"The second break in the Barwon River." This was the Google Images search which greeted me as I took a quick glance at my stats page before starting this post.
I am guessing that someone was looking for pictures of the lower breakwater. I hope they found the first of my kayaking posts from earlier this month, but as it happens, I can add to the collection after another paddle down the river today. In fact, I stopped at the lower break for lunch before heading back to the upper breakwater to catch a ride home.
But first things first. I hit the water just near the Geelong Water Ski Club at the end of Wilsons Road in St. Albans Park and headed downriver, hoping to get a better idea of where that 19th century picnic spot "The Willows" was and also to see if I could access Reedy Lake.
Assuming my reasoning as outlined in my post
The Willows is correct, then I was successful in my first endeavour and now have some photos to show for my efforts:
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| Thicket of elms at the possible site of The Willows, looking upstream |
The above shot shows a thicket of elm trees, clearly non-native and well-established. There are no willows to be seen anymore anywhere along this stretch of river or even signs that the area may have been used for picnics and camping. Nor is there any sign of the "cutting" described by James Lister Cuthbertson in his description of
The Willows, where the Grammar boys ran the boats up onto the bank.
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| Thicket of elms looking downriver towards The Willows |
In fact the only place I could conveniently get out of the water to have a look around was several hundred metres away....maybe next time.
And so I paddled on. My next aim was to see if I could get inside Reedy Lake for a look around, however I soon discovered that the channel which connects the lake to the river is not designed for boat access.
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| Channel to Reedy Lake |
None-the-less, it is a rather pretty part of the river with farmland on one side and high reeds interspersed with gum trees obscuring any sight of the lake on the other.
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| Looking downriver, about 2.5km below Wilsons Road |
My next stop was the lower breakwater where I hauled myself and the "yak" out of the water, took a few photos and had some lunch at which time a decision had to be made. The weather was mild but increasing winds were forecast for later in the afternoon so I decided to leave a paddle around Lake Connewarre for another occasion and head back upriver.
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| Above the lower breakwater |
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| Below the lower breakwater |
As on at least three other occasions, the trip upstream was wind-assisted and therefore easier than the trip down.
At one point as I drifted quietly near the bank I became aware that I was not alone. As they often do, a number of carp were cruising along the bank looking for food. They were quite confident - provided I didn't move much - and were happily snapping up the grass seeds (we used to call them fairies) which were floating on the surface of the water.
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| A carp eating a "fairy" |
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| A carp stalking a seed |
After spending a bit of time stalking the carp, I got moving again, sloshing my way through the wake of several power boats at the water ski club until I reached quieter waters (and a patch of waterlilies) near "Greenbanks" on the Marshall side of the river.
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| "Greenbanks" |
From there it was an uneventful paddle round the bend to Breakwater and a quick ride home. Not a bad day's paddling and my first solo expedition.
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| Yellow waterlily |
