Canoeing and kayaking

There have been several private canoe trips over the years and some programmed as Club trips as far back as 1950, when Joan Vincent organised canoeing on the Yarra. In the seventies Tony Morris led a two-day canoe trip down the Goulburn, from Yea to Seymour.

The Club programmed a canoe trip on the Upper Murray for the Christmas - New Year period, 1987-88. I led this trip which started at Bringenbrong Bridge and finished at Jingellic. While it could have been done in three days, it was programmed for five days to allow plenty of time for swimming and resting. Some members had their own canoes or kayaks, but most were hired from the Upper Murray Canoe Hire, which provided transport to the start and back from the finish. An option of a half-day walk up Pine Mountain was not taken up by the group, probably due to heat-induced lethargy. For many of the party, this was an introduction to canoeing and was greatly enjoyed, despite dunkings and tangling with willows. The trip was repeated in 1990-91, and was followed with a walk over Mt Bogong as an optional extra.

I organised a trip with a difference in June-July 1989: sea kayaking in Queensland. The trip was organised through a commercial operation. Ten members met at Cairns and were transported to Lucinda for the start. The first day was a short trip across to Hinchinbrook Island and introduced everyone to sea kayaks. The next four days were spent kayaking along the Hinchinbrook coast, with some short walks at the camp spots. Landing on the surf beaches proved to be an upsetting experience for many of the group. Leaving Hinchinbrook involved a 12-kilometre open-sea trip to the Family Group of islands, followed by a rest day for walking and snorkelling. A further sea crossing brought the trip to an end at Mission Beach.

Doug Pocock