 0.83
 

 

This link is to the Expeditionclass website of Andrew Hughes, long distance sea kayaker, who is cycling his way home to Hobart after paddling around the coastline of Niugini. Go here for a timetable of presentations of Liklik Kanu: The Adventures of a Novice Kayak Sailor in PNG.
 
Reminder: Canoeists who have an EPIRB (Emergency Position Indicating Rescue Beacon) need to be aware that the 121.5 MHz beacon ceases to be operational on 1 February 2009. Only the 406MHz beacons will work.
 
The Combie Trader II ferry service between Scarborough and Bulwer, Moreton Island has ceased. Micat runs a ferry to Bulwer from its Port of Brisbane Terminal two days a week.
 
 
Departs Brisbane
Departs Bulwer
Monday
12:30 pm
4:00 pm
Sunday
5:30 pm
7:30 pm
     
 
20 August 2008 ... the Guidebook entry for Somerset Dam refers to the Kirksleigh camping area, which is now Lake Somerset Holiday Park. Following last summer's rain, and a top up this year, the lake level is now over 87% full. The grassed over areas below the boat ramps, seen in photographs in the Guidebook entry, are now underwater. Looks great for a visit.
 
Lake Somerset Holiday Village ramp and high water level, Lake Somerset Holiday Park
 

19 August 2008 ... an email from Mark on Mary River conditions. "Thought I’d let you know a friend and I recently ran the Mary River from Kenilworth to Traveston on the 10th- 12th of August.

The depth when we started at Kenilworth (according to BOM) was -0.33 and was about as low as it could be to successfully run the entire river, even then there were some extremely shallow areas.  There were a few sections where tree’s had fallen (quite recently) across the river, however the longest portage was about 50 metres and always on very easy flat ground.  The hardest one to get through was a very large tree that had fallen across the entire river where there were quite steep sides (3 to 4 metres each side, no portage possible.) We were able to push through / under the tree which only took a couple of minutes of careful manoeuvering."

Hope this info is helpful – some pics are available at http://picasaweb.google.com/markrhodes/maryrivertrip

 
  Chief
The 2008 Rah Island Canoe Race (Vanuatu) was held 20 September 2008. This event is in its second year. Follow this link to the race poster, 2008 Calendar, and tours from Vanuatu Custom Travel.
 
see Brisbane River update 05 May, below
 
Brisbane River notes:
 

4 May 2008. Mark writes: Wivenhoe to Twin bridges - a small tree has fallen across the entire river about 20cm above the waterline at the "log jam" area a few kms south of Wivenhoe.  Boats need to be passed over it. (remember you can portage around the log jam …. see Guidebook section notes. Editor)

Twin Bridges to Savages - impassable.  There are two long stretches of hyacinth (700m+ and 300m+) of bank to bank hyacinth.  Portage would be extremely difficult due to very steep banks and a difficult walking track and we did not attempt it after scouting the ahead route. .... THX Mark

12 February: Twin Bridges to Savages Crossing - closed

About a kilometre upstream from Savages Crossing, is a weed blocked passage. It is about 400 metres long or more. Portage looked very difficult, with steep river banks, and overgrown vegetation.

March 22: Savages to Burtons - closed
   
First problem was about one and a half kilometres down. The hyacinth has not yet regrown across the river but another weed, which I don't know the name of, is filling in the gaps between it in a lot of places.. It is rooted on the bottom and floats just below the surface and would no doubt be quite deadly if you capsized in it.
   
On a couple of occasions we had to push through this weed for a few metres. It is not as difficult as getting through the hyacinth but I wouldn't want to have to do too much of it. From what we could see large stretches of the river will be covered with it fairly soon.
   
Further down at the 4.8 km mark the river is completely blocked with hyacinth. It went as far as we could see to the next bend which was 300 metres away.
   
The bank was not too bad on the left but from our maps it looked as if got very steep at the bend. The right hand side was not an option (too steep)  so it could end up being a very difficult portage if the weed continued around the corner! We opted to paddle back to Savages. (Thanks Clair)

16th February: Burtons Bridge to Kholo Bridge - portage required

The section was paddled involved a 300m portage around weed about 10 km downstream of Burton's Bridge that the paddler described as relatively easy to portage, with a clear track to follow on the left. The rest of the river section was described as relatively clear of weed.

 

Mary River levels may be checked at the Bureau of Metereology River Height Bulletin for the Mary River on their internet pages. (rec. min. level .35 Kenilworth)

 

Upper Clarence River levels may be checked at the Bureau of Metereology River Height Bulletin for the Clarence River on their internet pages

Information courtesy Clarence River Wilderness Lodge
( http://www.clarenceriver.com/ )
   
Paddy's Flat to Hootons (rec. min. river level .65 Tabulam)  
Hootons to Tabulam  
Tabulam to Yates Crossing phone or email the link if planning a trip
 
Brisbane and Mary River conditions. Email me if you have recently paddled any section.

 

Brisbane River paddlers check update at Overview page on Hyacinth river weed.
 

Update: Blue Green Algae level in Clarrie Hall Dam, Doon Doon Creek, via Uki; and access:
Tweed Shire Council Water Supply Engineer advises " No current restrictions " 27 Nov 2007

 
Hamon Cove (launch point north-west Wivenhoe Dam) still had locked gate 7 Feb 2008 ... closed due to low water.
 
Hinze Dam (Gold Coast) access near dam wall is restricted during construction work (1st June)
 
 
The Upstreampaddle Guidebook webpages are available as a computer CD. It includes printer friendly black and white locality maps, guidebook notes in printable format, higher resolution photographs, and extended notes on items of interest, (some locations) in pdf format. Purchase to support the online Guidebook and Magazine.
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Last Updated 28 Dec 2008 - contact email (mention canoe or kayak in Subject)