Tallebudgera Creek again

Last week was not a good week for either bushwalking or kayaking, we had rain on and off for most of the week. So when Tuesday was such a nice day Wendy and I could not resist loading the kayaks on the top of the car and heading for Tallebudgera Creek.

We are so much more confident in them now that we have them set up right for us. As we were about to set off two dolphins swam past just a few meters from the beach. We spent the day cruising around the lagoon outside the caravan park, and then we paddled up the creek to just below the bridge on the M1 and back downstream under the bridge on the Gold Coast highway towards the mouth of the creek. A great day paddling.

Thursday we had to take some friends to Coolangatta Airport for an early morning flight to London. We were out of bed at 4.15am, (ever try getting out of bed at 4.15am on Tamborine Mountain in winter) it was very cold. We had left the kayaks on the car as we intended to take the opportunity to go for a paddle before coming home.

It was just breaking day by the time we got back to Tallebudgera Creek from the airport and the temperature was just touching 8 degrees. It was beautiful; the rays of the sun were just touching the crystal clear calm water, almost no traffic on the bridge so the sound of the waves crashing on the beach carried up to where we were.

We had bought a few sausage’s and bread rolls with us so while I got the kayaks ready Wendy put the snags on the electric BBQ and prepared breakfast. Very nice, hot coffee and BBQ sausage’s on a toasted roll, a perfect breakfast for a couple of kayakers on a cold winter’s day. Breakfast finished and cleaned up and before long we were out on the water.

What a day, not a ripple in the water, bird life everywhere and the kayaks gliding through the water with almost no effort. These “Necky Looksha 14” kayaks are just fantastic. They are more expensive than the general run of the mill kayaks but if you are thinking of buying a kayak, the extra few dollars are worth the investment. They are made in New Zealand so you are paying for the real thing, not a copy made in some dodgy foreign country. Remember you will have them for a long time so buy one’s that will last.

After a lap around the lagoon we headed up stream. A quick stop at that lovely little sand and mangrove island up past the last of the houses, we can never resist stopping here. As the tide was fairly low the birds were feeding on the mud flats on the northern bank of the creek, several different species of Egrets, Herons, and Waders with the occasional Azure Kingfisher. We continued on and around the next bend a Sea Eagle flew up stream with a few twigs in its beak. We watched where it landed, a large dead gum tree with its very large nest built on one of the highest branches overlooking the water.

By the time we paddled under the bridge on the M1 Freeway the early morning peak hour traffic was in full swing. The traffic noise was deafening and the fumes were so strong we had to get past as quickly as we could. We paddled up as far as Schuster Park where we stopped for a break and a snack. As we had hit a few sand bars on the way up we knew that the tide was at its lowest, the tide would soon be turning and we did not wish to paddle against an incoming tide so we headed back.

The Tallebudgera Creek is a wonderful creek to kayak in because it has more vegetation than most creeks on the Gold Coast but the worst part about putting the kayaks in where we do is it is very popular with ski boats in the lagoon. Ski boats and kayak do not mix very well.

Apart from the M1 traffic and the ski boats we had a very good day. I was tired by the time we got home but we were very glad our friends had an early morning flight as we would not normally get on the water so early and the day would not have been so spectacular if we had started later.