Port Davey

Hove Too
David and Caroline Adams
Sun 17 Feb 2013 09:57

43:13.9s 145:55.7e

Early start as Ian wanted to push through to Strahan some 15 hrs further north, as he has a new job there starting Wednesday. We started at 530 and it was our job to pick up the cray pot once we found it in the dawn gloom, you beauty two flappers in the pot. So our first crays which Caro quickly cooked, no need to re-explain ecstasy. A beautiful day rounding South West cape and a quick trip north to the entry to Port Davey. We went along side Ian (boat Juliene) and loaded Cathy plus some food and we gave him a cray and away he went. We decided as the weather will be good till tomorrow afternoon we would go up the Davey River. We anchored near the mouth and took to the tinnie with motor. Took around an hour and a half winding up the river passing acres of burnt bush, from the top of hills to the river, all blackened. Cathy reassured us it would regenerate well.

The map said there were three gorges and we weren’t disappointed. The first one about 10meters wide and hundreds of meters high and scrub still growing on anything with dirt. We passed a few Huon pine trees growing in their native habitat, just small, maybe only 30 years old, takes 2000 years for maturity. We also saw myrtle, leatherwood. Lucky we took our own botanist with us, Cathy’s knowledge is awesome.

The second gorge was getting narrower but the bush was not effected by fire, so different from the burnt first one, the third was a challenge as the water depth stopped us using the engine, three determined paddlers could not beat the river flow so we drifted back. The girls had a swim in the shiraz colored water as I played life guard.

The whole scene here is very different from what I expected, quite barren with the mountain rocks very weather-beaten, sparse covering of trees but this ever-changing colour from morning blues to evening purples.

I am a very happy man, finally reaching his Mecca, wanted to come here for a long time. Now I am in the wilderness all alone with two type A women, not sure Mecca is the right term.

Tomorrow down to Bathurst harbor to find what awaits us there.