Bushwalk Australia

Hi there
Thinking of giving one of these Alpaca rafts a go and wondered if anyone knows if the colo river is paddle-able from Newnes (Ie coming in from the Wolgan). I know the river there's shallow so it would be a matter of portaging over parts, but if anyone else has done this or a similar trip I'd be interested to know what it was like, Ie horribly scrambly long sections or long fast days etc... Just the regular background info that helps in the preparation.
Thanks
Carl

The picture above was of a walk we did across the wollemi from Lithgow across the colo to Canoe Creek. It was the long weekend in June 2008 (I think?) when the Pasha Bulka ship was washed up on the shore in newcastle. Needless to say the gorge was impassable and it was a long cold and wet walk back to lithgow. We since did the walk again though and I have wanted to paddle down the river since.

This was the gorge on the second trip. Stunning spot.

392carl - I have thought this'd be a great trip. I'd like to combine with MTBs. The Wolgan is not a big river - slow raftable in a standard year, as it gets mine water release through from behind Donkey Mountain. I dunno how soft, wide and shallow it gets below Newnes though - this would determine pace rather than accessibility though.

BTW - do you have an Alpacka ? If not, and you are ever in Wollongong (I don't know why you would leave the Blueys to climb at the Big K, but you never know - I left Hazo to live in East Corrimal !), I have a dory you could view to get an idea of them. Over the next year or so I plan to buy a Yack model. Lemme know. They are a radical little boat.

Hi Carl and Climberman

A friend of mine walked and floated down the wolgan and colo you can see a viedo and story of his trip at http://theoutdoortype.com.au/2009/10/02 ... the-video/ . Also from what I understand the flows from the mine into the wolgan have been redirected to the coxes so they can be used by the Wallarrawang power station

I am a member of a group "Friends of the Colo" who do weed control trip along the Wolgan, Capertee and Colo and we are also considering purchasing a couple of alpacka rafts as there does not look like there will be enough water inthe river this summer to do a helicopeter supported rafting trip and we want to walk in at canoe creek and out at Bob Turners with some light weight boats.

Have you heard any reports good or bad about their durability? If we decide to go head in the next couple of weeks I will give you a report back on how they go.

Climberman has your alpacka been reliable?

Jeff - thanks for the video link, and water re-direction info.

I am very happy with the alpacka. There strength is amazing. Their weight astounding. They do, of course, follow Bontrager's Axiom perfectly ! Very durable, and much easier to manage than the inflatable kayaks due to their low weight. Different handling characteristics of course, although experienced folks have run some class IV ww in them. Type 'packraft' into youtube search.

If you would like to look at it I am happy to arrange a meet-up over the silly season or beyond ? They are PERFECT for the walk in walk out scenario you describe, and that would be a delicious packraft trip. I think some Tassie guys are doing something similar (check the Alpacka forums) for spurge control down there (they might be full raft trips though?). Where are you based ?

We have walked from both Newnes and Glen Davis through to Townsends LO (and beyond). Most of the time we were walking in about 5 mm of water. With quicksand. You could use an alpaka raft when the river is up, but that has a few risks too.

Cheers

Ta Roger - I was afraid of that !