14 Days Rafting the Franklin River

[Son of a Beach]

I recently completed a 14 day rafting expedition on the Franklin River. It was an amazing trip organised by a family friend, and done on the cheap with one heavy inflatable raft per person. We had no professional river guides, and only one of us had any white water experience (he'd done the Franklin twice before over 30 years ago).

I was scared of white water before I went on this trip, and I'm still scared of white water now, after what sure felt like a few near death experiences (for myself and for others that I observed at close proximity). We started with the water being too low, and later ended up stuck in a make shift camp literally cut out of the scrub for two days while the river was in flood.

It's definitely one of the greatest wilderness experiences of my life, and I've written up a VERY LONG trip report on the new blog at http://bushwalk.com/blog/ .

Below is a small selection of the hundreds of photos from the trip. There are many more in the blog articles.

EDIT: It's now also available as a 75 page PDF at:

Trip Report: 14 Days on the Franklin River - A Rafting Adventure Journal

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Last edited by Son of a Beach on Fri 03 Jan, 2014 1:24 pm, edited 12 times in total.

[HitchHiking]

AWESOME stuff SOB! Ill grab some food and drink and have a good read tonight!

[phan_TOM]

What an incredible trip, looks like a blast I'm so jealous!

I'm looking forward to reading the trip report over the next few days few weeks and looking at those photos again and again... hows the tent platform overlooking the river, ever been a somnambulist? did the guides make you sleep roped up with a harness . Awesome.

Last edited by phan_TOM on Tue 06 Mar, 2012 2:12 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[corvus]

SoaB
Looks like an incredible trip and one I will only get to read about however a " vicarious adventure" can still be very rewarding
corvus

[Son of a Beach]

What an incredible trip, looks like a blast I'm so jealous!

I'm looking forward to reading the trip report over the next few days week and looking at those photos again and again... hows the tent platform overlooking the river, ever been a somnambulist? did the guides make you sleep roped up with a harness . Awesome.

More like three weeks! That platform is actually a helipad, not a tent platform, but it was a great place to camp. Nice view sitting on the edge of it eating dinner and drinking port. But we did have to be very cautious about walking around near that edge. Thankfully, I don't sleep walk very often.

No guides to make sure we were safe there (or anywhere else). This was an entirely private expedition. I'll update the original post with this info.

BTW - I'd recommend doing it with a commercial guided group if at all possible, rather than privately, like we did. They can tackle more rapids in their big rafts than we could in our smaller one, and being that they know a lot more about what they're doing, it would be a lot safer (I kind of feel a bit lucky to still be alive). There would be more rafting and less portaging. It was also be much quicker, as they are familiar with all the rapids, and would not have to scout almost every single one like we did.

Having said that, it's more of an adventure being entirely responsible for the whole trip ourselves, and having to do all the research, preparation, equiping, etc, ourselves.

[ninjapuppet]

Such a great trip SOB! I was about to ask you about the trip, but figured you'd do a better job writing it up with no pressure.

really looking forward to it. I'd love to hear about gear failures or what didn't work so well as planned.

[phan_TOM]

More like three weeks!

fixed

That platform is actually a helipad, not a tent platform

oh, well thats alright then, a lot safer When you get really bored does someone come around lobbing hand grenades Seriously though it seems an odd place for a helipad, is it Parks?

BTW - I'd recommend doing it with a commercial guided group if at all possible, rather than privately, like we did...

I'm sure it would still be an amazing adventure having the comfort and feeling of safety of being with an experienced guide but the fear of not knowing whats around the next corner and being self reliant takes it to a whole 'nother level, a real adventure. I've done a few rafting trips in Cairns/Noo Zulland & Canada and the guides explain the power of the water and the danger involved but still the punters have blank looks and beaming smiles, very trusting. If the guides werren't there I wonder how what percentage would still decide to have a crack?

[Son of a Beach]

Such a great trip SOB! I was about to ask you about the trip, but figured you'd do a better job writing it up with no pressure.

really looking forward to it. I'd love to hear about gear failures or what didn't work so well as planned.

I haven't included much about gear failures in the blog articles, so I can do a quick summary here...

My wetsuit, gloves and wet-boots were all destroyed. Tossed them in the rubbish as soon as I finished the trip. The wetsuit was already quite old, but by the end of this trip it had multiple tears, and bits hanging off all over the place. The boots and gloves were both in very good condition before the trip, but torn to shreds by the end.

Despite my being thrown out of the raft, and rolled about under water more than any of the other people in the team, my raft was the only one of the 6 rafts that came through the trip without holes in it. All other rafts had at least one hole, most of them several holes. At least three of the holes were 20cm long, and resulted in instant deflation of those rafts. One of the team had to pump up her raft every half hour for most of the trip after the patches didn't seal well enough to keep it inflated.

Two paddles were lost completely. One other paddle was broken twice and also bent quite badly.

My US-Navy "SEAL Line" dry bag was brilliant. Even after being dragged around on rocks during portages, and then held under water in my upside down raft for several minutes (a number of times). It still didn't get a drop of water in it until the last day. It did eventually get a tiny hole in the bottom right on the very last day. I had intended to keep in in the pack, but didn't have enough room, and ended up having to keep it separate from the pack, so it got a lot more rough treatment than planned.

I didn't use plastic barrels like most of the other guys did - just my pack.

At least one of the plastic barrels they were using got cracked and leaked.

I can't think of any other breakages or failures off the top of my head.

[Son of a Beach]

it seems an odd place for a helipad, is it Parks?

There's an old hydrography station (water gauge) there at Fincham Crossing - both a manual gauge and a solar powered automatic gauge. It was originally for research into the proposed dam across the river - so that would have been the HEC originally. Apparently now it is used for environmental monitoring. However, the helipad was only built in 2009, so I've no idea why or by who. I guess they could no longer be bothered walking in on the rare occasions it needs maintenance. I'm guessing that it would be exceedingly rare that the helipad ever gets used. I don't know if it's Parks or DPIWEEEEEE (or whatever they're called these days) or somebody else.

[Paul]

Hi SOaB,

What a wonderful trip you experienced. I crossed the Franklin River at the northern end of the Great Ravine during our trek from Coal Head to Ouse several years back - I understand "some" of the difficulties you would have experienced.

Do I recognise one of your party - did he once work in outdoor ed at Scotch Oakburn ?

Looking forward to reading your report.

Cheers,

paul.

[Son of a Beach]

Do I recognise one of your party - did he once work in outdoor ed at Scotch Oakburn ?

I can't say for sure, but not that I know of. I only met some of them for the first time just before the trip, and others on the trip itself. There were only two guys in the team that I knew at all beforehand, and even then I didn't know them terribly well.

[sthughes]

This is awesome, but honestly I think you're mad! Makes great reading though! I've read the first 3 pages, come on where's the rest? The suspense is killing me!

[frenchy_84]

it seems an odd place for a helipad, is it Parks?

There's an old hydrography station (water gauge) there at Fincham Crossing - both a manual gauge and a solar powered automatic gauge. It was originally for research into the proposed dam across the river - so that would have been the HEC originally. Apparently now it is used for environmental monitoring. However, the helipad was only built in 2009, so I've no idea why or by who. I guess they could no longer be bothered walking in on the rare occasions it needs maintenance. I'm guessing that it would be exceedingly rare that the helipad ever gets used. I don't know if it's Parks or DPIWEEEEEE (or whatever they're called these days) or somebody else.

another opinon on the helipad... http://tasmaniantimes.com/index.php?/ar ... r-fiasco-/

[phan_TOM]

However, the helipad was only built in 2009, so I've no idea why or by who. I guess they could no longer be bothered walking in on the rare occasions it needs maintenance. I'm guessing that it would be exceedingly rare that the helipad ever gets used...

Seems very out of place especially for somewhere that is not only a National Park but a World Heritage Area, all I could find was this piece in the Tasmanian Times which doesn't really explain who, what or why... funny that it was constructed after the world heritage listing though, any conspiracy theorists out there?

[Son of a Beach]

another opinon on the helipad... http://tasmaniantimes.com/index.php?/ar ... r-fiasco-/

I mostly agree with that article. As much as the helipad was a great tent pad, the whole Fincham Crossing area would have been much better without it, the flying fox cables and the hydrography station. It sure ain't the Wilderness experience I was expecting at that point (thankfully the rest of the river was much better in that respect).

The flying fox cables are old though, which is not what the article implies. The flying fox was for carrying drilling equipment to the other side of the river where they were testing the rock for stability for building a dam. In my opinion, it should be dismantled by the government who (as the HEC) would have been responsible for its construction. The manual hydro station is also old and was installed for the proposed dam.

The helipad is new (2009) as is all the clearfelling of forest to make room for it (only on one side of the river - the other side is mostly grown back after the drilling days). I don't know about the auto hydro station. Its solar cell looks new. There is also an old hydrogaphers' hut 30min walk from the river (photos of this are in the trip report for day 4 of the expedition).

[Nuts]

Shaping into a good story Nik, i like your honest writing style...
A friend did this in the early 90's, cheap raft, solo (as many before have done) and his account has always kindled an interest. Maybe i'll do it in 'luxury' and hire a guide lol.. have to do it soon before age makes the 'leech ridden ditch' thoughts sour those of 'the ultimate adventure'
Thanks for going to the effort of writing your account, well done.

[Son of a Beach]

Thanks Nuts. I figure that honesty is the best policy if it makes the reading more interesting. I'm quite happy to have a laugh at my own expense and I definitely was the klutz of the group, which was no surprise to me. I'm just generally unco, which is probably why I prefer non-competitive sports, such as bushwalking and sailboarding.

I reckon I'm now an expert at plunging down rapids on my own without a raft.

I'm considering more rafting trips in the future. I'd like to get a pack raft for these (and for the highland lakes), but not sure - they're very expensive and not quite as strong.

[tastrax]

An excellent read and it brings back some great memories. My trips have all been in larger rafts but I always admire folks that do it in the traditional smaller "duckies". I suspect its much harder than the large rafts and gives you a much more intimate feel for the river conditions.

[Son of a Beach]

I found that getting flipped out of the raft completely, and being pummelled around in the water under a stopper gave me a fairly intimate feel for the river.

[Nuts]

I really wanted to be good at sailboarding, a good mate was really keen and tried so hard to teach me. Unfortunately when after a few days, I finally got up long enough to gather speed, he then had to borrow a boat to retrieve me (and his board) from the other side of the lake. That was the end o that

[Son of a Beach]

I've been rescued while sailboarding three or four times. I don't think my life was in danger, but it would have been an awful long walk (or hitch hike) to get back again.

[Lizzy]

AWESOME trip !! out of curiosity about how much were the rafts?
Cheers Lizzy (who can't paddle anyway with a buggered shoulder but I still want one!)

[Son of a Beach]

I think we paid about $270 each (delivered).

[Lizzy]

Nice- thanks for that. I had looked up the rafts but saw there were several types/quality.

[Son of a Beach]

A packraft would be nice, but very expensive. Not as safe either. I may still buy one eventually.

[frenchy_84]

Your party seemed to get alot of punctures on your trip, do you think you would have got more or less with a packraft? ive been amazed at how tough packrafts are, ive been stuck on some nasty rocks so far and no holes yet.

[Son of a Beach]

Yes, way too many punctures. I had the only boat that got none at all. I think we would have got more with packrafts but maybe the smaller rafts would have dodged the rocks better. Not sure.

In any case, our boats were made of very strong, thick and tough rubber. They were not designed to be carried, and therefore did not compromise on materials for the sake of weight.

The numerous punctures were partly due to ignoring the notes for Debacle Bend which is where all of the more serious punctures occurred. I personally think most of the rafts were overloaded with gear making them drag on rocks more.

My raft had by far the least weight in it and the least punctures. I was certainly not the best rafter.

[shazcol]

There's an old hydrography station (water gauge) there at Fincham Crossing - both a manual gauge and a solar powered automatic gauge.

You can see the output of that guage here: http://www.hydro.com.au/system/files/water-storage/Web-Gordon-F_R.pdf

Thanks for the great story Nik. The 'dream' was a bit freaky though. Breaking up the trip report into smaller sections makes them very easy to read. It may be worth others considering this way in future for the longer trip reports?

[Son of a Beach]

Thanks to everybody who read and commented on the trip report. It sure was a long read.

The last episode just went live here. This last one was not written by me, for a change.

There's an old hydrography station (water gauge) there at Fincham Crossing - both a manual gauge and a solar powered automatic gauge.

You can see the output of that guage here: http://www.hydro.com.au/system/files/water-storage/Web-Gordon-F_R.pdf

Thanks for the great story Nik. The 'dream' was a bit freaky though. Breaking up the trip report into smaller sections makes them very easy to read. It may be worth others considering this way in future for the longer trip reports?

Col - do you know how to access historical data for that gauge? I'd be keen to see how the actual changes in water levels during our trip compared to our estimates.

PS. Actually, that gauge is not the one on the Franklin River. Those two gauges are on the Gordon. I remember passing one of them on the Gordon river. I'm sure they'll have one for the Franklin somewhere. Odd that they've got the readout for the Franklin rain gauage at Fincham Crossing, but not the river level gauge that is at the same spot.

[shazcol]

You used to be able to access much more data via that web interface (longer period)? They may have changed the website since I last looked at it? I get back to you if I can come up with anything.