Shoalhaven Crossover –

Walk and Canoe the Shoalhaven in one trip

some time between February and April each year with the Canberra Bushwalking Club.

(Photos provided by Steven Shaw – enjoy the full experience by visiting his bushwalking photo gallery at http://home.netspeed.com.au/sshaw/Shoalhaven%20Web/index.HTML

and http://home.netspeed.com.au/sshaw/CPS/default.html


This popular trip that has been run on an annual basis by the Canberra Bushwalking Club since 1999. It traverses a picturesque stretch of the Shoalhaven and involves a canoe paddle of fifteen kilometres and a fourteen-kilometre walk with a descent/ascent of 500 metres.

Map: Caroua 1:25000 CMA & Burrier 1:25000 CMA

Location

Badgery’s Spur is about ten minutes car travel out of Tallong. To get to Tallong, turn off the Hume Highway at the sign just outside Marulan and drive for about ten minutes

Tallowa Dam is about half an hour out of Kangarro Valley. The signposted turn-off is on the route through the town.

Some History

Back 1998, Gosta Lynga, Ian Smith and Sandy Berry were sitting down over their lunch on a day-walk along the Shoalhaven with the Canberra Bushwalking Club. They had spent the morning walking down Badgery’s Spur then along the banks of the Shoalhaven to Canoe Flat. Sandy told Gosta that she sometimes paddled her canoe from Tallowa Dam (just outside Kangaroo Valley) to Fossickers Flat, which seemed no more than a couple of hours downstream from where they were eating their lunch.

They then connected the dots, and devised a trip that involved two separate parties.

The first party walked from Badgery’s Spur down to Fossickers Flat.

The second, paddled from Tallowa Dam up to Fossicker’s Flat.

They met at Fossickers were they camped the night, and then swapped roles the next morning.

The people at Kangaroo Valley Safaris provided the missing ingredient, hiring out two-person Canadian canoes that were delivered to Tallowa Dam. That meant the up-stream party just had to pay the hire charge then proceed to the dam, where the canoes were waiting for them.

Route:

Descend Badgery’s Spur to Shoalhaven River (600 m descent),

walk down stream approximate 2 Km to a sandy point

where we wade or swim across the river.

Walk downstream a further 9 K to Fossickers Flat (Walkers note: This is the really hard bit) where both parties join up, car keys are swapped and we camp the night.

The following day we canoe approximately 15Km to Tallowa Dam. Upstream party traverse the route in reverse

.

Some first hand experiences

For the first couple years, the trips did not go exactly as planned. On the first trip, the downstream group were travelling too slowly and had to set up camp about twenty minutes walk from Fossicker’s Flat. Gosta, the leader, walked down to Fossicker’s next morning and made contact with the upstream group.

The second year, the river was too high when the downstream party tried to cross it, so they aborted the trip and retraced their steps. They then proceeded to Kangaroo Valley by car.

On the third trip, Steve Shaw replaced Sandy as leader of the downstream group. On the fourth trip Peter Henderson replaced Gosta, who continues to make the trip most years. Sandy and Ian have been advised that if the trip continues for ten years, they will be required to grace the anniversary with their presence.

Under Steve and Peter’s guidance, certain fail-safe measures were formalised.

If, against all expectation, the parties should fail to meet before 9.30 on the Sunday, the procedure is to return to the starting points and make contact by mobile phones.

This year, Gosta will be leading the upstream group, while Peter will lead the down-stream group.

Peter insists that only one crossing can be made by the downstream party, on the basis of his experience in the two downstream groups that did not make it to camp at Fossickers. (Members of his party have, on occasions, debated the wisdom of his intransigence)

Weather permitting there is always plenty of opportunity for swimming. The scenery is stunning so participants are encouraged to bring a camera. NOTE that the trip involves river crossing and canoeing so appropriate waterproofing of pack and camera gear is a necessity.

It is recommended that participants line their packs with a heavy-duty garbage bag then put the pack inside another garbage bag whilst in the canoe. Depending on river levels it may be necessary to float backpacks across the river at the up-stream crossing so the second garbage bag will be useful here a swell. Any delicate gear such as camera should be carried in another waterproof container or plastic bag inside a pack. We had had a couple of canoes capsize on previous trips.

Who can come?

The club has a policy of requiring people to become members after two walks – that is necessitated by the Club’s insurance policy. So members and non-members with less than two club walks are welcome.

While no canoeing experience is necessary, a reasonable level of fitness and water skills will be required to ensure all participants enjoy this wonderful experience.

Who should come?

– a word to the inexperienced from a participant who found the going somewhat harder than anticipated (occasional course language warning!!!)

A few thoughts though on the walk - I thought you expressed it most accurately and eloquently shortly after your arrival at the campsite that the going/walking/trail was "fucking shithouse" (excuse the borrowed French). I certainly found that a most apt description of the trail (such as it was) up to canoe flats - and you guys have my great sympathy/admiration for negotiating part of that horror stretch in the dark.

I found the first half of my Sunday walk hot and hard, until Rupert and Stephen nagged me into letting them carry my sleeping bag and tent. (Moral - do not take on an energetic walk while not fully recovered from a virus !).

And what fun Badgery's Spur is on the uphill route (NOT !). It was a damned good thing that we were doing it in the dark, my only regret being that I could not check out the view or take photos on the way up - but at least it was mercifully cool.

On the plus side - great leadership/comradeship (special thanks to Stephen and Rupert), great canoeing, great views, great group of people. Certainly glad to have done the walk, but would only front up for a repeat if in the downhill party (I am not that much of a masochist). Indeed, one member’s trick of paddling up and then back has much of merit, although it was good to see more of the magnificent Shoalhaven Gorge.

Co-operation can lighten the load…

So, you will have to be pretty fit to attempt this walk – it is not a good idea to use it as your introduction to overnight bushwalking trips. However, if you can handle the rigours of what is a cross between medium and hard, off track walking, there are ways to maximise the enjoyment.

Hint: make a deal with a member of the group in the canoe party to carry some of your equipment in their canoe, and return the favour the next day. Such items might include tents, cooking stoves, extra food, etc. It is probably not a good idea to walk without a sleeping bag, some food and ground sheet that might double as a fly if you get caught out in your pack

Another hint: If you are not an experienced overnight camper, show your pack and contents to a person who has done the walk before. If you are carrying extraneous gear, it will detract from the pleasures of the walk. Take their advice if they suggest items that may reasonably be left at the cars.

REMEMBER: the less you carry on your back – the more you will enjoy the trip

OBSERVATION: it is always the fittest, fastest walkers who carry the lightest packs

A really good idea…

Don’t wear your good leather boots. People who wear good leather boots tend to be wary of getting them wet. Whatever footwear you chose will get wet on this walk. So wear your Dunlop Volleys or a favourite old pair of sneakers. Wear anything other than your good leather boots.

Cost:

Transport costs: approximately $30 per person.

People providing transport will swap cars with a member of the other party, who will drive their car to the starting point. Keys will be exchanged at the midway point of the walk and drivers should end the walk by driving their own cars back to Canberra. We usually arrange to meet at Marulan or Goulbourn for tea.

Canoe hire: approximately $35 per person

To streamline the canoe booking arrangements, participants are asked to pay before we set out. The details of the trip are set out in the Canberra Bushwalking Club journal (IT), and once all the bookings are in, the number of canoes required is determined. People who have booked are then asked to confirm the booking by sending a cheque for their share of the hire charge (estimate $35)