EXCEED APRIL 2017 | Page 16

TRIP REPORT
SUNDAY - 12th March
After a lovely night we assembled at 9:30 for a run back down the Cobb Hwy to Echuca and then out along the
Murray Valley Highway towards Torrumbarry. This was in fact our first stop, at Torrumbarry Weir and lock. They
have also built a fish race/ladder whereby fish can travel upstream, and Parks Vic do fish counts here to monitor
quantity & movements. The weir and lock structures were impressive and most found the information centre most
enlightening.
We aired down and from here it was onto the dirt roads. We followed the River Track, which as you would expect
runs beside the Murray all the way through to Koondrook.
We stopped and checked out the old cottage at Master’s Landing before continuing along the river. Plenty of people
camped there for the long weekend.
We made Halfway Bend our lunch stop. The people at the site had just packed up so we had a lovely view of the river
from the high banks to ourselves. While kicking back and enjoying the upstream view there came some rumbles
from behind us ! Well the forecast had been for some showers !! But the thunder ….. it was some distance away and
did not immediately concern us but just as we headed off from lunch, Hewy decided to deliver some precipitation.
Wasn’t too bad at first but quickly got heavier and heavier and of course the silty river track turned from dusty to very
slippery. Tyres were quickly let down but with the river mud just cakes up, you’re quickly 75 cm taller after 5 steps !!!
And driving quickly became a very slippery and quite a risky episode.
We managed to make it to Nursery Break Track, just some 5 km from our lunch stop and quickly exited from the
river. This track, whilst still very slippery enabled us to get down to Dalton’s Bridge on the Cohuna Island Road
where we aired up, some doing so under an umbrella!!!
We were now on the bitumen and the tyres had thrown out most of the mud.
At Cohuna we passed the caravan park where people were still on the water, in fact on paddleboards doing yoga !!
True. We stopped here for a coffee & icecream, still shaking our heads in disbelief!!!!
We were now on the Murray Valley Highway again and headed up to Koondrook where we did a couple of loops of
the town, checking out some of the red gum carvings and studios but not making any U-turns! We finally found the
bridge over the river to Barham and were again in NSW. Our route took us the back way on the Deniliquin-Barham
Rd to Mathoura.
It was the quick way back to camp tonight through the Moira State Forest and the tracks leading back were still quite
damp and slippery.
Back at Swifts Creek there as some rework on the awnings as a consequence of the strong winds of the storm, same
one that had struck us on the river near Cohuna.
Time for fivesees …… and tonight was under the awning rather than out in the open!
Between fivesees and dinner some tried their luck with a line, and with some non-carp success. Well done Andrew.
Others ventured to the water for a swim. Gutsy, and well done Brian, exposing those muscles to all and sundry!
After dinner we again gathered and had an evening of Bush Poetry, together with the necessary and appropriate
refreshments. Some very humorous lines put together, in fact Brian’s shower curtain encounter had tears flowing
from many an eye from the laughter. Well done Brian.
We turned in to a few more showers overnight.
MONDAY - 13th March
We let the canvas dry as long as possible. Quite a different day to yesterday’s afternoon, a warm sunny morning.
We broke camp at 10:30 and headed out along Swifts Creek Track/Exchange Rd to the Cobb Highway. What a
difference 12 hours can make to track conditions !
We turned off the Cobb Hwy at the Barmah Rd and at Barmah itself turned left and picked up the Miora Rd. Just out
of town we turned off at the Cemetery Gates and headed in along the river tracks to the river once again, on Corry’s
Centre Track. We’re now on the Vic side of the border and quite surprisingly, the tracks were in great condition.
Lot of Victorians camped along the river, being a long weekend. Also a lot of woodcutters collecting firewood as the
season had just opened.
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Vol 34 No. 3 - April 2017