Concord Sport & Spine Physiotherapy, North Strathfield (2025)

03/10/2024

Broughton Island Kayak Trip Day 2

The last day of our trip was devoted to packing up and heading home. It takes around an hour to pull down the campsite, pack all the gear, and stow it in the kayak hatches. We launched around 9.45 a.m. We paddled into a mild southerly headwind on the way back to Port Stephens. Though not strong, it was enough to keep the group's average speed to around 5km/hr, so it was a four-hour paddle back to the cars.

I returned to Shoal Bay. Retrieving the car, unloading then washing down the kayak, and packing the car had me setting off for home at close to 2.30pm. Hitting Hexham then Sydney peak hour meant I wasn’t home till 6 - a 10-hour day all up. But it was all well worth it. This was my fourth Broughton trip, and I never get tired of it.

A full transcript of this adventure, with some additional photos, is available at:

https://www.cssphysio.com.au/post/broughton-island-three-day-kayak-trip-september-2024

04/09/2024

The conditions were very different for our Tuesday night paddle this week. Gale force westerlies from Monday had shifted to blow from the south overnight. Though the strength had eased to be strong to moderate during the day, there was still plenty of energy in the water. The photos show the sun setting over South Head.

19/06/2024

Our Tuesday paddle this week was out of Watsons Bay. The seas in recent days had been impressive, with huge southerly swells battering the eastern coastline. The forecast for our paddle was for moderate winds (10 to 15 knots) and swells of 3 to 4 metres with a 12-second wave period.
With our usual instructor Rob away paddling in the Kepples, Dave was running the show. Living at Manly, he would usually paddle across to meet us, but he used his discretion this day. The Manly ferries had been forced much wider due to the big swell, and one little kayak crossing the heads and hidden in the troughs of these monsters would been almost impossible to spot.
The energy of the water entering the heads was such that it was bouncing off North and Middle Heads and rebounding across the harbour. At times the sea wall next to the pool at Watsons Bay was lighting up. We launched before 4pm, as we wanted to make the most of the remaining daylight hours. It wasn't the evening to be outside the heads after dark.
As we approached South Head we saw that waves were breaking much wider than any of us had ever seen before. And the swell was wrapping around and waves were breaking as far as 500m back into the harbour.
We took a wide line to work our way out into the middle of the heads and rolled over some huge sets as they were coming in. We then paddled southeast for around 40 minutes before turning to ride the big gnarly seas back in. The waves were running super fast and most were impossible to catch, but we managed to get a few lively runs. We again started heading down the middle of the opening between the heads but then turned southwest halfway in to avoid the ferries. One passed us soon after only a couple of hundred metres to starboard, and the waves hitting its bow were a sight to behold!
As usual, my photographs didn't do justice to the conditions, and a water splotch right in the centre of the screen ruined most of the shots. I've posted a few blurry ones showing us coming back into the harbour.

26/05/2024

Bass Strait - more photos

In my last post, I provided a link to the entire journey. At the time it wasn't properly completed. It now had been, with many additional photos added: https://www.cssphysio.com.au/post/bass-strait-kayak-crossing-feb-2024

23/05/2024

Bass Strait, February 2024

Crossing day 7, Tuesday 27 February: Trousers Point to Cape Barren Island, then to Clark Island. 43km. Wind 15-20kn E-NE. Swell 1m.

For the previous few days, forecasts had remained steady. To make use of the most favorable conditions, it was looking like we would spend a few nights on Cape Barren Island, one or two on Clark, and should arrive at Little Musselroe Bay on Sunday 3 March.

We set off from Trousers Point early. The first part of this journey was one of our most fun of the entire trip. We were expecting to paddle around 20km to our campsite on the southwestern side of Cape Barren Island. We had strong tailwinds to make our crossing engaging and light work.

We stopped for lunch at The Corner, the indigenous township on Cape Barren Island. We did this to ask for permission to camp, and while we were there to see what their shop had on offer for lunch - pies and sausage rolls – we cleaned them out. After lunch, our weather experts decided to recheck forecasts for the next few days. It was lucky they did because the original forecast had now been flipped on its head. All hell was ready to break loose in a couple of days.

We were faced with two choices: stick with the original plan and likely be stuck on one of these islands for a week, or cut loose and complete the remainder of the journey by the next afternoon.

It was a disappointment, but a sensible decision to cut the great adventure short and head for the finish line. Our paddle that day was suddenly twice as long, and our stop on the magnificent Cape Barren Island, which looks like it would have been a spectacular place to explore, was suddenly over.

Luckily, we had nice tailwinds for the first part of our trip to Clark Island. The last hour was a bit of a slog, but we arrived at Spike Cove on Clark Island with enough daylight to set-up camp and discuss our plans for the next day.

Thanks Graham for the photos provided

21/05/2024

Bass Strait, February 2024

Mount Strzelecki, at 756m above sea level, is the tallest mountain on Flinders Island. It started to form around 400 to 300 million years ago and later made up part of a large granite belt that linked Wilsons Promontory to Tasmania. The land bridge between Tasmania and mainland Australia was present as recently as 2 million years ago. When the seas rose, they only partly covered this land bridge, leaving numerous islands, some with medium to tall peaks. And, the seabed in Bass Strait is relatively shallow, with an average depth of 60m. (The average depth of the Pacific Ocean is 4000m). The shallow seabed in Bass Strait is the reason for the complex and highly variable currents that exist there. And why large, steep, and breaking waves can often form in areas where you are nowhere near land.

The walk from the campsite at Trousers Point to the base of Strzelecki is 4km. We got there with about five hours of daylight to spare. Rachel led the way, bouncing from path to rock like a mountain goat, and we did our best to follow. We were soon struggling to keep up.

It is 2.8km each way, but as a grade 4 track, it is listed as a 4–5-hour return trip. We did it in 3, with Rachel leaving us well behind on the way down. The three old blokes were happy to admit it was a pretty brutal climb, physically demanding in ways quite different to our days on the water.

On a clear day, as the pictures show, the climb is well worth it. But on my next trip to Flinders, I think I’ll spend more time at the pub.

20/05/2024

Bass Strait, February 2024

Crossing day 6, Whitemark to Trousers Point, 13km, wind 5-10kn N-NNW, swell 1.5m east. Last 30 minutes of paddle 25kn+ headwind (ESE).

We were anticipating a short and uneventful coastal trip to our next campsite on the southwestern corner of Flinders Island. We set off early enough to do the paddle, set up camp, and attempt the strenuous walk to and from and to the peak of Mt Strzelecki. But Murphy decided to step in for our last half-hour of the paddle, and we had 25 knot+ headwinds that weren’t part of the forecast. It was one of those experiences where you had to keep checking the rock formations on the shore to reassure yourself you were making forward progress. We eventually turned out of the wind, landed at Trousers Point beach, unpacked, and prepared for our hike.

Between us, we took many spectacular photos on ascent and at the top of Strzelecki. These will be displayed in tomorrow’s post.

18/05/2024

Bass Strait, February 2024

Roydon Island Thursday 22 February to Saturday 24 February

Roydon is a small uninhabited island almost within a stone's throw of Flinders Island. It has one tallish rocky bluff but is otherwise fairly flat. Away from the rocky shore it is covered in small trees (a little over head-height) and low prickly shrubs. The attraction with camping on Roydon is there is a large fisherman’s hut (which I named Don’s hut), fresh water, and shelter from the wind.

When we landed, we were immediately set upon by scores of March flies, which could easily bite through even our thicker layers of kayak clothing. The only come-back was they were slow and easy to swat. But their sheer numbers forced us into a quick unload and race up the hill in search of Don’s hut. Fortunately, the flies seemed to congregate around the beach and didn’t follow us to our shelter. We set up our tents around the hut (other than ‘elder statesman’ John who was granted the luxury of the double bed inside) and settled in for a two-night’s stay.

The day after landing was promising 40knot north-westerly winds and large swells, so once again we were forced to relax and treat ourselves to a rest day and exploration of the island. Some of the group went for a swim (a very quick dip for me), with the water temperature in the bay being a climatically concerning 21 degrees/C.

The nights were interesting. The island is home to many penguins, and they make a racket, generally from around the time you're starting to drift off to sleep. Their crying sounds almost like human babies. You couldn’t get annoyed though because they are such cute little critters. The one in the photo spent a lot of time wailing just outside my tent.

13/05/2024

Bass Strait, February 2024

Crossing Day 3 Saturday 17 February: Hogan Island to Deal Island. Distance 46km. Winds W-WNW 5-15kn; Swell 1m

This was to be a moderately long crossing, and wind and current forecasts suggested that an early start was desirable. We were on the water before 6.30am. This ended up being an engaging crossing, with beam winds from the northwest that gave us reasonable assistance and kept us ‘on our toes’. With the sails up for the entire journey, the cross-wind made it necessary to weight shift and regularly adjust with subtle changes of direction. And a sizable swell for the last couple of hours made it even more exciting.

After a 46km journey, and an average 7.1km hour speed, we arrived at Winter Cove on Deal Island, the jewel in the Bass Strait crown. We negotiated a moderate surf landing without incident and set about preparing our campground for what would be our longest stay on any of the islands.

Thanks to Graham for the stills taken from his GoPro footage.

11/05/2024

Bass Strait, February 2024

Crossing Day 2, Thursday 15 February: Refuge Cove to Hogan Island. Winds W-SW 5-10kn; swell 1-1.5m SW. Distance 53km.

We set off just before 9am for our first crossing, finally leaving the mainland, and facing the second longest paddle we would encounter. Because it is so distant and a low-lying island, you can’t see Hogan when you set off. I spotted its faint bump about 11km out from Refuge. The direct line distance from Refuge Cove to Hogan Island is just shy of 50km. But with cross-currents which would shift direction during the day, our distance could have been substantially longer. Fortunately, our navigator Graham (“The Professor” as he came to be known) did an excellent job with his first challenge. Our crossing ended up being 52.5km.

What was greater than expected was the time it took us - close to 9 hours. On departure, we had a forecast of a moderately helpful tailwind. This didn’t eventuate. And the current running against us was stronger than expected. We averaged less than 6km/hour over a day that ended up being a bit of a slog. But Hogan was waiting for us with clear weather and plenty of daylight left to dry ourselves and settle in for our first rest day.

Thanks to Rachel and Graham for the photos provided. In particular, this amazing underwater shot of the dolphins under Rachel's boat was taken by her at the start of our crossing. The fuzzy surface shot of part of a dolphin is my best contribution to the day's photo gallery.

The last few pics show us approaching, then landing on Hogan; our course over the day; and the view from Hogan out to our next destination.

10/05/2024

Bass Strait, February 2024

Launch Day Wednesday 14 February, Port Welshpool to Refuge Cove. Winds 15-25kn SW; Swell 1-2m W-SW. Distance 43km.

If things went to plan our Bass Strait crossing would involve 9 days on the water and 8 camping locations. The duration of the camping stops would be entirely weather-dependent.

The forecast for launch day was for clear skies, but unfortunately, there was also a moderate south-westerly wind blowing. We prepared to punch into a headwind for at least the first third of our journey, and a possible lively exit from the bay due to strong currents and wind against tide. Some fishos warned us the going would be treacherous.

We departed a little before 8am and had a very energetic paddle out of the bay, and then around the northeast peninsula of Wilsons Promontory. The wind along the coast of the Promontory averaged 10 to 14 knots and was headwind for most of the day. Added to this, our navigator Graham was having trouble keeping water out of his boat. On regular paddles with his kayak unladen he usually experienced greater than average water ingress, mainly into his cockpit. Here, with it fully laden (weighing up towards 85kg) and sitting low in the water, he spent most of the day with his cockpit more than half full of water. Rachel referred to his boat as the 'yellow submarine'. So, we had a longer-than-anticipated day on the water. We covered 43km in just under 8 hours.

We unloaded our gear on the beach at Refuge Cove and hauled our kayaks up to our campsite so they wouldn’t be washed away overnight. Then we set-up our tents for the first night away from civilisation. We hadn’t left the mainland yet, but our journey was underway, and the first leg completed.

Thanks to Graham for the photos supplied, including of our launch and our campsite at Refuge Cove.

10/05/2024

Bass Strait, February 2024

This is a daily blow-by-blow description of the recent kayak expedition by Graham Brown, John Hutchinson, and Rachel Twomey.

On 12 February 2024, I joined my three paddling companions at Port Welshpool, to the northeast of Wilsons Promontory, Victoria. Our plan was to launch from there on or soon after 13 February, for our intended Bass Strait crossing. This had been in the planning for over 12 months, and our training had intensified over the previous 3 months to ensure we were ready for some longer distances and consecutive days of paddling.

The forecast for 13 February looked great, with clear weather during most of the day, and a strong northeasterly wind that would help to push us down the coast of Wilsons Promontory to our first destination at Refuge Cove. However, there was a severe storm warning for late in the day, so the consensus decision was that it was not worth the risk, particularly if the storm was to hit earlier while we were still on the water. So, we delayed our departure until the 14th. This ended up being a good call. The storm didn’t come early, but when it did it was severe, and the subsequent destruction led to blackouts over the entire southern part of Victoria. We were well protected in our cabins at Port Welshpool. Thanks to Graham for the photos supplied from Port Welshpool.

Concord Sport & Spine Physiotherapy

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