4 days on the Colo River, Australia (7 min edit)

[Pea Pod]

I've had some more time to edit down the footage from our 4-day trip. The GoPro, mounted on the bow, captures both boats on the water very nicely, and also captures the gorge scenery well.

http://youtu.be/XE8PePca4WI

The Colo Gorge cuts through a huge tract of the Wollemi wilderness in NSW. The steep sandstone gorge is difficult to access.

We start downriver at Upper Colo, then pole, paddle, and line the canoes about 24-km upstream to the Wollangambe confluence, over two days, sleeping in a rock shelter or beach overnight.

The river is shallow and sandy for the lower 9-km, and poling is the best way to move upstream. After that, in the gorge proper, deep pools alternate with boulder-blockup rapids.

The reverse trip downstream takes only ⅔ the time, and is more relaxing.

At low water levels, a clear path down the boulder-choked rapids is difficult to find, but sandy-beach campsites are plentiful.

Boats are Mad River Freedom Solo, and Mad River Legend 16, both in Royalex. GoPro camera is mounted on the bow.

King Rapids is said to be a Grade IV or V in high water--most of the others would be a II or III.

The river can rise VERY quickly overnight. In December 2010, it rose 6-m in 24-hrs, then dropped 3-m the following 24-hrs. See the flash flood here: http://youtu.be/AoNRqiRtEeU" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Paddle Power]

Thanks for editing and sharing. It is good to see others are willing to do work and go upstream as well as downstream, which can also be work at times.

It's also good to see some canoe poling in practice.

That would be some sight to witness in flood.

Given any thought to a small boat, such as an evergreen sunburst or Esquif Vertige, to name two canoe tripping friendly whitewater boats.

[Pea Pod]

Hi Brian,

We've give a LOT of thought to small boats. The problem is that they're nearly impossible to buy in Australia. There are no retailers for those makes in Australia. I approached Esquif, and they'd be happy to send us a container's worth of boats, but we can't afford that.

So basically, our choices are down to Mad River and Old Town canoes.

[Paddle Power]

so true, so true.

Best of Luck!

[milkman]

Excellent video. Spectacular country. I like the perspective of the camera pointed back rather than forward like a helmet cam. Makes it much easier to comprehend what you're paddling. Nice use of sideslips. And that cross high brace--now that's something you don't see often.

[Paddle Power]

One more idea.
You need to watch for some big paddling event in your neck of the woods and then contact the USA or CA sponsor and swing a deal to get a couple of canoes shipped in their shipping container.

[Pea Pod]

One more idea.
You need to watch for some big paddling event in your neck of the woods and then contact the USA or CA sponsor and swing a deal to get a couple of canoes shipped in their shipping container.

That's a GREAT idea. Cheers! I keep drooling over Esquif's.