Day 64 – Sat, 11 Sep at Kalbarri

What a thoroughly enjoyable way to spend a morning canoeing down the Murchison River. More on that in a moment.

Last night the crowd opposite were in a down mood, Fremantle were humiliated by Geelong. So my presence gave them an opportunity to forget the game and talk. The game was too distressing for them. No really it was a pleasant night spent talking and sharing experiences.

This morning I had booked onto a river canoeing safari, well more cruising then safari-ing (not sure but did I just make up an “ing” word). I was picked up from the campground at 8:30 and delivered back around 2:30.

In between was a pleasant ride out to Murchison Station, learning about the station, the river and the surroundings.

The guide was a “down to earth” sort of guy, a chef by trade but now just does whatever so he can enjoy surfing and running canoe trips, gets him away from bosses and kitchens and into nature.

There were 4 of us plus Mick the guide. There was Bob a plumber from Darwin, Jo a lawyer from Perth, her friend Zee from Toronto and myself. We paired off and we headed out into the river. I was with Zee and she was very nervous as she had never been in a canoe before.

I set her at ease, and the fact that at this time of year you can pretty much stand in most parts of the river, she relaxed and we all really enjoyed ourselves. It was an easy paddle down river about 4-5km where Mick then fired up the BBQ (already built on the station side of the river) and cooked us sausages, bacon, beans and duck eggs, with plenty of tea and bread rolls. Well there is lunch and dinner all rolled into one.

We then headed back up river, had a swim part way along and headed home. Zee was just rapped in the trip and I suggested to her that she could now go paddling on the lake at Toronto...lol.. It was really a wonderful way to spend a morning and well, a real change of pace.

So this afternoon has been a little housekeeping (well some washing) and a thorough check over the bike, making sure all bolts are tight, tyres are okay for pressure and wear, and that everything is ready for my run to Perth over the next few days. Another relaxing day but looking forward to some sightseeing tomorrow as I head further S down the coast.