The mackerel scales scattered across the sky were morphing into mares tails by the time we pulled up at Raby Bay Boulevard on Sunday morning. Two cars, both catering for kayaks were already parked with no paddlers in sight. The water was turbid
and choppy. Whoever the paddlers were, it looked like they may be
in for a rough ride, or an extended stay if camping on Peel Island.
By the time Tom pulled up there were three alternatives on the agenda. In the end we opted for Tingalpa Creek. Mark took a 4WD route behind the shops to the park where the Tingalpa Trot finishes. Getting down to the creek under the road bridge was
muddy and slippery. About 100m downstream the outgoing tide had
exposed an old road crossing. This slimy rock shelf ate some of the gel coat from Dean's Mirage 580. Hearing the damage prompted the rest of us to take a walk.
The creek remained shallow and peppered with hazards from shopping trolleys to tree branches. The muddy banks were crowded by mangrove aerial roots. Azure kingfishers darted amongst the branches while bearded dragons remained motionless on wooden
promontories. The surface was littered with leaves, thistle down
and the mandatory rubbish. Cans filled with expanding foam were
used as floats for one series of crab pots. The creek never holds much appeal for a swim with similar sentiments expressed about eating any muddies from here.
Morning tea was at the rejuvenated concrete ramp by the cycle way. This area has been tidied up - even the motor only visible at the bottom of the tide at the entrance to the ramp had gone. Lined by concrete studded with boulders the ramp looked like a great place to launch a boat. However no one is ever likely to as the
yellow bars at the top limit access to less than the width of a car.
Downstream to the mouth was into the wind which continued to blow from the NW. A few jumping mackerels but not much other wildlife aside birdlife including a variety of wading birds poking around the exposed seagrass beds at the mouth of the creek. Sails went up to dawdle back to the first boat ramp on the left for lunch on
the grass in the shade of a gum tree. Today's melon, Charlotte was a bright red tasty number but the crew just weren't up to consuming their 1.5K share. Need more paddlers as the melons don't come any smaller.
Two jet skis and several tinnies were the water traffic on the way back upstream. We missed crossing paths with the five kayakers again - one plastic, two in Naturelines with sails in the mast step, a wooden boat like a Chesapeake and a fine looking
strip plank timber boat. The water level was insufficient to float over the rocks so we got out just downstream where a narrow track wound back up to the park.
By the time we had the boats on the cars the clouds had thickened and the wind changed to the SW and continued to blow and blow. We will be keeping an ear out for what happened to the other two paddlers who we think may have been Robyn and her brother.
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