Wakool Confluence to Robinvale

Wakool Confluence to Robinvale (starting at Kyalite on the Wakool River), 176 km, 6 days

A summarised account of this trip is published in NPA Bulletin, Vol. 62, No. 2, Jun 2025, page 14

Mon 24 March 2025, 12 km

Meet Bill at Robinvale CP. Leave my car there and go in Bill's car to Kyalite. Launch at 11:45 am and paddle for 2 hrs (12 km) and decide to camp on an east facing sandy beach. Reasonable flow of about 2000 Ml/day. Warm afternoon of about 30 degrees with forecast of about 33 degrees for the rest of the week. Bill catches a carp in the afternoon. No phone reception.

Tues 25 March 2025, 32 km

Wake up at 6:30 am, launch at 7:50 am. Arrive at Wakool/Murray confluence at 10:30 am (18 km). Paddle another 16 km to a south facing beach at 44 km (from Kyalite) arriving at 12:30 pm. Enough shade to spend the hot afternoon here and camp. Reasonable Telstra phone reception.

Wed 26 March 2025, 37 km

Warm night. Launch at 7:40 am. Light winds, lots of sandy beaches but most seem to face west, good for winter camping. Arrive at the Murrumbidgee confluence at about 11:30 am. Slight flow into the Bidgee as the Murray rises (about 15 cm overnight). Bill takes some photos of me. A reasonable beach on the Vic side just downstream of the confluence is where I camped about 20 years ago but was underwater in Dec 2023. At about the 1235 km mark and just past the cutting we make camp on a large east facing beach at 12:20 pm. The water in the cutting is quite shallow but good for an afternoon swim. Reasonable phone reception.

Thu 27 March 2025, 33 km

Another warm night. Lots of frog calls. Launch at 7:35 am. Take about 1 hour to do the 8 km to Boundary Bend. Stop for coffee and hamburger and buy some water and snacks. Launch again at 9:20 am and paddle to the 1202 km mark where we make camp on at south facing beach at 12:45 pm. Good shade. I use Bill's spade to level a tent site close to the water. Good phone reception. Large flocks of corellas fly back and forth. Nice sunset.

Fri 28 March 2025, 34 km

Nice sunset and sunrise with high cloud. Wake at 6:30 and launch at 7:35 am which is sunrise. Paddle continuously to cutting just past the 1168 km sign. Good campsite at 11:30 am on the right bank of the cutting. It's an established camp with flushing toilet, shower and shelter but no water connected. Reasonable phone reception. There is reasonable shade but since it is cloudy with rain forecast we are not too fussy about a shaded spot today. 30 km to Robinvale tomorrow which we should do by midday.

Sat 29 March 2025, 30 km

Drizzle overnight extends to 7 am when there is a pause as we pack up. Launch at 7:50 am, paddle thru cutting OK. Occasional brief drizzle patches but otherwise pleasant paddling.  Birds are easier to photograph perhaps due to wet wings making it more difficult to fly. See two sea eagles, one eating a fish on the bank and the other keeping watch. Arrive at Robinvale at 11:50 am. Some blue sky on arrival. The car is packed and ready to go at 12:20 pm. Coffee in Robinvale and we return to Bill's car at Kyalite before 2 pm.