White Water Rafting

Few people realise there is great rafting to be had within reach of Sydney and Melbourne. Rafting down the fast upper reaches of the Murray offers a unique experience of this great Australian river...

Rafting on the Murray River? But there aren't any rapids, are there? This was the reaction I got when I told most people about my latest holiday. To most people the Murray River is a broad flat river with house boats and paddle steamers, hardly the place for white water rafting. But that is the section of river below the Hume Weir (ie. most of the river). High up in the Snowy Mountains south of Mt Kosciusko, the Murray River provides Victoria's only unrestricted white water rafting. (Unrestricted in that the river flow is not controlled by dams or weirs.) This mountain river is also unique in that it relies almost solely on rainfall, and receives very little water from melting snow.

There are a few companies that offer rafting trips on the Murray. Our trip was probably the best of them. Originally booked through World Expeditions, we later discovered they subcontract to River Runners (Canberra). The weekend trip basically involves turning up to Khancoban with a sleeping bag and dry change of clothes, and the rest just happens for you. They provide wetsuits (an extra $14.00), tents, sleeping mats, food, drinks, transport to and from the river and two guides who not only steer your raft along the river, they also prepare and cook all meals, wash up afterwards, set up and take down the campsite, pack the rafts and make sure that everyone gets wet (ie. falls into the river) at least once.

The first day starts off drifting down the river, learning what to do when the guide shouts out each of his instructions. Then you get to practise on some small rapids before taking on the main drop and on to some grade 5 rapids. After getting wet here you drift down again and now it seems much easier to get through the smaller rapids. And on to the campsite, a small clearing at a bend in the river with trout jumping out of the water, trying to catch insects.

Dinner was incredible, starting at 6:30 with tea/ coffee/ milo and biscuits, followed by smoked mussels, a variety of cheeses, home made dried tomatoes, pate, stuffed olives and crackers. The main meal followed all of this with salads and marinated chicken breasts (or vegetarian burgers). Eventually desert came around at about 8:00 with bananas with a rum/ maple syrup/ coconut sauce. All of this being washed down with wine and port. (Yum, yum. Can anybody move?)

Breakfast was a similar feast, with scrambled eggs, bacon, cereal, fruit juice, muffins etc..... All of this in on of the most remote parts of Victoria and all carried in the rafts. We staggered into the rafts and drifted along the river, the occasional rapid keeping is awake (and wet).

The second days paddling involved having some fun including spinning the raft down rapids, surfing the raft across the bottom of rapids, the great water fight between the two rafts and a not so subtle attempt by our guide to make us fall out of the raft (ramming the only rock in the middle of the river). We arrived at the pick up point, and lunch (we're not going until it's ALL finished), at around 12:30 and were back in Khancoban by around 2:30.

The entire weekend went by at a relaxing pace, without having to get up too early, paddle too far or get back too late for the long drive back to Melbourne. This trip is not just a white water rafting trip, but a relaxing experience of a unique Australian river with good food and good company. The drive from Melbourne (or Sydney) to Khancoban is probably too long for most people to consider it as a weekend trip, but it would make the perfect ending to a trip across the Snowy Mountains or Dargo High Plains.

Booking:

Paddle Power Australia
PO Box 20
Fisher ACT 2611

Ph: (02) 6287 3973
Fax: (02) 6287 3032
Email: paddlepower@smartchat.net.au

They need a minimum 6 people for the trip to go ahead. (We had 7 and were joined by 2 others as a last minute booking). The only other limiting factor is the river level. In summer the river may get too low for rafting as the river relies mainly on rainfall for it's water.

You will need:

• Sleeping bag

• Change of dry clothes

• Toiletries

• Sun screen lotion

• Small torch

• Transport to Khancoban

Accommodation at Khancoban

We stayed at the Backpackers but otherwise ask River Runners for suggestions (if you know what I mean).