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Bass straight kayak crossing 2009

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Saturday, 09 February 2008

Wilsons Prom to Little Mussleroe Bay

Adventure before dementia. Sounds good to me. Perhaps that's why I seem to get more and more adventurous as years go by. But the years are indeed passing by. One of these years I'll wake up to find that I'm not physically capable of living up to the adventurous spirit of my over-ambitious nature. For that reason, sooner - rather than later - seems like the perfect time to execute my long harboured dream of crossing Bass Straight in a kayak. I'm confident that I'm fit enough to do it (or will be - I still have some work to do on cardio) and I reckon I'm also now experienced enough at off-shore kayaking to pull it off as well. At the time of writing (Jan, 2008) I have just over 12 months to prepare for this epic journey, which I plan to undertake sometime in Feb, 2009.

I started thinking about this trip one day while fishing in an inflatable kayak near Port Phillip Heads, fantasizing about what might happen if I was sucked out by an out-going tide and wondering about the remote probability of drifting anywhere near Tassie. The dream kind of grew from there. A year or so later I mentioned this fantasy to my girlfriend at the time and she was up for it. So I started taking the notion more seriously, reading up on previous attempts - both failures and successes - and anticipating what sort of equipment we'd need to make the journey. I was, however, side tracked for a while by an escalating love of kayak fishing and a coastal kayak fishing tour that resulted. But now the itch is back and I feel the need to scratch it. I'm no longer with that girl any more so it appears as if I'll probably be completing this journey alone. A mans gotta do what a mans gotta do.

This page will be an evolving article that describes my plans and preparation. A great deal of what I post here will change as my preparation continues and additions will be made frequently. I will be discussing the equipment I plan to use and why I have chosen it. I'll also be talking about my training and my thinking behind it. And of course, I'll be adding more and more information as to why I have chosen the course I have (which is most likely to change as my research continues) and how I expect to complete each leg of the journey. There will be a lot of experimentation done between now and the departure date and no doubt I'll learn a lot as I progress through the prep stages. One thing is for certain - for this project I will be embracing the (SAS coined)"7-P's" philosophy wholesale: Proper Planning and Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Performance.

The journey...

Leg 1: Tidal River - Refuge Cove. Est: 36km

Wilsons Prom is the southern most tip of the Australian mainland and is also the closest point to Tasmania. A place I am intimately familiar with, it's also my home away from home. I've done so much hiking in this place that I wouldn't dare hazard a guess of how many miles I've covered on foot. Many of those hikes began from Tidal River, which is a very popular getaway destination for the less adventurous (base-camping) visitors to the prom. The river itself trickles out into Norman Bay, which is a long beach that stretches over 1.5km. It's well protected by Mt Oberon and thus, it's waters are usually relatively calm. This, as well as the nearby car parks, make it a perfect launching spot.

The 1st leg of my journey will see me paddle from Tidal River in an anti-clockwise direction around the southern tip of the prom, past the lighthouse, up and around to Refuge Cove. This little bay is also pretty well protected and should make for a fitting landing destination for the day. There is also excellent camping facilities at Refuge Cove, which made it one of my common stop-off points when hiking around the Prom. It's also a great place to catch an Aussie Salmon (or perhaps even a Kingfish) off the beach, so I'll aim to be eating fresh fish that night.

At this point I will still be on the mainland, which is fitting given that I am treating the 1st leg very much as a 'shake down' paddle. If I'm going to encounter any technical problems, hopefully they will show up in my 1st 35km of travel.

Leg 2: Refuge Cove - Hogans Island. Est: 50km

Providing weather permits, I'll be heading off towards Hogan Island right as the sun rises. Hogan Island is a small patch of dry land that is only a few kms long. My intended landing destination on the Island is a small (and usually) calm bay on the eastern side. I've read about the existence of a hut at the northern end of the island, which may well be where I camp for the night. If not, I'll set up a tent nearby. I've read that there is a running water supply here, so I'll take advantage of that if there is. I've also heard about the proliferation of rats and penguins, so I'l be keeping food safely locked away and may even take earplugs to shield me from the noise generated by squabbling penguins.

Leg 3: Hogans island - Erith island. Est: 39km

After traversing about 40km of sea my plan is to then approach Erith Island through the northern end of the Murray passage. Word has it that Erith island also has a small hut that I should be able to shack up in for the night and here I'll be making an entry into the hut's log book, which (apparently) has some fascinating accounts from sailors, kayakers and fishermen that have also stopped there. I expect my camera to get a bit of a work out at Erith island, where I should be able to find a good vantage point to take a variety of scenery photos of the Kent group of islands, of which Erith is a part of. If I have time and energy enough, I'll probably also make a quick trip over to Deal island to explore around a bit.

Leg 4: Erith Island - Killicrankie, Flinders Island nth: Est: 62km

I'll be heading out the southern end of the passage to make my way toward Flinders Island, which will be the longest leg I plan to make for the entire trip. I'm expecting this particular leg will be the most mentally and physically demanding and there is every chance I'll stop off for a rest at Craggy Island, which is about 43km away from the Kent group. When I do finally reach Killicrankie, I reckon I'll be finding somewhere that I can actually buy a warm meal of some description as I imagine I'll be too tired to bother cooking. Just setting up a tent after finishing this leg will probably be challenging enough. Either way, I'll sleep well this night.

Leg 5: Killicrankie - Whitemark, Flinders Island sth: Est: 50km

The next leg will be another fair distance, although I'll have the comfort of land nearby, which I'll probably keep fairly close on my left as I make my way south down the island. Apparently there is a pub at Whitemark and when I reach my destination I'll likely make a beeline for it, where hopefully I can get another warm meal to go down with a well-deserved beer.

Leg 6: Whitemark - Cape Barren island: Est 43km

I really have no idea what I expect to find at Cape Barren island and with a name like that, perhaps I'll find nothing. if not anything else, it should be a nice spot to pitch a tent and wet a line, however. If weather is good and I'm feeling fit and the island does look as barren as it's name implies, I may well try to shave a day off my journey and continue on to Clarke island. If not, I'll just try and catch a fish.

Leg 7: Cape Barren island - Clarke island: Est 32km

As with Cape Barren island, so far I've been unable to uncover much information about Clarke island, but if google earth is anything to go by, there's a sweet looking beach on the south east side, which is where I plan to camp for the night.

Leg 8: Clarke island - Little Mussleroe Bay: Est: 29km

I'm sketchy on details on Lt Musslerow Bay at the moment, but it certainly appears to be the most obvious place to land a kayak following a crossing from Clarke island. When I arrive here I'm hoping to be greeted by one of my uncles, two of which live in Tasmania. I'm also hoping that whoever is there to see me ride in the final wave will also have a cold beer ready for me. Something tells me I'll need a fresh change of clothes available for anyone to even be able to approach me at that stage though, so I may well post down some clothes to them before I set off. Once I've arrived then the logistical challenges on how to get myself and my gear back the mainland will ensue. Obviously I'll have all of that organised closer to the departure date.

Total travel distance: Estimated 344km

Watch for this page to be updated as my preparations become more and more detailed. Future updates will include notes on equipment, training as well as possible alterations to the planned route.