At 3.00pm on Sunday 5th October I arrived at the Tallowa Dam car park, not only was the car park packed with cars, but the water level above the dam had dropped dramatically. It was at least 10 metres below the regulation capacity. Apparently the Sydney region has been pumping water from Lake Yarrunga since winter. It wasn't long before Mike Vicary arrived with his 6 year old son Bryce and not long after that, Mike's friends Paul & Margaret. Mike, Bryce, Paul and Margaret had 2 Canadian Canoes between them. I would be using my Hobie as would Steve Ahern who would be joining us in the morning. I was a little concerned that my Hobie was overloaded - I had a large rucksack full of gear strapped to the stern of my kayak and the front well had a day pack and 5 litre bottle of water. To say the boat was somewhat cramped was an understatement and I was worried about the kayak's stability. It was under a dark cloudy sky that we set off towards our planned overnight campsite at Toms Gully, just 2km up river. Nervously my boat rocked as I paddled out into Lake Yarrunga, but everything quickly settled, much to my relief. Strangely, as we paddled round the first bend the clouds cleared and we found ourselves paddling into the setting sun. The reflection on the water hurt the eyes but our attention was centred on the banks and the unbelievably low water level.

Within 30 minutes we arrived at Toms Gully, only to find it occupied by a large group of campers who pleasantly informed me to "Go Away" when I tried to bring my kayak ashore so I could retrieve my sunglasses from my kayak's forward hatch. Our group quickly decided we would have to paddle further upstream and locate a better site. Before too long we had paddled ourselves into the 'Valley Of Dead Trees' a place where the rising water, once Tallowa Dam had been built, had flooded the valley, leaving only the tops of the trees protruding from the water. Well, with the low water level this section wasn't as spectacular, but still quite a sight. I was now concerned we had come too far upstream, making it a long paddle before Steve would even reach us tomorrow morning, but every possible campsite was occupied (certainly a lesson not to attempt too many activities on long weekends, especially in popular places). The paddle was highlighted by the magnificent gorge scenery, we were dwarfed by these huge rock walls, some of which fell sheer to the water. Eventually we arrived at a spot on a bend in the river at Gang Gang Brook that was not occupied and put our boats in, it had taken us 90 minutes to reach this spot. We all immediately sank to our knees in the soft mud at the bank, but somehow managed to haul our boats up the steep embankment. Paul guessed we had paddled almost halfway to Fossickers Flat, that meant we had travelled at least 6km. The grassy camping area was small, enough room for 3 tents, but we had good views up both sides of the river. We noticed too that the cloudy conditions had returned. We wasted little time setting up camp and preparing our dinners on an assortment of Trangia stoves.

The Shoalhaven River heading west from Tallowa Dam - Taken from Steve Ahern's Hobie

There was plenty of firewood and with the first drops of light rain hitting us after sunset we were soon warming up round a raging campfire. Mike's son Bryce turned out to be quite the pyromaniac, constantly loading the fire with timber and playing with burning sticks. We sat around talking until just before 10.00pm when we hit the tents for the night. Next morning I awoke at 7.00am to the sound of raindrops on the tent roof. Thankfully it was very light and soon stopped. I removed myself from my cocoon and joined the others around the campfire that Bryce had got going as soon as he had awaken this morning. The next hour or so were spent getting breakfast and packing the gear away.

At around 8.30am I noticed a small speck on the river in the distance that didn't seem to be there earlier. Had the river dropped another foot and revealed the top of another dead tree? No, this was moving, but there was no paddle action if it was a normal kayak, it was obvious this kayak was being pedalled. We soon realised the kayak was yellow and its occupant was wearing Pastor Steve's red parka. He had made it at last. No sooner had he landed his kayak than I was demanding news of last night's Rugby League Grand Final - it was all good news - the mighty Panthers had scored an impressive win to become 2003 Premiers. Introductions were made and Steve was invited to some breakfast while everyone else packed up. It was close to 10.00am when we put our boats back in and paddled west towards Fossickers Flat. No sooner had we set off than the heavens opened. The rain absolutely poured down and we were soon soaked. Some of our party stopped to put on the wet weather gear, but it was like shutting the gate after the horse had bolted. We passed plenty of canoeists and kayakers coming the other way. Many strange glances were made towards Steve's oar-less kayak as he pedalled effortlessly along the Shoalhaven. At one point Steve even stopped to rig up his outrigger sail which gained him even stranger glances. Again the gorge scenery was magnificent, even with the rain. Clouds of mist swirled up from the river and gave the tree lined slopes that Tolkien 'Middle Earth' look.

Mike Vicary paddles away from our overnight campsite - Note: Water level is normally at top of picture

Eventually we reached a point where we could go no further. The river level had dropped so far we were facing a serious rapid. Instead we got out of our kayaks and had a look around and a quick bite to eat. It was only now that I decided to don my raincoat, if only to keep me warm. Mike recognised the area, we were no more than 1km from Fossickers Flat. None of us were keen on portaging our boats for long distances over rapids, and as a lightning storm was predicted for tonight none of my fellow kayakers were keen to camp out another night. Instead it was decided we would return to our cars today. Steve, who had brought along the impending storm news had not even bothered to load his camping gear into his kayak, and Mike had previously stated his intention to return home early due to work commitments next morning.

Mike & Bryce Vicary paddling back to Tallowa Dam

The return paddle was most tiring, especially for me as my lower back problem was causing me quite a few problems. I had aggravated it boarding my kayak whilst up to my knees in thick sticky mud. I was able to paddle in 30 minute spurts, but then the strain on my back became too much and I soon fell behind the others. Within 90 minutes we were back near the previous night's campsite and stopped for a long lunch break where I found out that Mike too was suffering from back problems. Paul & Margaret amazed everyone else by cooking up 2 large steaks on their Trangia stove. Steve was so hungry he polished off two Freeze Dry packet meals while I was satisfied with a cup-a-soup, salmon sachet and bread roll. At 3.15pm we headed back to Tallowa, stopping only once at the now empty area we had intended to camp the first night for a 10 minute rest break. We arrived at Tallowa Dam at 5.00pm. It took us just 30 minutes to load up our cars and prepare for the drive home.