Kayaking the Kalgan River | Albany, Western Australia
Sometimes you stumble across an absolute ripper kayaking spot, this was the case at the Kalgan River on the outskirts of Albany in Western Australia.
After spending two months working on a farm just out of Jerramungup, Miss Linda, Bella dog and I packed up “Fork the Bus” and were nomadic once again. The first night we spent at Bremer Bay but besides a few walks the weather was not much good for anything else.
So off to Albany, this part of Western Australia has little or no free camping or overnight RV parks so we started looking for a caravan park. One caught Miss Linda’s eye, the Kalgan River Chalets and Caravan Park situated on the banks of the Kalgan River, and it has a nine hole golf course. Good work Miss Linda. Conflicting online info about whether or not the park accepted dogs was sorted out and you beauty, it was in the pooch’s favour, so we booked in for a few nights.
Just what the doctor ordered after two months working we find ourselves on the banks of the stunning Kalgan River, a golf course free for guests, the weather coming good and the park is like a ghost town, bingo.
Besides a few long-term residents and one other car and caravan we have the place to ourselves and the forecast is for light winds and sunny days. The only thing that stopped me taking the kayak off ‘The Sheds’ roof straight away was the fact that it was getting late in the day and the golf clubs were getting a swing first.
No card for the course but it was a nine hole par 30 course
No card for the course but it was a nine hole par 30 course with six par 3’s and three par 4’s and grass greens. Yes it was a little rough and the greens were hardly true but it was very playable and what’s more, enjoyable. I have said I will be honest with my scores as part of my NAGA guide to Australian golf courses so here they are: Round one 42, round two 39, round three 49 (Hmmm!).
Enough about the golf the real winner on this stopover was the kayaking.
“I hadn’t really heard much about the Kalgan River but wow, this is a corker!”
The lower reaches are tidal and the river opens into a large expanse of water and on to Emu Point where she flows into Frenchman Bay. The tidal effect is very noticeable and it pays to take this into account when planning your paddle. I chose to paddle upstream against outgoing tide so the paddle home would be leisurely with the flow.
There was no wind to speak of and besides the tidal flow the water was mirror-like all afternoon.
I did mention ALL afternoon. I got a little carried away and disregarded the tide times in a desire to see what was around the next corner. After paddling upstream for eight to ten kms, I was thinking of starting to turn around and head back. The river was narrowing and I was now just clearing large rocks just below the surface. The tide was now having little or no effect on the flow and the sun was getting low in the sky so even though I desperately wanted to see around the next corner common sense prevailed and I turned around to head for home.
The river was narrowing and I was now just clearing large rocks just below the surface.
This was an epic paddle, not so much the distance but the river was the star here. The Kalgan River is renowned fishing grounds for such species as Bream and Mulloway that inhabit the black ink-like water. Even though I had the rod on board, today was about the paddle and I never even wet a line. The flat battery on my phone meant I wasn’t exactly sure of the distance I had covered and it also meant that I didn’t capture the tranquil beauty and mirror images on the water with some more photos.
Neither mattered because it was pretty much a perfect day on the water.
Except the tide, whilst I was getting carried away with the river and the paddle the tide was changing and after paddling against the outgoing tide on the way upstream I was faced with the incoming tide on the way back down stream, so much for that plan. In the overall context of the day this was a minor thing and hey, it’s not like the extra effort will hurt me.
However, it did mean that by the time I was nearing home base the sun was setting and the whole scene took on a new glow. At this point I heard the familiar sound of our drone.
Much too my disbelief Miss Linda had overcome her phobia of flying over water and there right above me was our version of ‘air force one’ capturing all the surrounding beauty with its birds eye view. This immediately made up for my lack of photography and the results are quite spectacular.
” Winter water sports can be exceptional and this was one of those occasions.”
The stars aligned on this one with perfect winter weather combined with an outstanding location. Turns out we got offered some work at the park to stay a little longer. We declined the work but we did stay another night free of charge due to Miss Linda doing new photography for their chalets. This led to another day of golf and paddling and if I actually put bait on the line I may have even caught a feed.
On this occasion the fishing was secondary and when I return one day I will not hesitate to stay at the Kalgan River Chalets and Caravan Park and paddle the magnificent Kalgan River.
