# Coorong trip June LWE report!



## goanywhere

Well! What a trip!

When I was planning for this trip to the Coorong this past weekend, I thought I had anticipated pretty much everything. Well, you can be wrong!

This is going to be a long report, and very instructional, so grab a coffee and take notes. I got up nice and early on Saturday morning, took care of some necessary domestics at home so I was free to go and off I set to Goolwa and Hindmarsh Island. Got there at about 9:30am, unloaded, packed the yak and set off at about 10:30. Conditions couldn't have been better. Fine day, light winds and flat water. You beauty!!

My first challenge came about 10 minutes into the trip. I knew that there was alot of water coming down the river to the mouth, but I was not expecting the strength of the current. With the winds being so light I got only limited headway under sail, and even with paddle assistance I could only manage about 2 km/h of headway. The worst was right in the teeth of the current at the mouth proper. If I let up paddling I was in danger of being washed out through the mouth, so it was 'teeth gritted and don't spare the horses (arms)!'

Well, I managed to make it to Godfrey's Landing on the Younghusband side about half an hour after launching, and pulled up at the shore for a much needed rest. Had a bit of a look around and something to eat. There were a few people on the northern side of the mouth, and a few shouts over the rushing torrent revealed lots of disappointment in the fishing department. Seems the fish weren't biting at the moment.

Once I got my strength back I relaunched and it was off down the Coorong proper. The winds were just a little stronger now, and I could make reasonable headway at about 4 k's without paddling, still against a strong current but it was not quite as strong. I must admit that I thought that if the wind died off any more I might just call it quits for the day and camp for the night early and try my hand at fishing the ocean side.

But I continued on, and apart from a few spells where I needed to paddle due to the winds dying off, I managed to make it about 10 k's to a point about opposite Pelican Point.










Camp site day 1.



















It was a fantastic first night's camping, with virtually no wind and not too cold. I was up and ready to go the next morning. Once again the winds were light, and paddling was needed to make a decent pace. I was amazed at how shallow the channel was considering how much water was coming down. At times I was scraping the bottom it was so shallow, and finding the deeper sections was a challenge. At least I knew I wasn't going to drown on this trip!

I had been told that there were some nice bream about near the Tauwichere barages, so I stopped for awhile, anchored up and tried flicking some SP's around, but to no avail. I actually did see some fish but they would not take a lure. So, I packed up and headed off again, reaching a tourist info point near Long Point. A few tourists were curious about my rig and came to have a look and a chat. After some morning tea I headed off again for the longest stretch to Mark Point, where I had planned to camp.

After a lunch stop near a little fishing village on the peninsular, which looked like an ideal filming spot for a hillbilly movie, I sailed/paddled on to Mark Point, reaching there just after 4:00 pm. Unfortunately the boat ramp there was rocky and unfriendly, with the supposed campsite just bear open ground. I thought it would be very unfriendly if the wind came up, so I decided to make the trip to the other side of the channel and look for a campsite over there on the peninsular.

I didn't expect the terrain to be so unfriendly over that side, and with failing light I was beginning to think I might have to make camp in the dark (never a good idea in unknown territory). But just as light was falling, I managed to find a nice little sheltered spot in a sheltered cove, made camp and got a fire going. It was fairly cold, but no wind made conditions quite livable.

Campsite day 2.



















An uneventful night passed, except that the mozzies decided to try to make a feast of me. Geez, the mozzies there were HUGE, about a good cm long, and sounded like blowflies! Actually their 'bark' was worse than their bite I discovered, and a smear or two of Bushman's took care of them.

I awoke the next morning to the most amazing sunrise I have seen in years!




























It was at this point things started to go pear shaped.

I had decided to stay put for a full day, and make it back to my starting point on Tuesday. So, being disappointed with the fishing in the Coorong channel, I decided to walk over to the ocean side and try the surf for some salmon or whatever. I took a dry bag with a bit of fishing gear, some food, water and my smart phone with GPS. I marked my campsite on the GPS and off I went. It was about 1.6 km's to the other side which I expected to take about half an hour. I would fish for a couple of hours and be back by lunch. Easy.

I walked overland through a mix of high sand dunes, dense clusters of bush and eerie ancient seabeds, and arrived ok at about 9:30am. I deposited my gear on the beach well above the surf and got down to some fishing. I dug a few cockles, and had some dried tube worms with me which I soaked ready to use. But although I was losing bait, I wasn't feeling any bites, and the surge of the surf was towing my line in and out and all over the place. I didn't really have any heavy surf gear, so I just persisted for a couple of hours and decided to pack up.

That's when things went south really quick! I have lost a phone to surf before, and had placed my phone in the dry bag as insurance against against an unexpected wave surge. But when I took the phone out to check the GPS position, just as I took it out, a rogue wave surged up and onto my gear. I had just put the phone down to pack up the other gear, and - you guessed it - the wave hit just as I turned my back to the water. A single splash is all it took to render my HTC Desire a brick! Even though I quickly opened the phone, took out the battery, checked to see how much water had got in, (and it didn't look like much did), sea water is devastating to electronics. I placed the phone in the sun to dry, waited a good hour, put the battery back in, but all I got was a brief vibration but no boot up!

It was right then that I started to swear.

Anyway, I thought - 'no problem, I only have to backtrack and I will make it back to the campsite, and I don't really need GPS to get back from there, so no big deal other than having to get a new phone'.

It is a lesson to learn not to get slack about using your normal navigating skills and tools even though you have GPS. I was so confident that there was no problem with navigating over such a short distance that I just rested confident in the GPS alone and didn't take visual notes, mark the track with rocks, broken twigs etc. that I have used in other situations. Now with the GPS gone, and no other backup, I tried to re-trace my footsteps back, but as soon as I reached the first hard ground, followed by dense bush, I lost my tracks. I also forgot how easy it is to veer WAY off what you think is the direct route home.

After about an hour I arrived at the channel side, but NOTHING looked familiar. I couldn't recognise anything that could give me a cue as to where I was. I also thought I had veered south east when I came back, so I just headed north west up the shoreline. But after an hour I was still no wiser as to where I was.

At this stage I had to take stock of the situation. I re-checked my gear. I had just under a litre of water with me, and a fair bit of food, and it was not hot, so I thought I had adequate provisions for a good few hours of heavy walking. So I turned south east and decided to keep going until I found the campsite, which I figured was definitely in that direction.

The only problem was that the terrain is very inhospitable, and broken up by large sand dunes and same-looking bush which is so dense in spots that it is almost impenetrable. It was very hard going, and I was forced to consume water very quickly, finally running out at about 2:00 in the afternoon. I had only eaten a bit of my food, but I know enough about bushcraft to know that water is the number one survival item when the going is tough. Even in cool weather, you can consume a litre in a couple of hours with no difficulty. I was getting worried.

It was at this point I had to make a decision. I decided to make my way to the shoreline, and walk along the shore looking out for the campsite as I went. If I happened to see a boat I would hail it for assistance, and although it meant walking in the water for long stretches, the sand was mostly fairly firm under foot, and the water wasn't too cold. It was alot easier than climbing up and down steep sand dunes, which would be the end of me if I persisted.

Once I ran out of water, I started praying. Yes, praying! I am a Christian, but I can tell you that it is at times like this that most people start to pray. But no miracle came. I didn't find the campsite. By 4:00pm I was really getting dehydrated, so in desperation I took a sip of the water I was wading through. I was amazed that it was almost totally fresh. It was slightly brackish, but definitely palatable! The amount of water pouring down the river had sweetened the water even this far down the channel! Normally the water in the Coorong is so salty you can almost walk on it, but it was definitely fresh enough to drink - at least until I found home. So I filled my bottle, and proceeded walking, taking small sips as I went, and stopping to take food and rest as I went.

Things still didn't get any better by dark though. Even though most of the time I could follow the shore, there were times I had to cut inland and make my way over the dunes. That was very slow going, and very tiring, forcing me to rest frequently. My 56 year body was starting to severely tire. And it was now getting dark.

I have been camping and going bush all my life. I am very comfortable in isolated lonely places. I have had to use bushcraft to deal with problems before. But this was the first time I really thought I could perish out here. That is a very scary feeling. It makes you pray hard!

It was about this time that a miracle happened. I didn't think so at the time, but it was a life-saving thought that burst into my mind. 'You are going to make it, but you will have to sleep out tonight. Make a bed of twigs in a sheltered spot and wait the night out.' And another very calm logical thought. 'You haven't passed any viable campsites, so you have just veered further north than you thought, you will find your campsite in the morning.' I know it might sound silly, but I believe God spoke to me right there to save my life.

So, with light failing, and cold coming in, I went about finding a suitable spot. I found a 'den' in a grove of bush in a hollow. With light failing I went about breaking leafy twigs off and laying bundles on the ground. I knew I would need lots, so I just kept going until I couldn't see safely any more. I had a big pile of leafy twigs after about an hour, so I lay a thick mattress down, lay down, piled the rest all over me and used my dry bag as a pillow.

It was very cold, It was very uncomfortable, but I survived a long, slow night. I had to rearrange the 'bed' occasionally to take a leak and to turn over every now and then, but I managed. (No, I didn't take a fire lighter!)

In the morning at first light, I took the rest of my food and a good drink, and set off again. And true enough, within an hour I found the campsite. You don't know what relief is until you have experienced it, lifting your head as you struggle up the umpteenth sand dune to see a speck of blue tent in the distance!

Just to add another twist, during the night the wind came up, and was quite strong by the time I arrived at the camp. It was so strong that the kayak which was tethered to the shore was totally swamped with waves crashing over the top. I knew I wasn't going home on Tuesday.

So I headed straight for the tent, took a good drink, made a hot meal and went straight to sleep for about 10 hours straight! I woke up in the late afternoon and then bailed out my yak and pulled it up onto shore.

Anyway, to cut a long story short, I managed to pack up and head off on Wednesday morning with a good strong breeze on my starboard side, making good headway on a broad reach. I had a couple of minor incidents on the way with rigging but nothing serious, and made it to my launch spot on Hindmarsh Island in 4 hours! I clocked my speed at 12 kms/h at some points (using my other GPS - the one that's waterproof - the one I didn't take with me on the short walk!), which is more than my yak is supposed to be able to do according to JEM Watercraft. I even got some attention with the local tour ferry cruising past with waving passengers and cameras clicking. Anyone would think looking at me I was totally at peace and the trip was uneventful!

Any way, I am happily home now, my wife was relieved, and wasn't too angry with me (but she was going to call the police if I wasn't home by that evening), and now I can't wait for the next trip!!

I don't think I'll go on a trip like that alone any more though.


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## GlenelgKiller

Wow, what an amazing tale! Reminds me of those survival adventure stories I used to read as a kid. Incredible how easily it can happen when there are no recognisable landmarks.

Glad to hear you are ok and thanks for sharing.


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## Squidley

Sounds like a rough night but it's good you got through it with a cool head. Next time I'm at Whitworths I'm going to pick up a compass.


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## goanywhere

Squidley said:


> Sounds like a rough night but it's good you got through it with a cool head. Next time I'm at Whitworths I'm going to pick up a compass.


Good idea. Also take maps and learn how to use them, and make mental notes along the way all the time. Note features, distances from one feature to the next etc. You never know when you are going to need to recall those incidental things in a tight situation. If I had counted the major sand dunes from Mark Point to the campsite, I would have gotten home in a couple of hours tops. Also, you need to constantly ask yourself 'what if...' and decide on plan B, C, D etc. Technology can make you lazy. The biggest mistake I made was not expecting to get lost!


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## Zilch

WOW !

Thanks for sharing, it would of been easy to keep it to yourself and no one would of known of your misadventure, I take my hat off to you.



GlenelgKiller said:


> Wow, what an amazing tale! Reminds me of those survival adventure stories I used to read as a kid. Incredible *how easily it can happen when there are no recognisable landmarks.*


Many years ago before GPS's I launched (boat) around 3am from North Haven to go to the Adrossan Barge which I had done numerous times. Onboard was Shane Mensforth and my mate, around 1/3rd of the way their we ran into a wild wind squall, after a lot of discussion we decided to press on but everyone thought I was off course, as they could see a light on my Portside and thought it was the Spit Light off Ardrossan. Long story short, wrong a yatch riding out the the storm and miles away from where we were meant to be. Yes it is so easy to loose ones bearings.

Steve


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## goanywhere

Zilch said:


> WOW !
> 
> Thanks for sharing, it would of been easy to keep it to yourself and no one would of known of your misadventure, I take my hat off to you.


All too often we hear only the success stories, but if more of us fessed up to our failures, and the lessons learned, then there might be fewer tragedies for others. Yes it's embarassing to mess up, and I have had my share of stuff ups this year, but if a forum like this is worth anything other than a brag board then we need to show each other the way in lots of areas, not just how to catch fish.


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## suehobieadventure

Glad to hear you got home before the search party was sent out. The current and tide make a strong mix down there. The only advice I can offer is get on ebay and buy a water proof sleeve for your new phone. Hope the insurance company coughs up (not happy with insurance companies right now :shock: ) Thats an expeience you will remember, interesting yak by the way.


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## goanywhere

suehobieadventure said:


> Glad to hear you got home before the search party was sent out. The current and tide make a strong mix down there. The only advice I can offer is get on ebay and buy a water proof sleeve for your new phone. Hope the insurance company coughs up (not happy with insurance companies right now :shock: ) Thats an expeience you will remember, interesting yak by the way.


Yeah, already have a waterproof pouch. I still feel so stupid having the phone 'naked' near sea water, when all the time up until then I had it in the pouch, and in the dry bag. Sometimes the pouch messes up with the touch screen operation, but it's no excuse. My contents insurance won't cover the phone, and I didn't take out phone cover insurance for the last one, just have to wear the cost. I bought a new phone yesterday, but part of my punishment is that it's a lower spec model for the rest of my contract.

The yak is a JEM Watercraft self-built. I've added outriggers and a sail. She's very versatile. No problem with the yak, just sometimes the owner. :lol:


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## Guest

Jeepers! Good to hear you got out of it ok. I can only imagine what was going through your head sleeping rough in the middle of no-where. That could have so easily been a much worse story. Thanks for sharing. That's TOW material.


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## Zilch

goanywhere said:


> All too often we hear only the success stories, but if more of us fessed up to our failures, and the lessons learned, then there might be fewer tragedies for others.


Brilliant attitude, agree 100%
I lost my best mate whilst a group of us were on a fishing holiday on K.I. , so yes passing on the safety message from your own experiences is important.



goanywhere said:


> Yes it's embarassing to mess up,


I think you might be being a bit tough on yourself, I am not sure that this was either embarassing or that you messed up. I think it is actually a positive post. You had a GPS but unfortunately there was a accident / incident, mate the GPS (phone) could of just died and you would of been in the same situation, so you have shown all of us how a cool head and logically thinking is your best friend in this situation.



goanywhere said:


> but if a forum like this is worth anything other than a brag board then we need to show each other the way in lots of areas, not just how to catch fish.


Agree again. But I am getting fed up of posting (x3) my dismal results :lol: .

Steve


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## RackRaider

Wheres the worms you had to eat, drinking of one's own urine? An annoying British accent?

A scary tale, Its good to see that you knew what to do though.

RR


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## goanywhere

RackRaider said:


> Wheres the worms you had to eat, drinking of one's own urine? An annoying British accent?
> 
> A scary tale, Its good to see that you knew what to do though.
> 
> RR


Actually it did occur to me I could have survived on cockles if necessary. Nice big goolwa cockles are a delicassy.


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## RackRaider

goanywhere said:


> Actually it did occur to me I could have survived on cockles if necessary. Nice big goolwa cockles are a delicassy.


My parents actually used to have Pipi soup over at fraser as kids, hope you survived the ordeal without an injuries or anything


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## goanywhere

RackRaider said:


> goanywhere said:
> 
> 
> 
> Actually it did occur to me I could have survived on cockles if necessary. Nice big goolwa cockles are a delicassy.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> My parents actually used to have Pipi soup over at fraser as kids, hope you survived the ordeal without an injuries or anything
Click to expand...

I'm actually talking raw. No fire unfortunately. I've never started a fire by rubbing sticks together. I might leave that for the next time. ;-). Re injuries, just some scratches from busting through thick bush.


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## Batron

Great post Mate good to see you made it home safe , passed with flying coulors I would say. ;-)


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## solatree

Great adventure Steve in a beautiful location ! And some lessons learnt. I've made that trek across the Younghusband Peninsula quite a few times as a kid - my parents had good friends who lived near Narrung and had a power boat - many an easter was spent in that wonderful area - and plenty of cockle expeditions. But we always crossed where there was much less bush and we could clearly see and follow our tracks in the sand dunes. Amazing middens of cockle shells left by Aborignal people - and we'd often see Emus too. These days, recreational fishing for cockles from that section beach is no longer permitted, I assume because of its NP status (not sure whether or not the commercial guys can take them there) - in addition, there is a total ban from June through to October. See http://www.pir.sa.gov.au/fisheries/recr ... l_closures


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## Ubolt

Wow what an exciting trip.
Cockling is only for pros on the southern side of the mouth.


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## goanywhere

solatree said:


> Great adventure Steve in a beautiful location ! And some lessons learnt. I've made that trek across the Younghusband Peninsula quite a few times as a kid - my parents had good friends who lived near Narrung and had a power boat - many an easter was spent in that wonderful area - and plenty of cockle expeditions. But we always crossed where there was much less bush and we could clearly see and follow our tracks in the sand dunes. Amazing middens of cockle shells left by Aborignal people - and we'd often see Emus too. These days, recreational fishing for cockles from that section beach is no longer permitted, I assume because of its NP status (not sure whether or not the commercial guys can take them there) - in addition, there is a total ban from June through to October. See http://www.pir.sa.gov.au/fisheries/recr ... l_closures


Oops! I didn't realise that digging cockles from there was illegal. Oh well, I only dug up about 6 and only used 3. If I had to eat some they could forgive me that couldn't they.

Yes, there were some sections I walked through that once you were up on the dunes it was plain sailing from one side to the other, but other areas were very thick with bush. Once I worked out that to go round the bushy sections was quicker than to go through I could make progress quite quickly. I also saw lots of kangaroos and emus, and what looked like camel tracks.

Great spot, and now I have got to know the area quite intimately I will look forward to going again. Even though I had my trials there it doesn't diminish the attraction for the area at all for me. Might be good to have someone like you along next time Solatree.


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## RackRaider

solatree said:


> These days, recreational fishing for cockles from that section beach is no longer permitted, I assume because of its NP status (not sure whether or not the commercial guys can take them there) - in addition, there is a total ban from June through to October. See http://www.pir.sa.gov.au/fisheries/recr ... l_closures


I'm fairly certain that they'd let that slide if you were in a life threatening situation.


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## murd

Time to change you name from 'goanywhere' to 'wherefugami' !

Hey, give us the GPS points where you were so i can have a sticky on Google Earth.

Good, detailed report by the way, very interesting.


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## sbd

That's a great report thanks goanywhere, and a predicament nicely dealt with. A cool head & common sense goes a long way in a situation like that, I hope I'll manage one or both of them if I get caught out.

Don't give Rick the marks, you don't want crocs down there too.


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## goanywhere

murd said:


> Time to change you name from 'goanywhere' to 'wherefugami' !
> 
> Hey, give us the GPS points where you were so i can have a sticky on Google Earth.
> 
> Good, detailed report by the way, very interesting.


Before I give that away I'll check to see if there wasn't a Macca's over the next sand hill. ;-)

My campsite was located at about -35.6728, 139.1149 as far as I can make out from Google maps. I can't check my mobile phone to confirm it though :?

I did salvage the SIM and Micro Sim from the old phone, but I checked today after putting them into my new phone and the saved waypoints aren't being retrieved by my GPS program. They should be somewhere on the chip but I'll have to search manually. I use Navionics for Android on my mobile phone.


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## TheFishinMusician

Wow! Glad you kept a cool head & made the right decisions there. 
Sounds like it would have been a good trip otherwise (apart from the lack of fish)  
Love the photos, especially that sunrise, looks like it would have been nice & serene out there.


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## murd

Just entered the reference points into GE - and it put you west of Tokyo in Japan and i thought, Fark - you were lost!

Added 'South and East to the numbers and I flew back to the Coorong and a little beach. Yeah, a lot of sand about and dunes and easy to see how you could become disorientated on the lagoon side. Any chance to follow your footsteps in the sand?

I've got something 'pending' in a few months so these type of posts really interest me.

Cheers,
Rick
(Dave, too cold for crocs there by the way - but not where I'm going ;-))


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## Guest

murd said:


> (Dave, too cold for crocs there by the way - but not where I'm going ;-))


Yay! Another Murd adventure!!!


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## Squidley

RackRaider said:


> solatree said:
> 
> 
> 
> These days, recreational fishing for cockles from that section beach is no longer permitted, I assume because of its NP status (not sure whether or not the commercial guys can take them there) - in addition, there is a total ban from June through to October. See http://www.pir.sa.gov.au/fisheries/recr ... l_closures
> 
> 
> 
> I'm fairly certain that they'd let that slide if you were in a life threatening situation.
Click to expand...

I'm picturing a skeleton with an expiation notice taped to it


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## labrat

After declining Steve's invitation to this event we ended up being invited to go caravanning at Meningie which is about 20km east of his campsite. Knowing his intentions we took a drive on Sunday afternoon to see if he was either at Mark Point or Long Point. I also wanted to check out these places for planning trips.

As it turned out we were just a bit late as I think we were at Mark point around 4:30. We also checked out Pelican Point after this. My presumption was that Steve would be on the other side as there was nothing at Mark point - it is designated as a camping area but there is barely even a bush to squat behind. I commented that Steve had probably stayed at Godfrey's Landing, not knowing that he was between Long and Mark Points on the other side. We were probably with 6km of him a couple of times.

So now I have a question. On the one hand I knew that Steve plans fairly well for this kind of thing - arranges backup/checkin times etc, has experience, has the right gear. Also the weather was kind for this time of year. On the other hand he wasn't where I half expected to see him and I was aware of how practically remote he could be even though he may be only a few km from other people. Is there anything I could/should have done at that stage? Thought of trying to ring but was only getting minimal coverage so didn't make the effort.

While out and about we spoke to some fishermen at Gibbys Bay (further south from Long Point) and they were busy pulling masses of bony bream out of their nets. These are a freshwater species and get washed through the barrages at times of high flow. Surprisingly they seem to survive reasonably well on the salt side whereas carp die very quickly. 
There were also some mullet in the nets. Presumably the fresh water tends sit on the salt to a certain extent and this would have helped Steve get a drink.

Steve, did you see any seals? We saw 1 off Long point and another at Mark point on the Sunday.


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## goanywhere

Ah, Labrat!

I hope you feel suitably guilty you didn't join me on the trip Bob. 

Yes I did see quite a few seals. They mostly were just lolling about in the channel with their flippers waving about as they do. And yes, other than that drama I had a great time. I would go again in a heart beat. The Coorong is just an amazing place. Like lots of areas in Aus it appears desolate and uninteresting on first look, but the beauty reveals itself over time. A week is barely enough to get an apreciation of the place. Funnily enough, other than the discomfort, my adventure did sort of help me bond with the environment in an interesting way.

The fresh water flush has brought the place to life. Kangaroos and emus abound, and huge flocks of pelicans, black swans, geese, gulls and ducks make for a noisy morning chorus. I really didn't feel cheated by the lack of fish, and I didn't work too hard to find them I must admit.

I won't forget you next time mate.


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## labrat

goanywhere said:


> I hope you feel suitably guilty you didn't join me on the trip Bob.


Slashing wrists as I type......how's that for multitasking? :lol:

Actually it's a good thing I planned not to go from the start - came down with a nasty virus and would have had to pull out anyway. Didn't even take a kayak with me to Meningie for that reason.

Next time I hope to be ready though.


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## Geoffw

Glad you made it out and told the story. It is so easy to get caught out by just one thing going wrong. You have given us all a good lesson. Hope it doesn't dampen your spirit for adventure.


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## dunnyfromsouthoz

Amazing story and great to see that you survived the conditions down there.

I agree with you that it is an amazing place. I visit the area about 2 or 3 times a year camping and always see something different or new - as you said the more you look the more you find.

And for the not-so-good times you visit theres always at least one magical memory of the place. We went down one windy weekend and put up with the relentless hot northerlies all day, but just before sunset it totally stopped blowing and the water was like a sheet of glass. Then very light rain started falling which created an amazing double rainbow. Took the kids out on the ski biscuit behind the tinny and they had a wow of a time.

Hope you get down there again sometime

Cheers 
Dunny


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## ArWeTherYet

What an adventure, glad you made it through OK. One of those thermal foil blankets wouldn't be a bad idea to take to next time. I use one for a ground sheet, between the sleeping bag and mat.


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## goanywhere

ArWeTherYet said:


> What an adventure, glad you made it through OK. One of those thermal foil blankets wouldn't be a bad idea to take to next time. I use one for a ground sheet, between the sleeping bag and mat.


Yeah and a couple of those warmer pads that you just open and they stay warm for 10 hours.

And an emergency fire lighter.

And a bottle of brandy....


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## Murphysegg

Blimey Steve. I don't think er in doors will let you out on your own again.

How many paddles did you lose on this expedition ;-)


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## emufingers

Just wondering about a VHF radio. From the top of the sandhills you would have clear line of site to the Channel 83 repeater which is monitored in Victor andGoolwa. Also coast radio SA monitors channel 16 using very sensitive technology 24 hours. I know that 25 watt boat sets are received clearly in Adelaide on that netwrok, but I am not sure about a five watt handheld. It is quite possible however that it may work from the top of a sand hill. It would be worth someone with a handheld trying it out.


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## goanywhere

emufingers said:


> Just wondering about a VHF radio. From the top of the sandhills you would have clear line of site to the Channel 83 repeater which is monitored in Victor andGoolwa. Also coast radio SA monitors channel 16 using very sensitive technology 24 hours. I know that 25 watt boat sets are received clearly in Adelaide on that netwrok, but I am not sure about a five watt handheld. It is quite possible however that it may work from the top of a sand hill. It would be worth someone with a handheld trying it out.


G'day Jerry. I am sure that a one hour walk closer to the mouth from where I was would bring a 5w radio into range. I was always within 3-4 hours walk of the mouth. Yes it would be a challenge, especially after a day and a bit of wandering, but there's always someone around the mouth.

I was within mobile phone range, especially at the top of a nearby sand dune, but sea water doesn't tend to improve the situation with anything electronic, and that's what caused the drama in the first place. A basic review of basic safety routines would have meant a much different scenario, even without any tecnnology. It was an over reliance on technology that caused the problem, not the lack of it. I had a waterproof pouch for the phone that would have prevented the whole event but didn't use it. I had a dry bag but didn't keep the phone in it. I could have left enough breadcrumbs on my walk to get back easily but didn't bother. Lots of shoulda's, woulda's, coulda's. Just goes to show that it is possible to come unstuck even with all the technology in the world.

I heard of a guy who perished in the outback when his four wheel drive fell on top of him while changing a tyre. The jack collapsed and trapped his arm. He had an epirb that was 30cm out of reach on the ground next to his trapped hand.

I will definitely look into a 5w hand held, and possibly an epirb too if I do another similar trip.


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## goanywhere

Murphysegg said:


> Blimey Steve. I don't think er in doors will let you out on your own again.
> 
> How many paddles did you lose on this expedition ;-)


I was wondering when that little story would make it to this forum. Nah, no paddles this time.

Actually the wife just shook her head and gave me that look.... She's going away for a week on Friday on a holiday of her own. I was planning a trip out on the weekend. Interested? 



labrat said:


> So now I have a question. On the one hand I knew that Steve plans fairly well for this kind of thing - arranges backup/checkin times etc, has experience, has the right gear. Also the weather was kind for this time of year. On the other hand he wasn't where I half expected to see him and I was aware of how practically remote he could be even though he may be only a few km from other people. Is there anything I could/should have done at that stage? Thought of trying to ring but was only getting minimal coverage so didn't make the effort.


I made a call to my wife the first night out which was opposite Pelican Point no problems, and gave her my location. I mentioned I might not be in range the following night but gave her the approximate location where I would be 'a couple of k's either side of Mark Point' was what I told her. I was going to call her the day I got lost when I got back to the campsite. A quick trip to the top of the sand dune behind my campsite would have allowed me to do that. What I didn't count on was not having the phone to do it. My wife knew to call the police if I wasn't home by Wednesday night, 24 hours late. They don't tend to dispatch a search until then anyway.


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## goanywhere

After bearing my soul and relating this little story, and taking in the comments of others, I have decided that in future I will keep the following kit with me at all times, especially when I leave my campsite:


Mobile phone - inside a waterproof pouch - and not remove it from the pouch under any circumstances if I am going near water.[/*]
Spare fully charged battery for mobile phone.[/*]
Torch.[/*]
Fire starter.[/*]
Stand-alone GPS, and spare set of batteries.[/*]
2 ltrs of water.[/*]
Emergency food to get through 24 hours hard walking.[/*]
Space blanket and stuffable light weight rain gear.[/*]
A hand held VHF/UHF radio.[/*]
Small can of bio-degradable spray dye for 'breadcrumbing' when walking through difficult terrain.[/*]
A detailed map, marked with the location of the campsite, and compass.[/*]

All of this would fit in a small day pack or dry bag. I think I will put a kit like this together for my next kayak camping trip to a remote location. I have something like this for when I go on 4wd trips.


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## willowonfire

Just glad to hear that you made it out safe, bummer about the phone. 
It makes one think really hard about doing solo trips... 
Thanks for sharing


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## punchanello

Great yarn. Glad you got back safe.

It reminds of the time that I was hopped up party-favours at a rave and needed to traverse the jungle to get the the portaloos. In the 90's phones didn't have gps so I had to use my skillz to make it there in one piece. So I took mental notes of the landmarks: Spaced out girl with amazing rack, guy with dreads wearing a cheetah suit, what appeared to be a dead alien lying in the brush....None of this was any use to me as I was unsure if I had actually seen it or not. So instead I decided to spend the night in the portaloo and wait until morning.


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## goanywhere

Yes, thanks. A knife and cord would be a good addition. I did include the space blanket.

Of course a 'survival kit' can be as extensive as you like. It always relates to the likely degree of risk you face. If I was venturing hundreds of k's away from civilization I would take an EPIRB and sat phone. But for where I was, all that is important is to be able to stay alive and relatively comfortable for about 24 hours. What I had with me almost covered that. I just needed a bit more water. If I had taken my other GPS, it would have been all over by midday. Even without marking the campsite as a waypoint I could have used the backtrack feature to locate the site from the trip there the day before.


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## goanywhere

punchanello said:


> Great yarn. Glad you got back safe.
> 
> It reminds of the time that I was hopped up party-favours at a rave and needed to traverse the jungle to get the the portaloos. In the 90's phones didn't have gps so I had to use my skillz to make it there in one piece. So I took mental notes of the landmarks: Spaced out girl with amazing rack, guy with dreads wearing a cheetah suit, what appeared to be a dead alien lying in the brush....None of this was any use to me as I was unsure if I had actually seen it or not. So instead I decided to spend the night in the portaloo and wait until morning.


Call my story a great yarn! I don't think your story really compares punch.


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## eagle4031

Goanywhere
I really appreciate the honesty of your report. As i was reading it i was imagining myself in the same situation and it can sometimes be incredibly easy to have things go pear shaped quickly. I learnt a lot from your report and I have decided to revisit my navigation books.

It is through sharing like this that other lives can be saved. Well done and most appreciated.

At least your life is an adventure - better than dying in an armchair without taking risks.

Bryce Courtenay said " Life is not about having things, it is about doing things"


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## andybear

Well done mate!

Welcome to the sad list of recipients of the tale of woe award. (Myself having been there and done that   )
Good to see that you made it out alive, and thank you very much for the honesty and a well told tale.

Cheers andybear


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## wopfish

Its true God favours fishermen


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