A small group of us had planned to show a couple of Karens’ Sydney paddling companions the area around Tallawa Dam by cruising to Fossickers Flat and camping overnight.  A few days before leaving we were told that the Shoalhaven from Tallawa was closed due to a feral animal cull.  Not knowing where other suitable camp sites would be we decided to do a car camp at Bendeela and just paddle from there.

The weather was perfect.  We set up camp on the Friday evening – the camping ground was extremely busy.  Good value – green grass, flat with toilets, right on the river all at no cost.
We had a none too early start on Saturday morning after a leisurely breakfast of bacon and eggs.  As it would be too time consuming to do a car shuffle it was decided just to paddle up the river for a while, then paddle back to camp.  The river was quite low so there were lots of places to stop for a break; we were able to meander along, chatting and looking out for sea eagles, pelicans, lizards and snakes! , taking time out to stop for morning tea and lunch. We’d done about 10km, so the consensus was to turn back.  I decided I’d go ‘a little bit further’ and meet the others back at camp later on.
The next 5km were more picturesque than the first 10km with a variety of landscapes, including some cliff faces.  Turning into Ya……Creek I then felt I had to go to the end (we’d only gone half way up this creek once before).  The dead trees add an eerie feel, while the old convict road which suddenly appears alongside on the right of the creek, only to disappear for a 100m or so, reappearing on the left, leaves you wondering about the past and the people who built it and used it.  The creek is about 4km long, narrowing to a rock garden at the end which is quite pretty.  There only seemed to be one or two small camping spots along here.
My ‘little bit further’ added extra 18km to my journey, still, it was a lovely day for a paddle and the river was busy with kayaks and canoes – so there were a few people to talk to along the way.
Sunday we drove up to Tallawa Dam (picnic area there is closed for reconstruction), and paddled back down stream for a 1km or so, to B  Creek.  We first paddled up the shorter branch to the right  (2km?) and had morning tea on a beach at the end.  This is a scenic creek with high cliff faces and more eerie dead trees – great for reflections. 
We then paddled back to what appeared to be the main creek, this was longer and less scenic but we did find a lovely beach for lunch and a swim.  The sun was warm and the water was a pleasant temperature and very inviting! 
Back to Tallawa, boats on board, back to Bendeela, packed up the tents etc, stopped in town for a cold drink and farewells, then back to Canberra.  It was a lovely restful weekend with good company and some lovely leisurely paddling.
For more photos go to our gallery.