Moulamein to Kyalite (Wakool River)
Moulamein to Kyalite (Wakool River), 127 km
The river levels are very similar to two weeks earlier when I paddled from Stevens Weir to Moulamein.
Saturday 15th December 2018, 44 km
There has been a few cool days forecast so I decided to return to Moulamein to do the three or four day paddle down the Kyalite. Joe from Moulamein Lakeside Caravan Park was prepared to pick me up from Kyalite when I reached there. I stayed overnight in the caravan park and drove all my gear early in the morning down to the boat ramp. I loaded the kayak, drove back to the caravan park, left the car there, walked back to the kayak and launched at about 7:30 a.m. It is overcast with light winds, perfect for paddling. Within a kilometre or two I pass by The Big Tree which could be up to a thousand years old and a little further on I pass a ring tree which has aboriginal significance. At about midday it looks like it might soon rain so I stop to have my lunch. Before I get back in the kayak I put on my spray skirt. Within minutes the clouds clear and the sun is shining. During the day I only see one other group of campers and no fishermen. After passing the campers I would not see anyone till I get to Kyalite another 48 hours later. I keep paddling till about the 43.8 kilometre mark according to my GPS and decide to make camp. This is a bit after 2:30 p.m. and is a nice northwest facing camp. Across the river on the north side the road is close, I can hear the traffic. There is weak telstra mobile phone reception here.
Sunday 16th December 2018, 46 km
I launch again at about 7:30 am. There are a few drops of rain but it is quite warm and not nearly enough rain to put the raincoat on. The winds are light and it is cloudy for most of the day and it does not feel like it will reach the forecast 28 degrees. In different places I see a fox and a wedgetail eagle which seems to have an injured wing because it's just hopping around on the ground. I also see a sea eagle and nest. There is also a sheep stuck in the water at the bottom of a sleep bank but there is nothing I can do for it. I also see two ring trees within about 15 metres of each other and several canoe trees. At about the halfway point between Moulamein and Kyalite I passed a big tree that has a TRK symbol carved into it. I know who did this, it is a symbol that another river traveller and he paddled this way about 6 months ago. I will keep an eye out for further such symbols. The banks are getting higher, they are about 3 to 4 metres high now. The river is snaggy in places but I have no trouble getting through. I keep paddling until 3 pm where I find a campsite at about 89.7 km from Moulamein. That's about 46 kilometres for the day.
Sunday 16th December 2018, 39 km
I launched at 8 a.m. on a clear morning. The forecast is for 32 degrees today. After 34 km I reached the Wakool River. There is an island at the junction and this would make a good campsite. I have a swim here. There is plenty of flat area and it has sandy beaches. In fact the remaining 5 km to the boat ramp at Kyalite shows that the Wakool River has many sandy beaches particularly at the bends. The Wakool is significantly wider than the Edward River even though most of the flow is coming down the Edward rather than the Wakool River. I arrived at the boat ramp at about 2:00 pm and I walk up to the hotel which is just at the top of the boat ramp access road. I have good Telstra phone reception here, although it seems intermittent, and I ring Joe to come and pick me up. By 5 p.m. I am in Moulamein where I stay the night before driving home.
