Week 6 & 7: Swan Hill to Robinvale - 1124km left

Cy and I have just completed a 9-day row/paddle to Robinvale - 279 km.

I can’t believe that Cy and I have actually completed 1426km along the Murray (340km by foot and 1086km of rowing). It’s daunting to think that we still have a massive chunk to cover but we are feeling positive!

And blogging about our journey makes me think about what new things I could tell you.

Swan Hill

Cy and I took a few days break at Swan Hill, resting, and waiting out some heavy winds. Resting is never quite resting as we wash our gear, and prepare for the next leg of our journey.

As we camped at a caravan park, we met some lovely people. Kaz, a former surf boat rower, and the lovely couple, Janine and Glenn who we had some lovely chats with.

They all bid us farewell and assisted us getting onto the water. I really appreciate the help and people taking an interest in our journey and learning about their stories.

Battling high winds

I feel quite anxious rowing in high winds as my pack sits on top of my boat. Winds sometimes push against my pack making it hard to keep balanced.

On the day of leaving Swan Hill, strong gusts of 46km/h and steady winds at 27km/h made rowing exhausting and unpleasant. Searching for a camping spot became a challenge, and we eventually settled on what seemed like private land in a ditch —the ditch and newly planted trees provided shelter from the heavy wind.

That night, wrapped in a sleeping bag, I listened to kangaroos moving around the tent.

The journey continues: Murphy Island, Wood Wood, Tooleybuc, Boundary Bend and beyond

I am really keen to see the small townships and where we can, we park our boats and visit. We opted for breakfast at the Wood Wood Café before pushing off again, we rowed around Murphy Island, and visited Boundary Bend.

Life in these towns on highways appears very transient. People are always helpful and James from Wood Wood caravan park collected us at the boat ramp with his buggy.

Mother’s day

Mother’s Day brought some lovely messages - my family sent recorded wishes, and Beverly shared greetings from the women of Balmain Rowing Club . Cy got up early to make me a fire in the morning.

The row between Tooleybuc and Wakool Junction was actually challenging, with narrow sections, unpredictable currents and no real rest stops.

After 25 km, we arrived at the junction of Wakool and the Murray River—a fantastic campsite with sandy shores and we decided to call it a day. We washed up, collected firewood, and settled into a lovely remaining Mother’s Day consisting of our copious amounts of tea in our trangia and tuna wraps.

Birthday and Boundary Bend burgers

Cy’s birthday arrived—he is 19! A card and a rubber duck started his day before we packed up and made our way to Boundary Bend. With the caravan park booked out, we set up a wild campsite near our boats, paid $5 for showers, and indulged in chicken burgers (note plural!) and endless tea at the café.

I walked to the local post office to send another card to my daughter.

Sinking mud, Echidna, Foxes, and ABC Radio Melbourne

There are those unexpected surprises that make us remember our journey.

An Eagle catching prey, and an Echidna waddling into the vestibule of Cy’s tent while looking for ants. Cy also spotted foxes and a wild pig!! And we were in a remote spot called Good Night where we to our surprise had river bank neighbours playing loud country music for 9 hours straight!

On one of our campsites we found an odd 30 dead rotting carps scattered around and we took it on us to cremate each one of them in the fire, the animals had sufficiently feasted on them and we needed a clean camp site.

ABC Melbourne called for a radio interview and that was fun. It was over the phone and went by too quickly. You can access the interview towards the end of the footage - see link:

https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/melbourne-afternoons/afternoons/105278528

And there are days where we arrive at a bank, Cy getting out with ease on a steady sand floor while I sink a meter deep into the mud!

In the evenings, by the fire, Cy and I reflect on the journey. He has grown so much. This journey presents a context that you cannot replicate in the city. There are many unknowns and some experiences are simply out of our control and this demands flexibility and adaptability.

On top of my mind is winter; I worry about cold nights, heavy rain, and strong winds and whilst the farmers need rain, I secretly hope it will hold off for a while still.

Robinvale Rowing Club

On the final push to Robinvale, I let Cy take the lead, giving him a head start. The morning was beautiful, and after 9 days of rowing straight, we arrived in Robinvale, greeted by the Robinvale Rowing Club coach Stephen Goodwin and his students from the Manangatan school—Year 7 and 8 on quads, singles, and paddle boards.

We were greeted enthusiastically at the pontoon and met Marnie and Sarah and their group of students who helped carry our gear and boats to the shed. These kids were strong!

We had the opportunity to clean our boats and store them at the club. We then made ourselves available for some Q&A - the students asked some great questions.

Stephen Goodwin, who runs the club, drove us to the caravan park. A proper cabin felt like heaven after all the rough nights. Over a simple dinner of chicken and salad, the warmth of the bed wrapped up our journey.

But the generosity did not stop here; Stephen offered his car to us, fixed a small leak in my boat, and drove us around the Robinvale/ Euston area for sightseeing.

Thank you, Stephen, Linda, Sarah, Marnie, and all the students for welcoming us!

It’s been so appreciated.