Tandem Kayaking

The tandem kayak that we purchased for a joint Christmas present has not been used all that much.  Not because we haven't wanted to, but because it has been so wet and rainy and not the sort of weather you want to be sitting in.
Someone asked me how much rain we have had this year and even we were surprised that to date we have had over a metre of rain.  That is 1040 mm or almost 42 inches on the old scale.  It has been very wet and I just wish that we could send it south to the ones - including our son - who need it the most.
But, getting back to the kayak, last weekend was sunny and warm so we packed up the cruiser and headed over to Tinaroo Falls Dam for a paddle.  I had printed out the National Parks map of Danbulla National Park that encompasses Tinaroo.  There are numerous campsites that are very well maintained with clean toilets, mowed grassed campsites, and more than a hundred fire pits have recently been placed strategically around the campsites.  We drove into each one of the campsites but because the dam level is still quite low we were limited to just a few to launch our kayak.  We chose "School Point" campground to unpack the kayak.  Five minutes out of the car and we were regretting our choice as the march flies attacked us.  Gosh I hate them.  They sit so quietly on the hardest part of your body to reach and than bam!  They've got you!  And of course we forgot to pack the Aeroguard didn't we. 😒😒
It didn't take long to inflate the kayak and to push off.....thankfully leaving the march flies behind.  As I mentioned, the water level is quite low and we had to manoeuvre our way cautiously between the exposed tree stumps and also to keep our eye open for the semi-submerged.  These are the ones that can cause a lot of damage to an inflatable kayak.

We paddled close to the waters edge because that is where you get to see the incredible wildlife.  Many, many birds hide amongst the reeds along the waters edge and it is quite challenging to get a photo because they move so fast when they are disturbed.

We paddled for about an hour and stopped at Fong-On Bay camping area for a toilet stop and to check it out for a future camping spot.  It is lovely here and just a gentle slope to the waters edge.  We will bring the camper for a few days next time.  I love getting sunrise/sunset photos and you really need to camp to get those shots.

Tinaroo Falls Dam is about an hour and half drive from our home and then it takes about another hour and a half to circumnavigate the waterway.  We launched the kayak at 8am and by 10.30am we were back in the car.  We stopped at "The Chimneys" picnic area for brunch and once again we were attacked by the "Marchies" so it was a quick stop!  The two chimneys at the picnic area are all that remain of a soldier settler house built in the early 1920's.  The chimneys are each 7m high and built of red clay brick.  You can still see securing points for what was once a mantlepiece.  It was very interesting.

Back on the road and it was a short distance to the Gillies Highway where we turned right to head towards Yungaburra but decided to turn-off before we reached there because I really wanted to get some cheese and chocolates from Gallo's Dairy at Malanda.  This is always worth the stop.  We purchased many varieties of cheese including blue, feta, peppered cheddar, camembert, and the rainforest variety.  Of course you can't leave without a bag of the rocky road and almond clusters that we devoured before we arrived home.
It was a lovely day and we have promised that we are going to try to get the kayak in the water at least once a month. 💨💨 Watch this space!