Week 12: Arriving at Waikerie: 1,833 km of rowing, 340 km of hiking
- anjawever45
- Jun 20
- 3 min read
Cy and I have made it to Waikerie! That’s 1,833 km rowed and paddled, not to mention our 340 km on foot. That brings us to 2,173 km to date —and while it’s already feeling like a lifetime achievement, we’ve still got around 14 days of rowing/ paddling to go. I’m both exhausted and exhilarated. It’s a lot. A lot of water. A lot of effort. A lot of incredible. A lot of camp sites that are starting to merge.
Goodbye to Renmark
The Renmark Rowing Club was of great support while I recovered from a bout of chill blains—allowing us to store our boats and breathe a little. On the day we left, a crew from the club helped us carry the boats to the water and waved us off good bye. Thank you, Renmark Rowing Club and Tony Townsend for your hospitality and letting us store our boats.
I hobbled around the river (chill blains are quite painful) and explored the National Park near Lock 5. We even managed to grab a few essentials: sand pegs and surf shoes.
Rowing in mud
After Lock 4, Cy veered off into what turned out to be a lagoon, thinking it was the Murray. I didn’t check the map so I followed blindly. The result? Shoveling through thick, sticky mud for 3 km, adding an extra hour to our day. The pelicans standing in the water should have been a give away. But we saw turtles and loads of birds, so it turned into one of those messy, surprising detours.
Cliffs, lagoons, and bird life
The stretch between Renmark and Waikerie has been spectacular. So many cliffs of different colours - terracotta, gold, red. So many lagoons. Birds stood so still they looked like sculptures. And at one point, we stumbled upon what I can only describe as a pelican explosion: hundreds of them, looking like bowling pins from a distance. When one took off, the rest followed, their feet creating busy ripples.
A warm welcome at Berri Rowing Club
As we pulled into Berri, we were met by Paul Otham and Brian Godfrey who helped us dock at their giant lawn pontoon and gave us a little tour of their club. It’s a lovely place with plenty of character. After a bite to eat in town, we headed off toward Lock 4 and beyond.
Special mention to Lock 3 - Aaron
Our journey requires us to pass a considerable amount of locks and I wanted to provide a shout out to the lock masters - for their stories, local knowledge of campsites, and even taking a photo of us in the lock together.
Special mention to Aaron from Lock 3! Lock 3 is closed for maintenance and we would have to portage around the lock and whilst doable, my boat is very heavy. As we arrived at the boat ramp, Aaron was waiting with a boat trailer and helped us cart our boats and gear to the nearby beach. He also contacted a property owner for permission to camp on their front garden overnight as we were facing heavy winds and needed to stay put. We appreciated Aaron’s help and stories of his Irish background and we appreciated the landowner allowing us to camp on their pristine lawn.
Waikerie restday & Waikerie rowing club
We’ve spent our rest days in Waikerie cleaning gear, rinsing mud out of the boats, and letting the tents dry out. We also took a lovy cliff walk and met Leslie Lennel from the Waikerie Rowing Club. He shared a bit about the club’s history, and he’s even planning to row out with us on Saturday.
Next up:
Mannum, hoping to visit Mannum Rowing Club, then Murray Bridge, Tailem Bend, and Goolwa rowing clubs if possible.
And then—Wellington. My family and Beverley will be meeting us there to support the final stretch to the Murray Mouth. The thought of seeing them, I can’t wait! It’s been a long time since we started our journey along the River Murray and the end is in sight.
Thanks again for the cheers, the kind messages, and all the quiet encouragement. It means a lot! We are almost there!! 😃
