On Monday, we drove down to Googong Reservior. This is part of the ACT’s drinking water supply but also has a lot of surrounding bush and some trails and fire-roads. From Drum Stick Point I paddled south as far as I could with the dam narrowing until it splits with the Queanbeyan River to the east and Burra Creek to the west. Taking the Burra Creek branch I was surprised to find that I was able to paddle to within 20 metres or so of the limestone feature known as London Bridge. I had a look around London Bridge and then paddled back north to a little cove where I could legally land. The north end of Googong Dam is (AI told me this) within a designated water control area where landing a boat is banned. I’m not sure what this achieves as the bush land around the dam is infested with goats that are shitting everywhere but I’m not a bureaucrat so magical thinking does not come naturally to me.
Anyway, the little cove I landed in, immediately south of the non-landing area, actually had a small gravel bank which made getting the boat up easy (easier than at London Bridge) and, walking through a bit of open forest to the east put me on an old road that runs north to Feagans Trig. The trig is on a grassy green knoll – goat shit grows good grass apparently – with good views south down the dam and to Bradleys Inlet to the east. I had some lunch sitting at the trig where there were lorikeets feeding on the goat shit grass.
Quite a pleasant outing mostly paddling but with a little bit of walking to keep limber. I paddle on flat water perhaps once or twice a year so I rather than finding it boring, I actually enjoy it. There are higher hills further east and south than Feagans Trig but they look heavily forested so there may not be any better views from the higher hills.
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