Paddling in Shoalhaven Gorge
Jun. 24th, 2018 03:59 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
khiemtranCome with me this week on a winter paddling adventure. We're off to Tallowa Dam, where we'll paddle up Shoalhaven Gorge...
We'll leave early in the morning, before dawn in fact, so that by the time we get there, the valleys will still be filled with mist.
Down at the dam, a brisk breeze is moving the fog along. Better make sure you're rugged up, as the wind has a bite toit. It's a katabatic wind, draining the cold air out of the highlands and down towards the distant sea.
We'll set out across the dam as the last of the mist drains away.
Keep your eye out for soaring raptors, like this white-bellied sea eagle.
There are quite a few around the dam wall, maybe just waiting for the sun to rise more before contemplating breakfast...
After we've paddled past the dam wall, we'll head up the western fork of the river, and into Shoalhaven Gorge.
The scenery is spectacular. Do these look like animal faces to you?
About four kilometres upstream from the dam wall, we'll come across the start of the drowned forest. These are all the trees that were flooded as the dam filled.
It's an eerie feeling paddling through them. Although you have to be careful not to hit any submerged stumps.
The gorge goes on for ages, but when we've had enough, we'll stop for some refreshment at the margin of the drowned forest. Some hot cup noodles will go down very nicely...
Heading back, the dying breeze will be at our backs and the rising sun has warmed up the valleys. The rock formations are really putting on a show in the winter light.
The high sandstone cliffs are studded with intriguing caves.
This one even looks like hilltop penthouse...
Heading back, we'll keep an eye out for wildlife, like azure kingfishers (too small to photograph) and the big sea eagles.
And, of course, since we're in Kangaroo Valley, a wallaby or two...
We'll leave early in the morning, before dawn in fact, so that by the time we get there, the valleys will still be filled with mist.
Down at the dam, a brisk breeze is moving the fog along. Better make sure you're rugged up, as the wind has a bite toit. It's a katabatic wind, draining the cold air out of the highlands and down towards the distant sea.
We'll set out across the dam as the last of the mist drains away.
Keep your eye out for soaring raptors, like this white-bellied sea eagle.
There are quite a few around the dam wall, maybe just waiting for the sun to rise more before contemplating breakfast...
After we've paddled past the dam wall, we'll head up the western fork of the river, and into Shoalhaven Gorge.
The scenery is spectacular. Do these look like animal faces to you?
About four kilometres upstream from the dam wall, we'll come across the start of the drowned forest. These are all the trees that were flooded as the dam filled.
It's an eerie feeling paddling through them. Although you have to be careful not to hit any submerged stumps.
The gorge goes on for ages, but when we've had enough, we'll stop for some refreshment at the margin of the drowned forest. Some hot cup noodles will go down very nicely...
Heading back, the dying breeze will be at our backs and the rising sun has warmed up the valleys. The rock formations are really putting on a show in the winter light.
The high sandstone cliffs are studded with intriguing caves.
This one even looks like hilltop penthouse...
Heading back, we'll keep an eye out for wildlife, like azure kingfishers (too small to photograph) and the big sea eagles.
And, of course, since we're in Kangaroo Valley, a wallaby or two...
no subject
Date: 2018-06-24 07:59 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-06-24 09:14 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-06-24 09:39 am (UTC)And in the places we were at within fifty miles of Tokyo (though strangely not the coastal places we went to further west), we discovered that the ecological niche I associate with seagulls (black-backed gulls and herring gulls in the UK) was filled there with what I think were black kites, which were amazing (and scary) to look at, but never came close enough whilst I had a photo-taking device on me to take a decent picture of.
no subject
Date: 2018-06-24 09:55 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-06-24 04:41 pm (UTC)Questions: Are the caves big enough to explore, if one were inclined that way? What's the bird with the wallaby?
The sea eagles are handsome.
no subject
Date: 2018-06-24 08:32 pm (UTC)Also, I read that you can also see feral goats on the cliff face sometimes, but we didn't see any.
The black and white bird is an Australian magpie. They are highly intelligent and have a quite distinctive warbling song. They are also famous in suburban areas for swooping to protect their nests.