Paddling the Barwon - Part 2

In the first part of this post, I gave brief descriptions of the sections of the river which I have paddled up to this point in time.

On the Barwon, January, 2013

Below is a table giving details of the various points along the river from which it is possible to launch small water craft such as kayaks and the type of access involved. I have also included links to a photo of each location.

Access Points	Approximate GPS Co-ordinates	Distance to next access	Comments
Inverleigh Bell’s Bridge, Inverleigh-Winchelsea Rd, Inverleigh	S38 º 6.792’ E144 º 3.787’	16.2km	Access from the north bank via dirt track about 200m downstream of Bell’s Bridge
Murgheboluc Hamilton Hwy, Murgheboluc	S38 º 6.654’ E144 º 8.459’	8.2km	Steep bank access. Entry via 400m grassed laneway to the north bank behind “please shut the gate” sign opposite Murgheboluc Public Reserve, Hamilton Hwy, Murgheboluc
Pollocksford Bridge Pollocksford Rd, Gnarwarre	S38 º 8.627’ E144 º 11.206’	1.8km	Access from the east bank via a rutted track to a small weir about 150m north of the bridge
Stonehaven Dear’s Lane, Stonehaven	S38 º 8.427’ E144 º 14.713’	9.9km	Steep bank access via dirt track from the end of Dear’s Lane, Stonehaven
Merrawarp Rd Bridge Merrawarp Rd, Barrabool (Ceres)	S38 º 8.496’ E144 º 15.750’	5.7km	Steep access to the south bank adjacent to the west side of the bridge via rough access track (approx. 200m)
Ceres Track off Gully Rd, Ceres	S38 º 8.749’ E144 º 16.081’	640m	Access via shallow bank. Entry via 550m gravel track from Gully Rd, however permission is required
Baum’s Weir Cnr Cyril Synot Dve and Degoldi’s Rd, Fyansford.	S38 º 8.946’ E144 º 17.995’	5.1km	Access via 200m gravel track to parking area. River entry from concrete-paved slipway or timber deck
Fyansford Common Moorabool River west bank, Fyansford Common, Fyansford	S38 º 8.672’ E144 º 18.691’	2.4km	Access to the Moorabool about 450m upstream from the confluence with the Barwon via a paved slipway. Portage of around 150m required from nearest parking
Fyans Park Fyans Park boat ramp, Cnr Gairloch and West Fyans St	S38 º 9.389’ E144 º 19.280’	2.6km	Concrete ramp access adjacent to parking
Newtown Marnockvale Rd, Newtown	S38 º 9.893’ E144 º 19.970’	2km	Access via timber deck adjacent to the Geelong Canoe Club facilities
South Geelong Rowing sheds, Barwon Tce, South Geelong Or Boat ramp, Barrabool Rd, Belmont	S38 º 9.930’ E144 º 21.261’	1.9km	Access either from the deck at the rowing sheds (north bank) or ramp access from opposite bank (access via Barrabool Rd)
Breakwater Gun Dog Lane, Breakwater Upstream Downstream	S38 º 10.906’ E144 º 21.861’	1.9km*	Upstream access from timber deck adjacent to road bridge (west bank). Downstream access from the west bank below the bridge
St Alban’s Park Wilson’s Rd, St Alban’s Park	S38 º 12.076’ E144 º 23.140’	3.7km	Access from the bank adjacent to the Geelong Water Ski Club at the end of Wilson’s Rd
Lake Connewarre Tait’s Point, Stacey’s Rd, Connewarre Or Brinsmead’s Lane, Leopold	S38 º 14.217’ E144 º 25.776’ S38 º 12.927’ E144 º 28.922’	7.4km (5.2km from Tait’s Point)	Access via concrete-paved boat ramp or pontoon, end of Stacey’s Rd Shallow bank access via steep track from the end of Brinsmead’s Lane
Barwon Heads River Parade, Barwon Heads Or Ocean Grove Jetty, cnr Peer’s Cres and Guthridge St, Ocean Grove Or Barwon Heads/Ocean Grove foreshore	S38 º 15.922’ E144 º 29.795’ S38 º 15.774’ E144 º 30.475’ S38 º 16.884’ E144 º 29.682’	11.2km	Access via boat ramp, River Parade on the west bank  Boat ramp access from carpark Beach access from either side of the river at Barwon Heads/Ocean Grove

Of course, there are other locations from which it is possible to launch small craft, however they either do not have close enough vehicle access, are on private property or there is another suitable access point with better facilities nearby. For example, it is possible to launch from the decks near the bridge at Queen's Park, but the boat ramp at Fyans Park is within 1km of the bridge and provides easier access to the river.

River access points plotted o Google Earth. Click to enlarge

The first part of this post can be found at Paddling the Barwon - Part 1. Happy paddling everyone!

Firepower

It is bushfire season. As the temperature in Geelong and surrounding districts peaked at 41 degrees yesterday, a small grassfire broke out near the Barwon River outside of the township of Stonehaven. On this occasion, it was contained within a few hours. Despite media and government reports of an aerial firefighting unit, several tankers from Geelong and surrounding towns and the possible presence of smoke, there was nothing to be seen from a distance. None-the-less, the tanker from Gnawarre became bogged and then trapped in the flames. No-one was injured, however the truck suffered substantial damage.

Ten News footage of the Gnawarre tanker in flames at Stonehaven

The potential for danger was clearly quite real and it got me thinking  about what role fire has played along the banks of the Barwon over the centuries. Certainly, the local Wathaurong tribes are known to have conducted burns as part of the land management strategies they used to encourage the propagation of various food sources. Studies have suggested that the current growth of native trees in what is believed to be an untouched remnant of bushland at Ocean Grove - not far from the Lake Connewarre Game Reserve - may have changed over the last 150 years with the cessation of burning by the Wathaurong tribes.

Man-made lake and remnant bushland in the Ocean Grove Nature Reserve

At the other end, near the headwaters of the Barwon, it is rather a different story. The Otway Ranges receive more rainfall than any other part of the state. This has lead to the growth of temperate rainforest which does not burn easily - if at all. I am informed that prior to European arrival, a bushfire could be expected in some parts of the Otways no more regularly than every 300-500 years!
With the arrival of white settlement however, things have changed somewhat. Clearfell logging has had an impact on the ability of the area to withstand bushfire damage and both have had a significant effect on water catchment capacity and water quality. Clearfell logging in the Otways ceased in May, 2008. It is predicted that within 60 years if no further logging takes place that water yields will increase by 10%.
Over time, damaged areas of bushland will regenerate, however even this comes at a cost to short term water catchment capacity. Young trees draw water from the soil, evaporating it through their leaves as they respire and grow. Old growth trees by contrast retard the flow of runoff water through the soil which remains moist, allowing more time for it to drain into the creeks and rivers of the catchment area. Likewise, bushfire can not only damage old growth trees, but it draws moisture from the ground which would otherwise end up in the catchments.

Section of regrowth  and old growth forest at West Barwon Dam

The West Barwon catchment area is largely old growth forest however, parts of this were burnt out during bushfires in the area in 1919 and again in the 1939 Black Friday bushfires when Victoria's rivers were reported to be at their lowest levels for 80 years. One story tells of Bill Kellas, a survivor of the more recent 2009 Black Saturday Bushfires who as a six year old boy, spent two days sheltering beside the Barwon in 1939 with his mother. They survived the bushfires by ducking beneath the surface of the river to avoid falling embers and hiding beneath wet blankets.
Bushfire management has come a long way since then and not surprisingly, the threat of bushfire in the Otways and along the Barwon is very much a "hot topic". So much so in fact that the authorities responsible for developing safety strategies in the region (the Department of Sustainability and Energy and Parks Victoria) have won the Motorola Innovation Knowledge Agency Award for those deemed the most progressive in the fields of fire and emergency.
Let's hope their innovations are effective!