Murray River — Getting Out There

Torrumbarry to Echuca — Murray River, Day 4

Sun, 06 Dec 2020 09:00:41 +1100

This morning I woke up to the nicest morning yet. A beautiful sunrise was shining through the trees and across the river, lighting up a wedge-tailed eagle in her nest in the tree directly above my tent. Compared to the wind of last night it was a beautiful tranquil scene.

I watched as the eagle fended off other birds, and another large bird that I am pretty sure was a Brahminy kite, though it would be far south of its regular range. I made my breakfast of camp eggs and espresso, took my time packing down my tent and loading my bike for the last leg of my trip. By now I’m in sync with the sun, and even here at the Airbnb lodging I am ready to go to sleep with the sun. My mind is at rest and I’m thoroughly relaxed.

I rode through the Torrumbarry Weir, stopping for cold water and some quite rude service at the Holiday Park. I had a picnic lunch with some magpies near the Weir and then headed off again down the River Track. I met a couple out on their mountain bikes, just for the day. We chatted for a little while, they’re up from Melbourne and told me there was a closed off bridge, but easily traversable by carrying the bike. By the time I got to the bridge I saw it was a tough ask: a sharply sloping one-foot-wide gap around the huge concrete barrier. I had to try and lift my very heavy loaded touring bike around the barrier, without putting too much strain on my back. I got past the bridge and then rode for some beautiful kilometres until I got to Baillieu Lagoon. I saw two goannas on two separate occasions, and as my daughter’s name is Anneliese I got some photos and sent them to her dubbed “Goannaliese I and II”.

My partner Danielle and I have a bit of an attachment to a regular camp we call “Our Spot” near Baillieu Lagoon, so I stopped there to take a photo and call Danielle. After this, it was time to rejoin the road and leave the river until Echuca. I rode along the Murray Valley Highway into town, stopping at the historic Port of Echuca for a happy snap and some lunch from the Shamrock Hotel.

I checked into an Airbnb I booked with a kindly host named Anne, and we sat and chatted the afternoon away before I went for some wood-fired pizza dinner at a local Italian restaurant, then retired to bed early with the sunset.

My trip is over, and I’m off to Ballarat via Melbourne on the train first thing in the morning. I’ve had an awesome time and am very keen to come back with Danielle and ride it together.

Cohuna to Torrumbarry — Murray River, Day 3

Sat, 05 Dec 2020 09:00:14 +1100

I had a bit of rain today, but nothing too heavy and after the past few days, it was actually quite refreshing. I woke in Cohuna, had my coffee and breakfast and packed down my camp quite quickly. I didn’t have phone reception so was keen to get into a better area for it so I could let my partner know I was OK, etc. I was also low on water so decided to venture away from the Murray to detour through Cohuna township.

I rode along the River Track for a while, happening across some bridgeworks at the Sleeper Track regulator, where the construction workers kindly let me carry my bike across. I saw some emus and kangaroos on the way to Cohuna, but otherwise it was a fairly uneventful but thoroughly enjoyable ride into town.

In Cohuna I stopped for coffee at the Old Farmery Coffee Shop, where the coffee was quite good. I filled up my water bottles, had a muffin and called Danielle. I also saw a lady I’d seen yesterday at the Barham Bakery.

From Cohuna I rode back along the Cohuna Island Road around Gunbower Creek, stopping for a few photos and enjoying the road itself — tree-lined and picturesque with very little traffic but a good surface, the road wound itself along wetlands and I saw a lot of birds and scenery.

I turned off at Tickells Road, near Taylor Lagoon to return to the River Track along the Murray. Gunbower National Park is very beautiful, the tracks are good and I knew this area a bit better as I’ve camped around here many times before. I stopped at a great camp spot I used to regularly use with friends at Broken River Bend.

I caught plenty of fish — 3 yellowbellies, a silver perch, a carp and a big Murray cod who was certainly in the size limit, about 60cm I’d estimate, and was destined to become my dinner until I got him in close, climbed into the water (as I have no net) and tried to land him, but alas! He snapped off and swam away to live another day.

The wind this afternoon has been very rough. My DAC tarp pole is bending like an old man, my tarps have ripped heaps of pegs out and after a while of this I decided to pack down my gear into my tent and fly, and retire for an early evening. It’s about 1930 and I’m ready for bed.

Today I journeyed on the lands of the Yorta Yorta people, who have lived on and cared for this land for millennia, and have never seded their sovereignty. I want to thank the Traditional Owners and acknowledge their custodianship of, and connection to the beautiful land, rivers and waterways I enjoyed today because of their care. I also pay my respects to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and their Elders past and present.

Murrabit to Cohuna — Murray River, Day 2

Mon, 30 Nov 2020 19:00:57 +1100

I slept in today, and had a nice campfire breakfast of fried eggs, muesli bars and espresso coffee, before packing my bag and exploring the Campbells Island State Forest on my way down to Barham and Koondrook.

Koondrook is a little town on the Victorian side of the Murray, and Barham is a slightly larger, but still small town on the NSW side. I crossed the river into Barham and stopped at the bakery for a shepherd’s pie and chips, chatting to a local named ‘Darby’, who was 80 and had lived in the area most of his life. Barham is a nice enough little place and reminded me very much of Wentworth, near Mildura but again on the NSW side of the river.

I stopped at the general store in Koondrook for cold drinks, water and fresh worms for bait, then headed back into the forest, this time Gunbower State Forest, to roam the tracks along the Murray. For the most part from Murrabit I have followed the River Track, which meanders along the Murray, not turning into every single long winding bend but for the most part sticking to the course of the river, and the track is a pretty good track for most of its length, getting rutted and slippery in parts but otherwise easy to follow. I saw kangaroos and spooked a couple of emus who ‘took flight’ pretty close to my bike due to the quieter nature of a bicycle versus the 4WDs and other motorised vehicles they’re likely used to.

At about 1500 I stopped to camp at a nice spot near Iron Punt Landing and the intersection of the River Track and Threader Track. It is a stunning place, but without phone reception (perhaps adding to its allure for some!) and I’ve since caught a little yellowbelly (golden perch) and seen and heard plenty of cockatoos and kookaburras. I had a dip in the warm water before having a Backcountry freeze-dried meal of “Beef Teriyaki” for dinner, as I couldn’t discern whether today is a total fire ban or not.

Swan Hill to Murrabit — Murray River, Day 1

Sun, 29 Nov 2020 19:00:51 +1100

I got up nice and early this morning — 0500 — to catch the Ballarat V/Line train to Melbourne at 0615. I packed the bike last night, making sure everything was lashed and ready to go. Then lo and behold, the skies opened up and rain started pouring! Not the most auspicious start to the trip…

I didn’t care too much about the bike getting wet (I planned for such weather as rain is forecast for Tuesday) but I did want to be dry for the six-hour train trip to Swan Hill. So my partner Danielle and I scrambled to unload the bike and throw my gear in the back of the ute, and she drove me down to the station. I reloaded the bike at the station and boarded the train with plenty of time, and a good practice in case I have to do it again later in the day [luckily I didn’t!].

The trip to Footscray Station was pretty uneventful until I got there. Once on the platform at Footscray, I really had to use the toilet, and there as a dodgy-looking character pissing from the platform onto the tracks, off his tree and shouting at existence. Not wanting to leave the bike, I resigned myself for waiting for the 0807 train to Swan Hill. 0807 came and passed and no train. It turns out there was a major delay and stuff-up caused by some contractual problem with the rail works at Spencer Street (Southern Cross Station), and the train came late. I boarded and laid my bike down in the luggage car, then sat for the approx. four hour journey.

At Swan Hill, a local Woolworths employee enjoying ‘smoko’ offered to watch my bike and gear, and I got some cold drinks, filled up my canteens with water and found some salad for lunch, then set off as quickly as I could. I didn’t stop long in Swan Hill for photos or anything as the wind had picked up, it was hot and I knew I had a decent ride in front of me.

The 55km between turning off the main highway at Swan Hill, and reaching Murrabit, was quite hard going. There was a strong 20 knot SE headwind, and as I was heading southeast this meant almost constant headwind the entire way. I tried to sit up in the saddle and just relax, not push to a particular speed or time but just embrace whatever the day brought, and this helped a lot for my mood and enjoyment, but with no shade from the sun, and my legs tiring after the first 30 kilometres or so, I was glad to reach Murrabit.

I was even happier when I learned that Murrabit has a pub, the Murrabit Tavern, and though the bar was closed the store was open and I bought some cold beers, some frozen lamb for dinner, worms for bait and plenty of water for camp. I filled my MSR Dromedary bladder, which holds 10 litres, slung it on my back and headed down Hughes Lane to the Murray River to camp for the night not far from town.

I set up camp, and caught a little Murray cod — who being both under-sized and out of season was promptly and safely released — had a smoke of my pipe and relaxed for the rest of the evening.