Mersey Whitewater Regional Reserve - Bush-fire Damage and Paddling Update
John Borojevic
Mersey Whitewater Regional Reserve – Bush-fire Damage Update
On Sunday 3rd April 2006 Jonathan Knox, David Allan, Jack Bower and David Bevan of Tamar Canoe Club inspected the 5kms of the Mersey Course from the bridge below Rowallan Dam down to the usual get-out point. There was no flow in the river at the time. Hazardous trees and branches have been photographed and their location logged with GPS to aid access and removal.
Note: The section below the usual get-out to Lake Parangana has not been inspected or assessed for hazards.
The good news is there currently is an obvious paddling path all the way down the river from get-in to get-out.
However, a few tree-hazards block over half the river. These may move and other trees may fall into the river.
Known hazards will be progressively removed as soon as practical. This will often entail cutting trees into approximately 600mm long lengths and leaving them in the river bed to float out as removal from the river is often impractical due to their diameter, weight and location. Those that don’t float become essentially wooden rocks. Where possible lighter limb wood and saplings will be removed to the river bank.
Due to bush-fire damage to trees along the river the above situation may change as additional trees, branches or rope/wires at the slalom course could fall into the river.
Water Flow:
Hydro Tasmania advise that the flow from Rowallan Dam will continue to be intermittent and largely unpredictable over April and May and until such time as we get substantial rainfall (it has been mostly off since 14th March).
Canoe Tasmania Recommendation:
Any paddling from get-in by the bridge to get-out above the lake should be done only by appropriately skilled paddlers with experience on this section of river. You should proceed with caution and at your own risk (as you would anyway), and be particularly alert for new hazards or obstacles in what may have previously been your normal route down the river.
For paddlers finding any further hazards such as rope, wire, new trees or branches, please alert others (including via posts to the Derwent Canoe Club, Tasmanian Canoe Club and Tamar Canoe Cub flash sites and any of the club facebook pages. This will help other people avoid the hazards and we can also do something about managing new hazards as they arise and are identified.
Special thanks to Parks and Wildlife Tasmania for their work to date and upcoming work clearing the hazards, and the inspection team of Dave Bevan, Jonathan Knox, Dave Allan and Jack Bower and all club volunteers who have helped on initial hazard clearing.
John Borojevic
Chair – Canoe Tasmania Inc