Tuross Paddle
The weather was great – not something we had a say in, so it was good to see blue skies not too much wind and some warm sun. The house was right opposite the boat ramp, overlooking the lake and the ocean, with a deck out the front and a big cosy lounge room – plenty of room for the 7 of us. So with some good company, some fancy navigational aids and a fleet of Mirages (plus one Prijon) we set off for a days paddle around Tuross Lake.
We’d heard there were 3 dolphins ‘trapped’ in the Lake, and managed to meet them within about 15mins of being on the water! That was quite exciting, not something we flatwater paddlers often get to experience! We spent about 5 hours out on the water with pleasant breaks for morning tea and lunch. The scenery was pretty, plenty of water, some shallow but none we had trouble with, lots of birds and fish and not too many other boats.
We’d been told that the Boatshed Café was the place to go after a paddle – you can moor your boat right outside the café, or even get served while in your boat. Luckily for us, the Café had re-opened that very day after a winter break and a change in ownership, so we were able to enjoy a drink near the end of our paddle overlooking our boats and the lake.
That evening we had a 3min walk to the Pickled Octopus (part of the Boatshed complex) for dinner. This proved to be a great choice – the food and wine were lovely – and though there isn’t much of a view of the lake at night it would be quite impressive during daylight hours! However being their first night back in business after winter they were keen to close up early and ‘encouraged’ us to move on well before 9pm. Still, far more congenial than the Tuross Country Club would have been.
Sunday morning we continued our ‘tour’ – by driving down the highway to the bridge over the Tuross river and put in there for a paddle. This was probably a bit more scenic than the lake – we were able to just cruise for an hour or so then turn around and head back. We did turn off the river and headed down Bumbo creek towards Bumbo Lake, however we ran out of time to explore this fully – something for next time!
Everyone had a good weekend, it was an easy, leisurely outing – it was just lovely to be able to sit back and enjoy the paddle, enjoy the scenery and enjoy the company.
Patricia