While staying at Woodgate after our trip to Pancake Creek we took the opportunity to catch up with SSRKC on their paddle on Lake Lenthall. Maybe we would get to meet Graham and Louise who had kindly sent Mark their GPS track from Middle to Pancake Creek.
We had seen sign for Wongai State Forest on the side of the main highway outside of Howard for many years, yet never turned off to explore the area. We were told that 10 years ago the road was very rough and ran alongside a pretty creek. Today we didn’t see any creek and the unsealed road seemed maintained, that is if we were travelling on the same road.
The traffic was light and we made good time giving us a chance to have a look at the dam wall and camping area. The west facing large open grassy slope had been planted by trees which with time will provide good shade. The area was well cared for and serviced by a couple of clean amenity blocks.
Lake Lenthall was created by the damming of the headwaters of the Burrum River. It is a stocked impoundment which provides water supply for Hervey Bay (but not the campground – BYO water). According to the Ranger the level had been down to around 60% at the start of autumn. The unseasonal rainfall delivered by ex-tropical cyclone Debbie topped it up to a welcome 80%. With the orientation of the Lake from SE to NW he also described it as being open to the prevailing SE which usually picked up after 10am.
We could hear them coming well before a staggered procession of vehicles carrying an array of kayaks arrived. Jim was the group leader and he kindly introduced us to a friendly group of paddlers. A couple of glances at our well used boats suggested that we had been doing this for a while, although we were assured that paddlers in this group kept an eye out for each other on the water. While there were a couple of familiar faces, we hadn’t met most of the group before. We didn’t have a chance to meet Louise and Graham, but in the small kayaking world it turned out we knew of Garth by name – he was Bill Edward’s paddling duo and it was Bill who first taught us how to paddle.
By the time the group had gathered, a chilly SE was up and about and blew two of the SSRKC paddlers back for a day in Hervey Bay. The trip leader’s call was to take it as a tail wind sail. Some voiced their reservations. Being 08:30 I thought of what the Ranger had said and the stiff conditions that spring up later in the day on Wivenhoe. But then again this lake was a bubba and what harm is a purgatory grind. Done it before, can do it again. Got to be good for you.
Soon we were off. Sails were up and dispersed like a scattering of butterflies over the lake. Being a trip leader must be eternally challenging. However this group had a concealed advantage. Several VHF radios strung the group together with Chris tagging up the rear. A call out for morning tea had the colourful flotilla regroup on the grassy shore.
Then Jim indicated that we were to paddle up the arm Lake Lethal. Some grizzled that it looked like more of the same. Not sure what alternative to sameness they proposed, but I was pleased that Jim stuck to his nominated exploration. As the drowned Duckinwilla creek valley narrowed more remanent trees and hazards emerged. In places thickets of Melaleuca quinquinervia crowded the waters edge. It was quietly spectacular for the area was bereft of a great diversity of insects and birdlife.
Jim then handed over the trip leadership to Rachelle who wanted to return via Harwood Creek. She had seen a strange rectangular pattern on the satellite image and wanted to paddle over the area to see what it could be. The butterflies remained dispersed but when we got wind that there might be something to see we joined Jim and Rachelle. The satellite image was intriguing – a large green rectangular shape under the water. Where we thought it was turned out to be about a foot of water. There was nothing all that different from what we had been paddling over earlier. Curious.
It was an easy sail back amongst the lilly pads which were being flipped up by the wind and small ruffling chop. Riding across the lake with the two trip leaders we saw kayaks strapped to vehicles leaving the park.
We had a great day and appreciated a chance to meet with such a diverse group conjoined by the enjoyment of paddling. Thank you Jim for your choices and for taking on the challenge of being the trip leader for which the final head count would be completed back at camp.
