Week 2: Corowa to Tocumwal
- anjawever45
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
This week, we completed a grand total of 665 km—340km on foot and 325 km rowing/ paddling!
Farewell at Corowa Camping Ground
It was time to depart Corowa camping ground. Things get familiar quickly and having had such good experiences made it a little harder to leave.
We met some amazing people at the Corowa Rowing Club and that evening, we had dinner with a group of seniors who shared their leftover pumpkin soup and apple tart while we all enjoyed karaoke and their stories. Much to our surprise, they all gathered at the boat ramp early morning to bid us farewell. Their rendition of “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” as we pushed off made us feel incredibly special.
Towards Lake Mulwala
Navigating the maze toward Mulwala, I found myself stuck on a massive log while strong winds tested my patience. Never a good time to try and put my socks back on!
Jet skis swamped us, maps became frequent companions, and campsite anxiety loomed large as we passed muddy lagoons and high banks. At last, we stumbled upon a cow paddock to camp. As the day descended, one curious cow turned mischievous, munching on grass just outside my tent. I got worried that cows may trample our tents during the night so I made my husband research all possible cow paddock camp scenarios.
Into the Maze
A calm, glass-like river greeted us in the morning, a hopeful sign. But the Murray Atlas warned us of a maze ahead, and it did not disappoint. Each bend demanded meticulous navigation as Cy and I stopped repeatedly to align our direction, consult maps, and check in with fishermen.
We came across many beautiful lagoons filled with black swans, though tree stumps prevented me from venturing closer. Meanwhile, Cy found his way in with ease.
My gate started to creek amongst the quiet and it got really annoying. We asked fishermen for WD-40 but to no prevail, until we came across Carolyn and Mark Elliot, who went back to their campsite and chased us down with their tinny to gift us a can WD-4! We had a chat and they took photos of us. It’s always a nice surprise when complete strangers go out of their way to help us.
By late afternoon, we reached Lake Mulwala—a hauntingly beautiful sight of submerged trees from a once-thriving forest I learned. We picked a campsite at the entrance of Lake Mulwala.
Navigating Lake Mulwala
The day began with calm waters but after we packed up, the wind had increased. Locals say “just follow the channel and buoys”. The buoys seem endless and so many of them, and they took us around the pudding and I started distrusting the route that was not signposted. In the distance I spotted a whole new route and spaghetti of buoys but at least they were heading towards Yarrawonga and kept close to land - mostly. Thus I made Cy turn around to take the route closer to land. He was not impressed with me, especially after fishermen confirmed that both routes would have gotten us to Yarrawonga.
Portage around Yarrawonga weir
Arriving at Yarrawonga’s Yacht Club boat ramp, we were greeted by Emily Mansfield—a former member of Yarrawonga Rowing Club. Her generosity and assistance in transporting our boats and gear across the weir saved us a huge effort. She even gifted me a sleeping bag to brace for the cold nights ahead. For the first time in ages, I slept warmly, bundled in two sleeping bags.
Rest Day at Yarrawonga Caravan Park
A day off at Yarrawonga Caravan Park helped us stock up on food and wash our gear and we managed to explore the town which was teaming with people. Unexpectedly, I ran into Julie from Corowa Rowing Club at Woolworths! That was a nice surprise.
The day ended with shepherd’s pie and half a chicken, fueling us for the next leg of our journey.
Journey Towards Tocumwal
The next chapter of our Easter-time expedition begins as we are heading towards Echuca. Every bend towards Cobram has the most amazing beaches and Cy and I were lucky to camp at two. It’s holiday season and the beaches are packed with many “reserving” their favourite camping spots by parking their caravan in advance of their holidays - not so dissimilar to the Germans who reserve their pool benches with their towels.
We arrived at Tocumwal, ready to stock up yet again as we will be embarking on crossing remote Barmah National park.
Week’s Reflection
This week has been a whirlwind of emotions - anxiety, exhaustion, gratitude, and exhilaration with every milestone reached. Moments of uncertainty and anticipation and then achieving our daily goal fuel my love for adventure.
Paddling every day alongside my son has brought its challenges, but it’s in working through these moments together that I feel a deep sense of pride and connection.
Setting up our camp site is tedious but then having a cup of tea afterwards overlooking the Murray in absolute tranquility is so rewarding.
We manage about 35 km of rowing/ paddling per day now and I feel pretty chuffed about it.
