Tuesday 31 August 2021; 37km paddling
Ted had managed to get the GoPro working, so we set it up on the high bank above our campsite and paddled past for a morning leaving shot.
Approaching Louth from the north, the 145 metre high Louth trig point on a small rise was the tallest landform we had seen the whole time travelling down the river. The NSW surface geology map has it as a Pleistocene (2.58 – 0.0117 Ma) silcrete, a silicified duricrust.
We weren’t sure what the locals would think of our paddling past Louth during Covid-19 lockdown so as we approached Louth we went into stealth mode, quietly paddling as fast as we could without talking. There was no sign of the caravans camped beside the bridge from two weeks previous, nor anyone from the Louth Hotel ready to harass us. Louth is famous for its annual and unique outback race day. Over 4000 racegoers attend, coming from all over Australia by car, truck, plane, horseback and even boat when the Darling River has sufficient water. However, the races had been cancelled in both 2020 and 2021 due to Covid-19 restrictions.
Just downstream of Louth we were waved down by a guy, Ken the local hermit, standing on the top of the right hand bank. He had made steps down to the river out of car wheel rims and retaining walls at the top of the bank out of stones. Ken owned 20 acres, with his property at 13 metres above the river bed, but during floods water would flow into the Darling River overflow channel behind his house, cutting him off from the main road. Further downstream a guy in a 4WD was collecting firewood, tooted and waved. Later he contacted Samantha to let her know we had paddled past, fast. So much for our paddling past Louth without anyone noticing!
Again lots of wildlife to keep us entertained, including the usual herds of goats, a tree full of loud Red-tailed Black cockatoos who were not happy to see us, and some pigs that were lucky Ted gave them a sporting chance. Other birds included our regular Whistling Kites, Wood and Black ducks with offspring, a darter and the occasional Wedge-tailed Eagle.
Darter 
Duck and duckling 
Whistling Kite
We camped amongst fallen timber at 426km from Brewarrina according to the King’s distance estimates.
