Woronora to Como

[khiemtran]

Sunday morning, and I'm setting off in a hired kayak from Forbes Creek, on a mission to explore the last section of the Woronora I haven't seen yet.



I paddle past the township of Woronora, and under the Woronora River Bridge.



Past the hidden creeks and mangrove covered islands to the north.



And across the treacherous shallows of Bonnet Bay...



Till at last, I see a familiar bridge in front of me, albeit from an unfamiliar angle. Up ahead is the point where the Woronora joins with the Georges River, before flowing into Botany Bay.



Where the rivers join, the currents are strong, and there's a lot of boat traffic.



Here you can get an idea of the size of some of the waves kicked up by the powerboats. I had to work pretty hard to avoid being swamped.



Under the bridge now. Or should I say bridges. There's a rail bridge on one side and a pedestrian bridge on the other (which I think used to be the old rail bridge). When Liem was learning to ride his bike, we used to take him across the pedestrian side (on the right).



And just past the bridge, here's a jetty where Liem and I like to go fishing (although we haven't been there for a while).



Heading back, I've got the tide behind me, but there's still time for a few bird photos...





Here's the Woronora River Bridge again. Nearly home. It took a good two hours of paddling, but at least I've filled in the last of the gaps...

Comments

[soon_lee]

That bit where the rivers join looked rather choppy from your pictures. You're braver than I am.

[khiemtran.livejournal.com]

Getting swamped in a kayak is not so bad, although I did suffer one injury when I was getting ashore at Como. I managed to fall over and cut my leg, so instead of a nice relaxing coffee at the Marina, I spent my break at the Marina toilets, getting it all cleaned up...

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

Mangroves, eh? Have you ever sailed right up into them? I'd like to climb around in mangroves one day....

[khiemtran.livejournal.com]

Yes, the trick is to do it with the right tide though. In a kayak, it's best to go at the highest tide when the water covers all the mud. On foot, it's best to go at the lowest tide when the ground might be firmer. Otherwise, it tends to get very muddy and smelly. But if you're drifting in a kayak through the mangroves at high tide, it can be a magical experience.