Robbo – The Blog of Andrew Robertson 
I am finally back in Mildura and about to start paddling down the Murray River again. I have about 880km remaining of the river, which should take me about 4-5 weeks. I start paddling the first 300km leg on Wednesday morning (27th April) which will take me from Mildura to Renmark.
It is only one week until I head back to Mildura to resume the Summit to Sea paddle down the Murray River. I have about 890km left to go and it should take me most of May to complete. I am in no real rush to finish so I plan to take my time and enjoy river life.
The last couple of weeks have been all about packing and getting all the gear sorted out before heading off. A couple of weeks ago I did a 3 day paddle on the Myall Lakes which helped me check the gear and also to remind me of what I need and don’t need for the Murray.
The great thing is that my packing list really hasn’t changed from last year. I was really happy with the amount of gear I took and the only thing I ditched along the way was the coffee plunger.
The main things that needed replacing were my tent, because its floor was starting to leak, and a few mouldy and leaky dry bags.
I have had quite a few questions about what gear I take, how I pack it all in my kayak and how much it all weighs, so I thought I would address all of these questions in this post.
What do I take?
I take a lot. Basically if it fits in the kayak I will take it. I also have to carry a lot of camera, drone and laptop gear so that I can produce my videos each week.
This is a link to my pack list showing all the gear I pack and many of the makes and models.
How do I fit it in my kayak?
The kayak has 3 main storage areas (a front hull, a back hull and a storage hatch behind the cockpit). I try to distribute the weight evenly between the front and the back.
All the gear is packed into small dry bags, ranging between 4 litres and 13 litres in size. Having everything compartmentalised makes it easier to stuff into the hatches and to distribute the weight evenly. It is however a pain when you have to carry lots of small bags to the campsite and during portages.
I also have 2 deck bags that I use on top of the boat. One in front of me that I can access while paddling. It contains all my cameras, the drone, my drinking water and snacks. There is also one on the back of the boat that contains the trolly for portages.
I also carry my water bladders on top of the deck. This isn’t great from a weight distribution perspective because they ideally would be in the bottom of the hull, but it is a compromise so I don’t risk them leaking through my gear.
I also try to keep all the things I need to easily access close to the hatches and the things that I rarely need (like repair kits, water purifiers and city clothes) in the pointy ends.
I store my food and stove in the front of the boat so it is easy to access when I pull up on the bank (nose first) for lunch.
Below is my packing diagram.
How much does it all weigh?
I didn’t weigh the gear last year and people kept asking me how much gear I have. So I took the opportunity of having all the gear out this week to stick it on the scales and see how much I am actually carrying. Here is a rough breakdown of the approximate weights.
- Camping Gear & Clothing = 29kg
- Drinking Water (~15 litres) = 15kg
- Electronics, Drone & Cameras = 14kg
- Food = 5kg
- Kayak = 18kg
- Paddling Gear & Trolly = 8kg
- Total = 89kg
Then obviously you have to include my body weight (95kg). So there is a fair bit of stuff that gets crammed into the boat and it still surprises me that it not only floats but that I can actually get the thing moving.
So that is the gear. It is all packed and ready to go. I will be getting to Mildura on Monday 25th April and after a day of food shopping and preparation, I will be starting to paddle on Wednesday 27th April.
I will be resuming my Summit to Sea adventure down the Murray River at the end of April from Mildura. I have about 890km left to go and it should take me about 4 weeks (at a relatively cruisy pace).
If you haven’t watched the previous 10 episodes of my trip or if you would like a reminder of what has happened so far, here is an abridged video with all the highlights (and lowlights).
Well the date has now been set. I will be resuming the paddle down the Murray River, from Mildura, on the 27 April 2022.
So it is time to resurrect this blog, dust off the cameras and to get ready to document the next stage of the Summit to Sea adventure.
I had previously planned to pick up the adventure at the end of May, after the 2022 Australian Hot Air Balloon Championships, which were going to be held in Western Australia in early May. However, last night we found out that they are postponing the event again (probably until May 2023), so I have been able to bring the Murray trip forward a month.
I have approximately 890km remaining to paddle, which should take me about 4 weeks to complete. I have reviewed my original plan for this section of the river and I have decided to stretch it out by a few extra days. Let me explain some of the reasons for doing this.
Firstly, I am not as fit as I was when I had reached Mildura last year. After 2 months of paddling all day, every day, I was pretty much at the peak of my fitness and I had no problems paddling 50km+ days. Over the last 9 months (including 3 months of lockdown), I have lost a lot of that fitness and endurance. So shortening the days (especially for the first couple of weeks) to between 30-45km will help my body get back into the swing of things.
Secondly, after watching my videos and reading my blog posts again, I can see how much the COVID border issues were occupying my mind and were detracting from the whole experience. This time I won’t (fingers crossed) have these issues, so I want to give myself some extra time to just cruise down the river, drink cups of tea on the river bank and just spend more time enjoying my thoughts. I will also get to spend time in more of the towns, experience more of the campsites and meet more people.
The great thing is that this time I don’t really have any deadlines, so if I decide while I am on the river that I want to go faster or slower, or even take a day off if the weather is crappy, I can. My parents will be driving down to South Australia to pick me up (as Kath will be working) at the end of May, so I will need to give them about a week’s notice of when I plan to reach the sea, but other than that I can just go at my own pace.
Restarting at the end of April means that I only have 2 months to prepare for the paddle. So here is a breakdown of what I need to do between now and then.
1. Fitness
The first thing is obviously fitness. I actually started getting fit again a couple of months ago. 3 months of lockdown and Christmas were not kind to me, especially to my waistline. I went from living on the river for 2 months, eating about half what I normally would and burning a lot of calories each day, to being locked down with a full pantry and a once substantial wine cellar. As a result I became a lot heavier, very quickly. To put this body fluctuation into perspective, let me put some numbers to it…
Over the 47 days and 1,587km of paddling I lost 7kg (8% of my body weight), going from my normal weight of 94kg to 87kg. Then, after 3 months of lockdown and then Christmas I quickly put this weight back on and some. I added on 11kg in about 4 months going from 87kg to 98kg.
Thankfully I have now lost some of those extra “bad” kilos and have found (hidden under all that Christmas cheer) that I had actually put on a few kilos of muscle. So now that I can see the belly shrinking, I am feeling a lot better about the condition of my body.
I have a weekly plan in place for the next 2 months, which includes doing two long paddles, a couple of runs and two gym sessions with my Personal Trainer. I recently started working with a Personal Trainer to help with my flexibility and to strengthen my core. Last year I found that my body was fine with the paddling, but spending hours sitting and sleeping on the ground in the tent was the hardest bit. So working on flexibility should help me no feel like an old man when I wake up in the mornings.
2. Gear
The gear is all pretty much still packed and ready to go. There is still a lot of Murray Mud that I haven’t got around to cleaning off things. I just had to throw out a whole lot of food that had expired, but other than that everything (I think) is still pretty much organised.
I plan to do a 3 day paddle next week at the Myall Lakes as a bit of gear shake down. It will give me a chance to get back into the routine of paddling and camping, and hopefully remind me of some of the things I wanted to change or add to my massive pile of gear. It also looks like is going to be miserable weather, which is perfect, because I will be able to find any leaks or gear that needs patching and will help me remember what it is like sitting under my tarp for hours in the pouring rain.
The trip will also give me a chance to get back into the swing of things when it comes to creating videos and photography. I haven’t really had a chance or desire to create any videos over the last 6 month, so I am sure it will take me a while to remember how to talk crap to the camera and to get the perfect pelican shots.
3. Mindset
As I have pointed out numerous times in my videos and posts, the mental aspect of these long solo journeys can be the hardest part. I actually love spending time in my own head and I am really looking forward to being on the river without the stresses that I had last time.
For a couple of months after I came off the river, I was very much in the mindset of “I just want to finish the damn river” and, to be honest, I wasn’t really very excited about the next 890km of the Murray. I just wanted to get to the end. But as time has gone on and having spent so much time at home without being able to go out on proper adventures, I am now really looking forward to the actual journey and in a way don’t really want to get to the end.
So mentally I am ready and super excited.
Anyway, I will be posting more often as I prepare for the paddle and the videos (which people have been asking for) will start again soon.
There have been a few queries about when I will begin paddling again. The current plan is to start again in Mildura in late May 2022.
Why not start earlier? Well, as I have previously mentioned (on numerous occasions), I don’t like paddling in Summer, so I am going to wait until the cooler months. Late May also works well because we are planning to be driving back from WA after the Ballooning Nationals in May and we will be passing through Mildura on the way back to Sydney.
So this will probably be the last post for a while. I just got home to Sydney, after 2 days of driving (via Mum and Dad’s place in Binalong), and I am now joining the rest of Sydney in lockdown (which just got extended for another week).
It is really nice to be home with the family and the dog. It might take me a few days to get used to having people around all the time and learning how to cope with normality again, but I am sure it will come back to me pretty quickly.
I did just step on the scales to see how much weight I lost. Over the last 2 months I have lost 7kg, which is about 8% of my body weight. It will be interesting to see how long it takes to put that back on… but for now I will need to get used to my pants feeling like the are going to fall down.
Then there is the question everyone is asking about whether I am keeping the beard… I am not sure yet. I might do a bit of a trim tomorrow and see how it feels. Since all the barbers are closed at the moment, I might need to give myself the old Covid haircut again with the clippers because I have got a bit boofy on top as well.
So lots of people have been asking me how I am feeling since having had to stop the paddle. If you haven’t watched my video (see previous post) I explain it all in there. However, having had a couple of extra days to reflect on it all, I am feeling good about it. Now that the decision has been made (for me) and I no longer have the uncertainty of “will they or won’t they” let me in to South Australia, I am feeling a lot happier. I know realise that the stress of it all was starting to weigh on me, so it is nice to get that monkey off my back.
So what now? Well tomorrow I am getting my first vaccination jab. That was always going to be priority number one on returning. It will then take me a few days to unpack and clean all the gear. I am then going to spend the next couple of months working on some of the ballooning projects I have been working on and exploring a few new ideas that I have had while being on the Murray.
But I’ll tell you what… I am also really looking forward to going for a paddle again. I thought I would want a break from it, but I think having had a few days of not paddling, my body is starting to crave it. I am also looking forward to paddling a lighter boat without any gear in it again. I might even go for. a bike ride sometime too and see what it is like riding on the relative flat and not be pushing it up hills.
So at this stage I think I will realistically be restarting the Summit to Sea trip in mid-October. I have a few things on between now and then (e.g. the National ballooning championships and a driving holiday in WA). Plus from all reports September is a terrible month to paddle the SA section of the Murray because it gets really windy.
I will keep you all posted on when it looks like things will start happening again, but in the meantime I just wanted to thank everyone for all the support that you have been giving me through this blog, Facebook and YouTube.
In the meantime, you can follow my regular blog at https://robbo.blog/
See you back on the water soon!
The sixth and final (for a few months) paddle leg of the Summit to Sea journey down the Murray River from Robinvale to Mildura.
I have been denied entry into South Australia, so I am heading back to Sydney and will have to resume the paddle in September or October.
- Day 41 – 44km – Robinvale to somewhere
- Day 42 – 40km – Somewhere to somewhere
- Day 43 – 32km – Somewhere to somewhere
- Day 44 – 35km – Somewhere to near Nangiloc
- Day 45 – 37km – Nangiloc to Bottle Bend
- Day 46 – 31km – Bottle Bend to Mildura
Total Distance for the leg: 219km
This post is for 3 days because I had poor mobile service and my laptop ran out of power (and posting on the phone is way too painful).
Day 44 – Remote to Nangiloc
From: Somewhere in the bush
To: Somewhere near Nangiloc
Distance: 35km
Total Distance Travelled: 1519km
Distance to Go: 958km
This morning was a beautiful misty morning. While I had not planned to get on the water too early, the water looked so peaceful and glassy I decided to start paddling and was on the water by 8am.
Today was going to be another short day (only 30km) but there was a general store (Nangiloc) about 20km downstream, so that was my planned lunch spot. The shop was about a 1.5km walk from the river, so I stashed my boat at the bottom of a step cliff where I knew no one would find it, let alone want to go down to it. I then hiked along the highway, past all the orange plantations, and made my way to the general store.
At the store, I was so excited about buying treats and a roast beef roll for lunch, that I completely forgot to get a coffee (which I had been craving for hours).
After a leisurely lunch in the garden outside the store, I walked back to my kayak and paddled the remaining 10km to my planned campsite. It is another lovely beach on the edge of a river red gum forest… yes another one.
It is school holidays now, so there are a lot more caravans and families along the river. I had a nice chat to a little kid (and his grandfather) all about the carp that he had caught yesterday. He was very proud.
It was really warm today (around 18). When I got to the campsite I was sweating so I decided I would go for a swim. Before doing so, I got a fire raging because I knew I would need it to warm up afterwards. With the fire blaring, I ran into the river, submerged myself to the neck and promptly ran out again. It was bloody cold but refreshing.
Right now I am enjoying sitting by the fire, gazing up at the stars and thinking about getting into the warmth of my sleeping bag and reading my book.
Day 45 – Nangiloc to Bottle Bend
From: Near Nangiloc
To: Bottle Bend
Distance: 37km
Total Distance Travelled: 1556km
Distance to Go: 920km
Today was a day consisting of every type of weather.
I woke up to a very foggy morning. It looked like it was going to clear pretty quickly and my gut told me that it was going to also get windy. I didn’t have enough mobile service to check the weather but I decided to get on the water early so I could get some kilometres ticked off before the headwinds kicked in.
I was right, the fog cleared and the morning became sunny and then the wind picked up. It picked up more and more. I then got signal and could see on the radar that there was rain coming. Around lunch time it clouded over and the wind really kicked in. The waves started getting bigger and then it started raining. I had to push on to my planned campsite at Bottle Bend because all the potential campsites before then were very exposed and not good for this sort of weather. I ended up battling against the wind and rain for about 3 hours before making it to camp.
One of the things I did do today (before the wind kicked in) was to give the Renmark Police a call. Renmark is the first town I would be getting to in South Australia and I wanted to get their take on whether I would be able to get across the border (which is closed to people who have been in NSW). Typically what happens is that when you get to Lock 6, which is between the border and Renmark, who act as border control and call the police (from Renmark). So I figured I should get the Renmark Police’s advice on if I should proceed past Mildura (the point of no return) or not. The very nice cop (Simon) on the phone said that “if it was me, I think I would let you through and most of the cops would be the same” but “you might get that one cop that is a stickler for the rules and they might turn you back”. He then went and chatted to his superiors and came back and told me to fill out the Border Entry application form explaining my situation. So I did this and it got instantly rejected (probably because I am a NSW resident). So I have had to put in an appeal to see if they will consider my situation. Based on how things are going with NSW lockdown, I am not feeling very optimistic that I will either get approval or they will get back to me soon enough. So I have decided I will give it until Tuesday (I am getting to Mildura on Saturday) and if I haven’t got the thumbs up by then, I will have to put the paddle on hold until later in the year and head back to Sydney.
When I arrived at the campsite (around 4pm) the rain stopped and the wind dropped. There was even a nice sunset. However it was still really cold, I was damp and there was no firewood to start a fire, so I quickly had dinner and then got into my sleeping bag for an early night. Unfortunately I was woken just after midnight by some annoying campers that arrived at the campsite and proceeded to set up camp in the noisiest possible way.
Day 46 – Bottle Bend to Mildura
From: Bottle Bend
To: Midura
Distance: 31km
Total Distance Travelled: 1587km
Distance to Go: 887km
I woke up early after a very disturbed sleep (thanks to the noisy campers). I was craving a coffee and I knew I had run out coffee bags, so I decided to get onto the river early and get down to Mildura as quickly as I could. I ended up on the water just before sunrise.
After about 30 minutes of paddling, my fingertips (in the neoprene gloves) were freezing. I looked at the weather on my phone and it said it was 1 degree (feels like -2). I felt cold, but I hadn’t realised it was that cold. I think I have acclimatised to the cold weather, but my finger tips have not.
Paddling into Mildura (despite the headwind) was lovely. I have spent a lot of time in Mildura over the years, so it was nice reminiscing as I passed places like Red Cliffs and Trentham Estate.
I got into Mildura at around 12.30pm and trollied (apparently that isn’t a word) the kayak up to the motel that I am staying in for the next few days. I was too early to check in so I left the kayak in the carpark and headed into town for a massive burger. I then spent the afternoon doing some shopping and picking up our car that Kath had left at a friends place.
Tonight I was able to catch up with some fellow Murray River kayakers for dinner. There was Amy, who I have mentioned in my blog previously (check out her YouTube channel – Amy Outdoors), who got to Mildura yesterday. Amy is a South Australian resident, she is able to continue paddling towards the border tomorrow. There was also Anitra and her husband Rhys and their gorgeous puppy Sammy. Anitra has been paddling with Amy for the last couple of weeks. She had previously done the entire Murray River except for the Robinvale to Mildura leg, so she joined Amy for that leg of the paddle.
It was really nice to catch up with people who are also going through the same journey (in their own way). It was very enjoyable to be able to compare stories about all the strange experiences we have had on the river.
Tomorrow I am driving back to my previous campsite to see if I can get my drone. I am hoping it has fallen down with all the wind from yesterday, otherwise I might have to try some creative ways to retrieve it. I will then hang out in Mildura waiting to see if the SA Police decide to give me the thumbs up or not to proceed. Finger crossed.
Day 42 – Somewhere to Somewhere
From: Somewhere in the bush
To: Somewhere on a beach
Distance: 40km
Total Distance Travelled: 1452km
Distance to Go: 1037km
Not really much to report about today’s paddle. It was long and slow. I honestly don’t remember much of it because I was in the zone of listening to an audiobook.
The river is definitely wider and the bends have got longer.
I got to my planned campsite at around 3pm. It is a huge beach and there was a nice pile of firewood already stacked up and ready to burn. Perfect.
The next 4 days down to Mildura are all between 31km and 37km. This means I will be able to take my time and start enjoying the paddle a bit more. Not that I am not enjoying it, but the last 2 days have felt a bit like a commute rather than an enjoyable paddle.
Day 43 – Somewhere Else to Another Place
From: Somewhere on a beach
To: Somewhere on a beach
Distance: 32km
Total Distance Travelled: 1484km
Distance to Go: 994km
This morning I had had a bit of an oops occur. It looked like I was going to be treated to a nice sunrise, so I got the drone out and sent it up to get some video and photos. As I was flying it back to the beach, I came a bit low over the trees and next thing I knew it had hit a tree and it was stuck in it. Based on the image on the screen and the GPS location of the drone, I was able to locate it but it was (is) stuck on a branch at the top of a big river red gum. There was no way I was going to be able to retrieve it today, so when I get to Mildura I am going to get some fishing line and some rope and drive back (because the car is in Mildura) and see if I can get it down. I don’t like my chances, but I can give it a go. With any luck it may fall down with the wind before then, which will damage it pretty badly but it may be fixable. It is insured, so I am covered, and also I have my back up drone (yes I have 2 for this very reason) in the car in Mildura.
By the time I had flaffed around finding the drone, I did not get onto the water until 9.45am. This was the latest start I have had all trip. I only had 32km to paddle so I was not too worried leaving late.
In fact, all the flaffing around and leaving late made me realise something today. For the last few weeks (actually most of the trip) I have always been keen to get on the water early and paddle as far as I can, then get to camp, have dinner and go to bed. It became a routine based around getting down the river. Today I cruised down the river, got to camp early in the afternoon and enjoyed drinking tea and reading my book by the river. Today was the first day where I really enjoyed just being on the river and not trying to get somewhere.
The campsite I found was another nice beach. There is a couple of families in caravans at the far end of the beach. They are far enough away that they are not bothering me. Although they are currently watching a very loud movie (sounds like Jurassic Park) but the kids seem pretty young, so I assume they will go to bed soon.
Tomorrow is going to be another shortish day (about 32km). I do paddle near Nangiloc, which has a general store, so to break up the paddle I might go for a walk (about 1km each way) to the store and get some lunch.
From: Robinvale
To: Somewhere in the bush
Distance: 44km
Total Distance Travelled: 1412km
Distance to Go: 1077km
Today was the beginning of the next leg of the paddle, from Robinvale to Mildura.
There isn’t any towns or caravan parks between Robinvale and Mildura, so I will be camping remotely on various bends in the river for the next 5 nights. As a result I am not sure how much blogging I will get done this week. I am going to be fairly remote and I am unsure how the 4G will be or how long my laptop battery will last.
Anyway, I had a nice rest day in Robinvale in my strange little cabin (box) in the caravan park. I hope I don’t offend anyone by saying this, but Robinvale is a town I don’t really need to go back to. There really is nothing to do (especially on a Sunday) and there really isn’t any shops of interest other than the IGA supermarket. In fact, on Sunday morning I walked into town to get myself a coffee from somewhere and there was nowhere… not a cafe, bakery or anything open. The only things open were the three (yes three) Asian supermarkets and the IGA. Not even the petrol station sold coffee. So I had to settle for an ice coffee Big M from the supermarket.
So this morning I headed down to the boat ramp near the caravan park and was on the water by 7.30am. The highlight of the day was 6km downstream, where I had to go through the first lock (Lock 15) of the trip. I rang the lock master yesterday and he told me to just give them a call when I was 15 mins away and they would open the gate for me. So I did and sure enough, when I got there, he was waiting for me with the gates to the lock open. The lock was a lot bigger than I expected, however they do have to fit paddle steamers in them, so it makes sense they are so large. Once I was in, they shut the upstream gate and started letting the water out. This lock takes about 10 minutes to drain and drops about 4 metres. Once the water has all drained, they opened the the downstream gates and waved me goodbye.
After the exciting lock experience, it then started to drizzle. It wasn’t forecasted but pretty much lasted for the entire paddle. So I put on my Gortex jacket, pull on the hood and plugged into my audio book.
Today the red cliffs started to appear. The area around Mildura (Mallee country) is famous for its large red cliffs along the river, so it was great to see them finally. Having spent the last many weeks looking at the same old mud banks with river red gums on them, it was nice to have a change of scenery.
Around 2pm I found my planned campsite and quickly set up the tarp so I could stash my gear under it. After about an hour, during which time I collected firewood, the rain cleared and the sun came out and treated me to a nice sunny(ish) afternoon sitting by the fire.
Tomorrow I am planning to paddle another 41km to another random bend in the river.
