Saturday 7 August 2021; 27km paddling to Bourke
The last stage from Brewarrina to Bourke provided a slightly different outlook to further upstream with the appearance of some low lying rocky outcrops that from a distance looked like volcanics or silicified sediments rather than the usual river deposits, but Ted wouldn’t let me get out and check.
{Geological note: The NSW old 1:250 000 surface geology map only has the “meander plain and backplain facies of the Cenozoic Marra Creek Formation”, however the on-line NSW Geological Survey (GSNSW) seamless geology dataset identifies them as either “metasedimentary siliclastic siltstone and sandstone” of the Gumbercoo Formation or andesites of the Warraweena Volcanics.}
Shortly after starting we passed three people setting up a week-end fishing camp on the river bank. When one of the dogs barked at us the owner jumped in surprise and caught the fish hook in his finger. His response was to race over and belt the dog. Kind of indicates some of the modern day attitudes where it is always someone or something else’s fault. Ted apologised for startling the dog, hoping that would make the owner feel bad about his response.
Further downstream a great short cut enabled limited hellos and waves with friendly people spending the weekend camped alongside the river. As we approached North Bourke we passed the Jandra paddle steamer, a reproduction used for tourists tours when there are tourists and no Covid-19. At North Bourke we passed under the picturesque old road bridge. It is Australia’s oldest movable span bridge, built in 1883.
As we approached the old wharf we were welcomed by flocks of raucous Little Corellas. In spite of the high river levels, the large, steep levee bank at Bourke presented a challenge. The steps at the old wharf had right angle bends in them that wouldn’t allow us to carry the canoe up so we continued drifting 100m downstream to just below the back of our accommodation, the Bourke Riverside Hotel. We carried all our gear up onto the top of the levee bank to the back of the hotel, but the gate in the rear fence was welded shut and covered in barbed wire. Ted walked around to the front of the hotel, collected his car, and drove back so we could throw all the gear into it. The location was too overgrown and inconvenient to get the canoe up, so I paddled it 200m downstream to an area where we knew we could get the car facing the river, while Ted drove the car there via the main street. We attached the canoe’s wheel caddy and the car winch to the canoe and winched it up the levee bank. I walked the canoe the couple of hundred metres past four, barking, jumping red heeler dogs to the Bourke Riverside Hotel while Ted had fun making a video of me being harassed whlie tired and exhausted in the heat.
We then drove the 100km (the river distances between towns seem to be consistently twice the distance than by road, although the locals seem to think it is three times as far) back to Brewarrina to pick up my car from Trevor at the Brewarrina Motel, who had looked after it with great care, and was keen to hear of our adventures. A bottle of rum for Trevor was small payment for my not having to worry about the car being vandalised or stolen while we were paddling to Bourke. The Barwon River was flowing at about 14000ML/day, a further 4000ML/day flowing over the Brewarrina Weir since we had launched 6 days earlier. The weir was now completely covered and could probably be paddled straight over without any concerns, or if not, then the fish ladder alongside the weir could easily be paddled to avoid a portage.
Ted had sweet-talked Dean, the Bourke Riverside Hotel owner, into providing a room upgrade, which meant we had separate bedrooms. Ted still insisted on having the heater in the shared area on 27 degrees C to try and emulate the tropical Darwin climate he was missing. Dinner was at the Diggers Café, the old RSL club, our regular breakfast place when in town, rather than at the Aussie-Chinese restaurant at the bowling club. Later during our trip while we were at Rose Isle Station, the Diggers Café burnt down, destroying all the memorabilia of the contribution the people of Bourke made during the world wars.
Sunday 8 August 2021
Today was a rest day and an opportunity to shower and restock the larder for the second stage: Bourke to Rose Isle Station. The first task was to get the washing on, then across to the Diggers Cafe for a breakfast of bacon and eggs. Off to Khan’s IGA supermarket to get the meat, vegies and spices so we could organise the meat into separate meals, cryovac it, and put it into the bar fridge freezer. Take the washing in and then drive both cars the 70km to Rose Isle Station, ready for our next car shuffle. We left my VW van there with Samantha and Garry, the owners of the station, and headed back to Bourke, stopping at Gundabooka Creek, the terminal point of the 1828-1829 Charles Sturt and Hamilton Hume Expedition. We then drove down to the Bourke Weir to investigate whether we would need to portage around it. The weir was well under water, and although swift it looked like we would have no trouble paddling over it near the left bank, in spite of the signs warning otherwise.
The Bourke weir as it normally looks 
The Bourke weir under water 
Some logs caught on the Bourke weir
An evening at the pub discussing with a couple of ex-teachers from Tweed Heads the stupid names parents give their children, before heading off to the bowling club for more Aussie-Chinese food. Then it was back to the hotel to finalise the packing for the next day’s departure toward Rose Isle Station, and Stage 2 of our journey.