Paddling on the Canning

I endorse this strentch of the Swan River as a scenic and relaxing paddle. Go as fast or slow as you wish - there is no worry from the usual blights on the river: powered idiots in their pretentious stink boats trailing hoards of screaming brats in sea biscuits and terrorising squadrons of jet skiis. It is popular with recreational floaters, multisport trainers and that new creature that has recently appeared on our waters - the kayak fisherman (who more often seems to be using foot pedals or a small outboard).

Yes - the route from Shelley Bridge to the Kent St Weir is the start of a nice paddle under the shade of sheoaks (Casuarina obesa), swamp paperbarks (Melaleuca rhaphiophylla) thickets, tall stands of flooded gums (Eucalyptus rudis) and  upwards further for about 7 kms to Nicholson Rd. It is all part of the Canning River Regional Park, and information on the paddle can be found here and here. 

It starts off at at a wide delta in the estuary dominated by sheoaks and paperbark thickets over thick stands of reeds and sedges (Isolepis and Juncus). Here you pass mobs of Australian pelicans, darters, pied and little black cormorants, Pacific black ducks, silver gulls and grey teal. Many birds do nest here, and I recently (4 weeks ago) spied the nest of a strange, squawking, so-ugly-they're-beautiful-and-disturbing-at-the-same-time darter chicks.

From there on, the river narrows to form several distant channels - so you can easily follow a channel to a dead end. No drama - all part of the fun. And the casuarinas here are full of mistletoe birds, mistloes, and I've spotted rufous whistlers, grey fantails, the ever-present angry willy wagtails, demented purple swamp hens, buff banded rails, white-faced herons, Australiasian coots, dusky moorhens, great egrets, osprey, collared sparrowhawks, whistling kites, brown honeyeaters, singing honeyeaters, wattlebirds, magpies, blue wrens, pee wees and kingfishers. Just to name a few.

And there is a really nice patch of Hakea prostrata in all its non-prostrate, fully erect, 3 m shrub form. This would have been more extensive vegetation structural association, but now you only get a few decent stands of tall shrubs of this species in the Perth area.

Mr Darter, in full breeding plumage - photo- Mr Dillon

And so you can paddle on until you pass the Castledare Minature Railway station - a boon for anorak-wearing, little-train buffs -  and swing around the corner to the weir at Kent street. This weir was installed to prevent salt water from reaching into the upper reaches of the Canning river and affecting farmland on the Canning plains. You will have to portage over this and head on up a few more kilometeres until the river becomes log-jammed, or you wish to turn around for the return leg.You may notice little freshwater fish species (like the pygmy perch) in the waters above the weir.

And you may pass these yellow things - they are oxygenators, which are an attempt to oxygenate the stagnant, eutrophic waters of the Canning River. Desperate measures - but certainly controlling the fertiliser inputs into the system would help - wouldn't they, eh? (i.e. tighter regulation of fertiliser use seems to be stalled).

Time of year to paddle: Anytime. It might rain one day in Perth, and this may even one day cause some water to spill over the weir. But don't get your hopes up.

Skill level: easy peasy grade 1 flatwater. Exposed, open stretches will become choppy and windswept if there are strong winds or stiff sea breezes. 

Attractions: Pleasant easy kayak in a little bushland setting. Lose yourself in the middle of the city - you can forgot for a while all the crappy MacMansion developments and just immerse yourself in the riparian environment and imagine what the wider area was like ages ago.

Location: 9 kilometres south-east of Central Perth,  in the Canning Regional Park. The park extends for approximately 6 kilometres along the Canning River between the Shelley and Nicholson Road Bridges.


Entry points: Loads. We start at Shelley Bridge, but you can start at Kent St Weir or other points along river.
Note: Pluses: sheltered waters, no powerboats, loads of birds and plants, loads of picnic spots.
           Minuses: low water flows means the water quality can be poor (hence the oxygenation pumps), with algal blooms and even Azolla and invasive Hydroctoyle infestations. A recent fire (Feb 2011) has damaged vegetation upstream of Kent St Weir.

The Kent Street Weir usually has to be portaged, and that pinic area can become very busy on weekends.

More information - More information on the park and its critters can be found here.

The Mighty Sevylor on the Millstream

Kayaking is great way to see the river scenery and wildlife. And my trusty plastic touring and seakayaks have been put to good use to travel the estuaries and inlets of SWWA.

But there are times when lugging 25 - 40 odd kilos of plastic on a car and through the bush is just not practical -

                              and so to promote the inflatable yaks.

The Mighty Sevylor is a 5 kg lump of plastic sheeting, inflated with a low pressure hand pump. Fitting snuggly in the back of the low-clearance-and-inappropriate-vehicle-for-road-touring subaru imprezza, the Mighty Sevylor proved its $ 100 - 200 worth at Millstream-Chichester National Park.

Minutes to inflate, hours to paddle - our two person boat was a snug fit for two. It is good that we're both short-arses, but the boat is fine for a single paddler to handle. Okay - so it doesn't rate highly for speed, but The Mighty Sevylor is convenient, stable, lightweight and perfect to take along on road trips when space and weight are at a premium. Perfect for spontaneous paddles.

Just upstream (west) from the Crossing Pool campsite, there is an easy access point at the ford and pipeline crossing over the Fortescue River. This allows for an easy 3 km of paddling upstream before you reach some rapids and melaleuca thicket, which can be easily portaged if you wish to go further. You can also try downstream from the ford, so long as you are prepared for portages.

Dense stands of Melaleuca argentea line the river, as well as the endemic millstream palm (Livistona alfredii). Expect to see a lot of birds, including rainbow be eaters, little black cormorants, black swans and blue winged kookaburras, zebra and star finches, butcher birds etc..

The river bank is easily accessible and open to walk along because the undergrowth is relatively sparse. Feral cattle are obviously keeping this more open, and intermittant flood events will scour the braided stream beds.

Keep you eyes open for ta ta lizards / long-nosed water dragons (Lophognathus longirostris) on the rocks and tree trunks..

Obviously  paddle only at low - moderate water levels and not during flood events. Winter is a perfect time for a paddle on the Fortescue because the weather is relatively mild  to warm for the Pilbara, plants are still flowering, the road are most accessible and mostly likley to be open have been graded by that time of year.

Time of year to paddle: Winter - spring (May - October). Avoid during flood events or predicted flood events. This means being aware of heavy rainfall in other parts of the Fortescue catchment.

Skill level: Easy. Grade 1- 2 (flatwater). Some moving water and minor rapids and ti-tree thickets.

Attractions: Pleasant easy kayak along wide, majestic river lined with tall, lush riparian vegetation and passing by specular mesas and rock outcrops.

Entry points: 2WD - Crossing Pool campsite and ford over Fortescue. Expect portages to get to long pools. Other points are also accessible with 4WD.

Note: Some areas of the river are of high cultural signifiance to the Yindjibarndi people and recreational water activities are not permitted.

More information - http://www.warluway.com.au/icons/millstream-chichester-national-park.aspx