Running Up The Rapids |
The Sun Herald
Saturday June 22, 1991
I HAVE never surfed up a rapid before but according to our team leader, Rob, that was what we were doing. As our raft filled with water, we paddled hard towards the rocks to create the sensation of riding waves. But this was not the beach. We were "surfing" along the Barron River, less than an hour's drive west of Cairns on the far north coast of Queensland.
According to our guide from R'n'R White-Water Rafting, an average one in 13 people fall out of the raft each trip.
I silently prayed it would not be me and quickly mastered the most important command of the day - hold on | We defied the statistics after navigating rapids called Kitchen Sink, Cheese Churn and the most difficult, Rooster Tail, with all crew intact.
The 90 minutes of thrills and spills was a good introduction to the sport as smaller rapids broke up drops of up to three metres.
Although not a keen adventurer, I thoroughly enjoyed my rafting experience on the river which ended with a peaceful paddle along the scenic Lake Placid.
Rafting on the more adventurous Tully and North Johnstone rivers is also included in an adventure package offered by Peregrine Australia.
Peregrine tour manager in Cairns, Bill Bray, said the aim of the packages was to give people a taste of adventure travel.
Prior to rafting, we had been attempting sea kayaking off Dunk Island, 4km off Mission Beach, two hours' drive south of Cairns.
As I paddled around the island in the eight-metre long "virtually unsinkable" kayak, I found this sport to be quite appealing.
Dunk Island defies description. Activities range from the ever-popular beach bumming to horse riding, archery, nature walks, scuba diving and sailboarding.
Originally named by Captain Cook in 1770 after Lord Montagu Dunk, the island seems to have the right balance between luxury and nature with the resort barely visible from the shore. Camping grounds are also available in the national park at the far end of the island. But there was more to keep us occupied on the mainland near Cairns. The Peregrine package also includes nature walks and animal spotting through some of the region's best rainforests.
As we trudged through the rain after dark in Crater National Park near Heberton, west of Innisfail, I began to question the point of the exercise.
But self-taught naturalist Bill Bray bravely persisted until he spotted a Hebert River ringtail possum about 20m up a tree.
"Now if you look closely, you can see the red of its eyes ... " he whispered enthusiastically. Better viewing was had of another possum startled by the torchlight at the base of a tree. The crater itself was where, legend has it, Aboriginal men threw their allegedly adulterous wives to their deaths. If the woman survived, she was supposedly innocent.
Further intrigue surrounded our evening's accommodation at Green Springs Lodge, near Heberton.
Our host, Des Hayes, explained their colonial-style homestead was owned by a Dutchman who apparently sent messages to Tokyo Rose about local social activities during World War II. Evidence to support his account of the house's history is hard to find but it made fascinating dinner conversation.
Green Springs is the base for nature walking and bicycle riding, another feature of the package.
As we set off for an easy 10km ride, I soon found the secret was to ride at your own pace while still being aware of the surrounding area, which is covered by spectacular rainforest.
Although seasonal wet weather made some of the activities soggy, our schedule was easily reshuffled.
* Peregrine offers specialised packages for all levels of fitness. One is a 13-day package including rainforest trekking, horse riding, rafting on the more adventurous Tully River, sea kayaking to Dunk and the surrounding Family Islands, cycling and snorkeling on the Barrier Reef.
All equipment and meals are provided with prices based on nine nights of twin-share accommodation and three nights camping, for $2,060 from Cairns.
Contact Peregrine's Sydney office on (02) 231 3588 for further details.
Air fares from Sydney to Cairns return with Australian Airlines start from$330. For full details and reservations contact (02) 693 3333.
© 1991 The Sun Herald
Share This