This morning the sea was down, and the wind was low, so perfect to get going again. The paddle along the beach was actually fairly easy, though I had to negotiate lots of onshore reefs. But they didn’t had much of an offshore break, as the swell remained low, and the sea calm. The wind freshened up a bit as usual from the south today, but basically it was just a nice relaxing long 70 km paddle to a track where Greg was waiting with the van.
After he did his chores up on the roadhouses, like inquiring about the best tracks with talking to the locals, trying to restock our supplies and doing some laundry, Greg was fishing the remainder of the afternoon. He was waiting for me since 4pm on a camp spot at the end of a rough sandy track over the dunes. I eventually landed at 6pm, happy to find our “rolling home” and to enjoy a dinner with self caught fish and fresh veggies.
Text message from Freya via satellite phone:
32.16 127.06, Middini Beach. 4:30 a.m to 6:00 p.m., 70 km. An easy paddle inside reef with low to moderate southerly. Greg always finds beach access with our 4wd van.
11 comments on “Day 290, Tuesday, 03.11.2009”
thanks to you all for your comments.so i guess we will have our hearts in our mouths again for the Bundas.
Thanks guys!
Judy, The next run of cliffs are the Bunda Cliffs they extend about 200 or so kilometres east from the Western Australia/South Australia border, they vary in height from 40 to 70 metres and there are no significant take outs along the length. It will I believe be another continuous paddle for Freya.
For Edda the raked japanese garden effect as someone else stated is the work of the prevailing winds forming sand dunes and the limestone karst that exists along that part of the Australian coast.
Judy — The next stretch of cliffs (beginning about 30km east of Eucla) looks like it is pretty much unbroken. The cliffs are spectacular. If you have Google Earth on your computer (it’s a free download) you can check them out for yourself.
For Judy,
I don’t believe that there is anywhere along the Bunda cliffs (her next run of clifs) where Freya is able to take out I may be wrong there may be some tiny little speck of beach like Toolina cove on the Baxter Cliffs which she has just done. if there is it is in all probability like Toolina difficult to land on and very uncomfortable. The Bunda Cliffs are from 40 – 70 metres in height and 200 kms long. Someone form South Australia may have better knowledge. I have pasted two links.
http://www.travelling-australia.info/Infsheets/Bundacliffs.html
http://www.yalata.org/lands.htm
The cliffs form part of what is Yalata land or the Yalata Indigenous Protected Area.
Both links will give you an idea about the cliffs and the surrounding area.
Hope it helps.
Edda’s question about the nicely raked Japanese Garden I am pretty sure that Kelvin’s explanation is right they are lines of sand dunes and limestone karst that have been formed over the years by the prevailing westerly winds.
can someone tell me if there are any stopping places for her on the next 200 km group of cliffs she has to face.
Edda, I’m no boffin but I think it’s parallel lines of sand dunes caused by the prevailing westerly winds.
Freya congratulations on your outstanding progress and take care now that you are nearing the home stretch.
Kelvin
All it takes is to get rid of a pain in the a… and you are flying, I say to girl friends, lol. 😉
Thank you very much for the kind invite to the Yukon race, Jean-Francois!
Freya won’t be on-line until Eucla at the earliest, and with a freshly healed tush she may possible zip past and may not have much time for emails. As the weather has been not too kind lately I suspect she is keen to make up lost time. Please forgive if she takes a while to reply.
I’m getting a new appreciation for the vastness of the Australian continent and the lack of modern facilies for hundreds if not thousands of miles at a stretch.
And if a geography boffin can give me a reason for the nicely raked look of the current coast line, it would put me out of my misery. From the distance on google earth, it looks like a beautiful Japanese garden design.
Hi Freya,
A friend of mine told me about what you are doing right now. It is quite an accomplishment!!! I will spend more time looking at your website and blog!
We are hosting a 760 km (430 miles) canoe and kayak race on the Yukon River (flat water) every year. The Yukon River is located in the Yukon Territory, in Northern Canada. 2010 will be the 12th edition of our well-established race; it is scheduled from June 30 to July 4.
Please visit our website (www.yukonriverquest.com) to find out more about it.
We had several participants from Australia in the past and we already have two teams (one solo kayak men and one voyageur canoe women!) confirmed for this year.
I understand you are fairly busy(!) right now with your paddling, but ask Greg to get in touch with us at your earliest convenience.
Our Tourism department can facilitate your coming to the Yukon and participating in what we consider the longest, toughest marathon paddling on Earth (we don’t want to take anything away from what you are doing though!!!)
Hope we get in touch soon!
Jean-Francois Latour
President YRMPA
Organizers of the Yukon River Quest
12th edition of the YRQ: June 30th, 2010 @ Noon!
Thirteen and a half hours with a for sure not recovered sitbone and than calling it an easy paddle ….Right!
Take care Freya and wish you following winds, healthy and happy relatives at home and off course a great partnership with Greg.
You’re forging ahead so fast Freya! I hope that sore sitbone is better…ouch!!! That would make for hard paddling, especially during some of your most determined efforts…4.30 AM to 6.00 PM is a long, long day! I hope your heroic efforts will soon be rewarded with fair winds…but it is the Southern Ocean, so anything could happen. Even fine weather with no wind…
Keep on paddling, you’re drawing gradually closer to this side of the Nullarbor. There is now no doubt that you can indeed do it…and improve on the previous record while you’re at it…you’re going great Girl!
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