Murray River Expedition

The first in a series of journeys on water for his GreatBigPaddle project, between October 6th and December 19th 2009 Dave travelled the length of Australia's Murray River on foot and by kayak, documenting the human, environmental and climatic factors contributing to the decline in health of this once mighty river.

From the river's early moments high in the Australian Alps, Dave struggled through heavy blizzards and deep snow before finally settling into his kayak for the final 2350km. Passing along the border of New South Wales and Victoria, the Murray eventually enters South Australia and takes a southerly route to the sea for its final 500km.

Dave is currently writing a book and producing a film about his journey, with the intention of creating a revealing insight into the life of a great river, and the perils it now faces.

For regular progress reports of this Murray River Expedition take a look at relevant posts on my blog @ davecornthwaite.co.uk/blog)

- Do you have any advice regarding navigation? What topographic maps did you use? Did you use a GPS?
I used a number of maps, and would highly recommend the Murray River Charts and the Murray River Access series of maps. I used a simple Garmin eTrex GPS to measure distance travelled and occassionally it helped with pinpointing my exact location.

- How did you deal with the dry stretches? Could you drag the kayak or did you have to move it around by car?
When I paddled the Murray between October and December 2009 there were no dry stretches. To my knowledge, although water levels do get very low at some points along the river, the only times when you won't be able to paddle will be the Hume and Yarrawonga weirs, the barrage at Clayton and possibly over the sandbar that separates the Coorong from the sea for most of the year.

- How did you deal with food supply?
If you plan well you won't need food depots. I was travelling solo for much of the journey, and at no point did I go more than five days without reaching a place where food was available. Of course, you can fish if you have the patience!

- How far did you travel each day?
This differed depending on my position along the river, whether I had media or charity engagements, and of course how I felt physically and mentally. My shortest day was 17km, my longest 71km. On an average day I'd aim to cover at least 35km.

- Where is the Source of the Murray?
The walk to the Source of the Murray is 45/50km from Dead Horse Gap (5km by road from Thredbo, there's a car park where you can leave your vehicle). A single path leaves Dead Horse and winds into the wilderness, past Cascades Hut and Tin Mines Hut (Tin Mines is about 15km from the source). You continue towards Cowombat Flat and the source of the Murray lies in the hills above Cowombat.
 
Mapping is important. The best topo maps are listed below and can be bought from www.melbmap.org.au (Melbourne Maps), All the maps retail for $8.75

You would need 5 maps to cover from Suggan Bugaan north to Biggara. The 1:50,000 Suggan Buggan map (8524-S) is still available, but the 1:50,000 maps north of it (eg. Thredbo) are now discontinued and have been replaced by a new 1:25,000 series.
The maps you would need are:
1:50,000 Suggan Buggan (8524-S)
1:25,000 Davies Plain (8524-4-S)
1:25,000 Tom Groggin (8524-4-N)
1:25,000 Youngal (8525-3-S)
1:25,000 Scammells Lookout (8525-3-N)

Also recommended are the series of Murray River Access maps, available from www.exploroz.com

Where should I start my paddle?
If you'd like to begin your journey with some rapids, the best spot to put in above the Murray Gates rapids is at Tom Groggin Station. If you don't mind starting below the Gates I recommend putting in around Biggara near Corryong, where the Swampy meets the Murray.

Are there rules on camping along the Murray?
There's a 10/15m rule on the NSW side for camping, but I camped both sides wherever I found a good spot and was never moved on. Respect the land you camp on and leave it how you found it, and you shouldn't have an issue. If in doubt, check with the land owner.

Can I drink the water?
I wouldn't recommend drinking from the Murray, it's filthy in the Upper Murray and gets dirtier all the way down. I tried it once, and the afters weren't pretty! Usually I'd recommend a purifier but the Murray is so well supplied I'd just suggest picking up water from shops along the way. I rested a 10 litre bottle on the deck of my kayak - saves a lot of purifying time!

The final minutes of Dave's Murray River expedition

From the source above Cowombat Flat through the lower desert to the mouth in South Australia, Dave tracked the Murray all the way down