Barrington River Whitewater
Moppy, Rawdon Vale and the Cove
15 February 2020
By RICK FITZGERALD
On Saturday 15 February, seven paddlers enjoyed idyllic conditions on the Moppy to Rawdon Vale section of the Barrington River—a blue sky and a perfect water level of around 1m.
There were fairly continuous Grade Two and Grade Three rapids for the first half of the 15km trip before the river flattens out closer to the finish. At this level it took us under three hours. So Ian, and the two young guns, decided to paddle the next section down to the Cove (17 km, Grade Two and lengthy flat sections), arriving just after 4pm. Ben and his mate then paddled down to their accommodation below Rocky Crossing, completing a whitewater marathon for the day!
A thunderstorm late afternoon and evening kept the river at 0.95m for Sunday, which was a high level for the day’s paddle—Rawdon Vale to the Cove. Our numbers swelled to twelve for this section, with arrivals overnight, and paddled in cloudy conditions. At this level the Grade Two rapids are mainly pressure waves and small stoppers, although some had tree branches to avoid. The Steps just before the finish required some manoeuvring, with everyone successfully negotiating them. We arrived at the Cove at 2.30pm, completing a great weekend on the Barrington.