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Robinvale (starting at Euston) to Wentworth, 260 km, 9 days, 22-30 April 2026
Robinvale (starting at Euston) to Wentworth, 260 km, 9 days, 22-30 April 2026
Wed 22 April 2026, day 1, 15 km (actual paddled distance as measured on Strava)
Leave Bill's car at Wentworth caravan park (Wanderers Crossing River Retreat). Drive to Euston where I could leave my car in the Euston Club carpark for the duration of the trip. This is more convenient than leaving it at Robinvale where parking in the caravan park was tight. Launch from the boat ramp in front of the Euston Club at 12:25 pm. Arrive at Lock 15, 3.5 km downstream, just before 1 pm, our scheduled lockage time (prior booking is necessary by ringing 03 5026 4005). The process takes 15 minutes before we can paddle through the downstream gates. Warm afternoon in the high 20s with light winds which was to be the weather for the whole trip. Current is about 1 kph, flow is about 4000 Ml/day which is rather low. After 15 km, at about 2:45 pm, we camp just before a shortcut on the NSW side. Lots of big sandy beaches today. We are camped on a small high one with nice afternoon shade. Reasonable Telstra phone reception.
Thu 23 April 2026, day 2, 29 km
Launch at 7:15 am. Water level dropped 2 cm overnight. No wind, great reflections. Take the shortcut next to the camp and save about 1 km, a little bit tricky with relatively fast current and a narrow passage through the snags. Then a wide river with sandy beaches and rock ledges that extend well into the river. Nice red cliffs and reflections at one part. After 29 km we camp on a sandy beach with afternoon shade. This is a couple km downstream of the log shearing shed which I camped across the river from in 2005. Finish paddling at 11:15 am. Weak phone reception.
Fri 24 April 2026, day 3, 31 km
Cold night in my sleeping bag although thermometer says it was about the same temp as last night. Take some early morning milky way photos. Launch at 7:05 am. Lots of sandy beaches and limestone reefs. Some campers on the beaches. After 31 km, at 11:20 am we camp on an east facing beach on the Victorian side. Campers on the beach further along so we set up tents amongst the trees up the bank and at the start of the sandy beach. Lots of little flies here. Weak phone reception.
Sat 25 April 2026, day 4, 32 km
Warmer night. Launch at 7 am. Similar to yesterday but with a light headwind. Find a camp, with a small sandy beach, facing SE downstream of the 1000 km marker and Tapaulin Cutting. Earlier we passed Retail Cutting. Both cuttings saved a total of 14 km as the main stream flowed around those bends 150 years ago when the river was surveyed. Weak phone reception.
Sun 26 April 2026, day 5, 32 km
Warm night 16 C. Cloudy morning but nice sunrise. Launch at 7 am. No wind, pleasant paddling conditions. Paddle non-stop to about the 967 km mark where we arrive at 11:20 am after 32 km paddling. Camp on large east facing beach at couple km from Nangiloc. Lots of flies. Reasonable phone reception.
Mon 27 April 2026, day 6, 37 km
Cool night of about 10 C. Launch just before 7 am. No wind, perfect paddling conditions. No more rock bars but sandy beaches are still present. The river is wide and sluggish as we come into the Mildura weir pool. Take the shortcut at the 944 km mark saving about 3 km. Beaches diminish and the tree cover is relatively sparse so we continue for 5 km more than planned till we find a reasonable spot on the NSW side (Gol Gol State Forest) at about the 927 km mark with a table and easy disembarkation. Five and a half hours of non-stop paddling. Good phone reception.
Tues 28 April 2026, day 7, 24 km
Launch at 7:10 am. Another calm sunny day. We average 6.3 kph rather than 7.3 further upstream as there is now negligible current assistance due to the Mildura weir pool. At about 11 am we make camp on the Vic side a bit upstream of Trentham Estate. Lots of campsites along the Vic side since Red Cliffs, accessible by cars but also some having small beaches which allow for kayak landing. There is a picnic table, good shade and a small sandy beach on which to land on. This get us close enough to Lock 11 at Mildura to pass through at about 10 am tomorrow as it is about 16 km downstream. Noisy afternoon with the three properties across the river successively mowing their expansive lawns with ride-on mowers. Trucks on the Sturt Hwy on the otherside of the houses made for a noisy night.
Wed 29 April 2026, day 8, 42 km
Launch at 6:50 am. Ring Mildura Lock 11 (03 5055 3402) at 8:30 am for 9:30 passage through the lock but are told that we have to wait till 10 am for downstream passage on the hour. Reach Mildura at about 9:10 and have time to fill in so Bill goes to the rowing club cafe and asks for coffee, sandwich and muffin. It takes a long time so he only gets coffee and muffin for me and no sandwich for him. We paddle to the lock, gates are open so we paddle in. Whilst I am chatting to some bystanders (sipping my coffee and nibbling my muffin) the lockmaster tells Bill off for (1) entering the lock without the green light being on (there was no red light to stop us and they were expecting us), (2) not ringing ahead (I had), (3) not wearing a life jacket in the lock chamber. Not Bill's day! We get through the lock and paddle 24 km non-stop to get to the cutting at the 860 km marker. We paddle through carefully as there are rocks just underwater and just before reaching the otherside we camp at 2 pm on the island on the low bank which soon is in shade. Good phone reception.
Thu 30 April 2026, day 9, 19 km
Some mozzies at our campsite. The first for the trip. Nice sunrise. Launch at 7 am, spectacular flight of corellas. Perfect conditions again. Several canoe scar trees were seen along the way. Paddle 19 km to reach Wentworth before 10 am.
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