Day 1: Ulladulla to Bawley
Nine sea kayaks are lined up along the
small beach inside Ulladulla Harbour. The briefing is short, but
complete, spoken in plain English, not in perplexing parables.
About half of us know this section of the coast relatively well:
where there are sheltered landings and campsites, where reefs and
bomboras pick up the swell. There are one or two bruisers in the
pod, but most of us are cruisers and this is definitely a cruiser
trip.
Legitimate Bruiser
There is some talk of the long period
swell and allusions to bomboras and reefs, but the general plan is to
paddle out around Warden Head and turn south with a lunch stop at
Crampton Island. Paddling around Warden Head, the sea is as calm as
I have seen it, except for the occasional big roller rumbling
through. Usually Warden Head is a mess of clapotis and rebound, but
today it is pretty smooth. There is just enough wind to sail and the
paddle south to Crampton Island is uneventful, apart from a seal at
Warden Head.
Surprisingly calm Warden Head
It is easy to land on the north side of
Crampton Island for lunch something even the bruisers on the trip can
appreciate. Often, we land on the north side of Crampton Island and
paddle out on the south side, but today the rip that usually provides
easy passage is very narrow, and occasionally breaking big, so we
head out to the north again before turning south.
Crampton Island
Near Bawley Point, John scopes a
reasonable landing just north of a rocky headland and he paddles in
to confirm the landing is reasonable. However, we have neglected to
discuss a signal before hand so John, after waiting a while for
people to land, paddles back out again to tell us the landing is
fine. It's a big group and a reasonably narrow easy landing zone so
it takes some time for everyone to get ashore. I am getting better at
waiting out the back for my turn to land instead of crashing through
decapitating other paddlers as I blunder blindly towards the beach.
The crew near Bawley
We carry our kayaks across the sand to
a small lake and paddle upstream to a delightful campsite shaded by
she oaks. In the afternoon, the group disperses, some paddle the
lake, others practice eskimo rolling and I, of course, walk. I find
a good forest track that takes me out to an exposed headland and
north to another quiet lake.
Hauling kayaks
That evening, as we sit around cooking
and eating, John relates the “parable of the bommie:” The story
of a young kayaker trashed by a surprise wave near Green Island on
the south coast. We all sit around in hushed silence like
kindergarten kids at story time. How many of us think “that could
be me?”
The pod waiting for a signal from John
Day 2: Bawley to Murramurang
It is a morning when a competent
kayaker should be able to get off the beach without getting their
hair wet, yet, when I go to launch, my boat gets pushed sideways, and
the rip current starts sucking me towards a rock reef. I have to
power out without regard to the oncoming waves and take one full in
the chest.
Another bruiser on a cruiser trip
We paddle south with a good tail
wind even this early in the morning passing Bawley Point and down to
Brush Island where we paddle between the island and the mainland.
All the times I've paddled this coast and we always go inside Brush
Island. I need to go back and paddle around the eastern side.
As we approach Kioloa, Belowla Island
resolves itself into an island distinct from the mainland. Mindful
of the parable of the bommie, I give a wide berth to the sloping rock
platforms of Snapper Point and O'Hara Head. Sometimes these
platforms break further out than expected. Just past Dawsons
Islands, John paddles into Snake Bay which frequently offers a
surprisingly sheltered landing site, although the beach is very
small. We have a short break here with Durras Mountain looming
above.
Snake Bay
This is my favourite section of the
coast. Mostly national park with only a couple of small settlements;
it is a green coastline, small rocky bays and tiny sandy beaches
overhung by gorgeous spotted gums. There are half a dozen little
islands, hidden beaches, and sheltered landing spots if you know
where to look. There is an influx of tourists over the summer
months, but for most of the year, and especially in winter, it is
gloriously empty.
Leaving Snake Bay
From Snake Bay we paddle south in a
brisk northerly wind. Point Upright is impressive as always and we
are ripping along surfing down wind waves with puffed out sails.
Durras North almost always has a sheltered landing and we are
stopping here for lunch. As usual, there is a little traffic jam as
9 kayaks surf into the beach and I somehow get caught on a curling
wave behind Karen.
Point Upright
Amazingly, we are both caught by the
same wave, but at different times. Karen capsizes but rolls smoothly
back up, while I teeter on the brink of a capsize, caught off-balance
watching Karen. I almost manage to brace back up but make the rooky
mistake of keeping my head up, instead of down, and, after a long
moment caught in limbo, I too am upside down. My roll, unlike
Karen's is not consistent and I have to exit the boat and swim in.
Not sure how I managed to swim here
The wind has risen while we are having
lunch and the afternoon's paddle is just about perfect. The wind and
swell combined make the paddling engaging but not too terrifying and
I feel like I am riding on the perfect cusp of adventure where the
challenge is just great enough that you aren't completely confident
that you can succeed. This is the place where the magic happens.
Having fun
All the beaches in the Murramarang
National Park have a south facing component and most have steep
beaches with dumping swells that can make landing a kayak
challenging. As usual John goes in first to check out the landing
conditions. I am impressed, as always, by John's extensive sea
kayaking knowledge. He comes back from the first beach saying “We
will have swimmers,” but successfully lands on the second beach and
holds up a paddle to guide the rest of us in.
Beach master John
Determined to redeem myself, I follow
John's instructions assiduously, paddling hard after a big waves
passes and getting over the first break easily, and then side-surfing
the second wave into the beach. There are two swimmers, and one
errant paddle, which Tony rescues and styles the landing while
paddling with two blades in his hands.
Tony bringing back a lost paddle
We have a perfect campsite on level
grass under steep cliffs. I walk up in the gorgeous gum forest
behind the beach under towering silver barked spotted gums through
ferns and burrawang palms with lizards scurrying off into the
undergrowth and kangaroos bounding away. The wind slowly subsides
and the beach slivers golden as sun sets.
Evening Light
Day 3: Murramarang, Tollgate Islands,
Mosquito Bay
There is a big roll of clouds spiraling along the coast when we launch but within an hour or two,
the cloud is gone and sun is back. We paddle south with no wind this
morning, past headlands and small beaches. Near North Head, my
timing while weaving through a rocky reef is just slightly off and I
have to paddle hard not to get hit by a breaking wave. When I pull
out the other side, John is shaking his head: “That closed out
completely behind you” he says, obviously wondering if I have
already forgotten the parable of the bombora.
Morning on the water
A couple of people paddle through the
wave washed slot near Three Islet Point but I pass by this time
thinking that I have used up one of my escapes from bommies already.
We have a leisurely break on Judge's Beach looking out to the
Tollgate Islands and then with a light snifter of wind, paddle south
out to the twin Tollgate Islands.
Everyone loves the Tollgate Islands
We point out the Blue Cave to the
non-locals and I am surprised that even John is not going in today
but the swell is a bit northerly and the dark, narrow defile looks as
evil as it ever does. We wander around the islands, watched by a
curious seal, paddling into small bays and passages and finish up on
the south side of the island near a big sea arch.
The infamous Blue Cave
John, Steve and Jenny take turns
backing gingerly in under the arch, and then Tony backs far into the
back just as a bigger set comes through. He side surfs and slips
about in the wash and breaking waves, but makes it out without any
damage to body or boat.
Steve preparing to enter the arch
From the Tollgate Islands, we sail down
to Black Rock some of us passing to the east, some to the west. I am
happy to be out on the water with my tribe away from the slow-drip
stress of looking for a house, and paddle around the east side
wondering how long I can spin out this wonderful trip away from
connectivity, away from the world. But, paddling around the south
end of Black Rock, I see kayaks with sails flying heading in towards
Mosquito Bay and I know that another trip is over.
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