Pheasants Nest Bridge To Old Maldon Bridge
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Published by: The Paddle NSW Inc. PO Box 6971 Silverwater NSW 2128 First published as a book "Canoeing Guide to New South Wales" in 1990 by NSW Canoe Association Incorporated Original Copyright NSW Canoe Association Incorporated 1990 Copyright PaddleNSW Inc. PO Box 6971 Silverwater NSW 2128 Email: admin@paddleNSW.org.au The information on this page and the printed book "Canoeing Guide to New South Wales" is copyright. Apart from fair dealing for the purposes of private study, research, criticism, or review as permitted under the Copyright Act, no part of this page may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of Paddle NSW Inc. All correspondence concerning the content of this guide should be addressed to the Paddle NSW Inc. ISBN O 646 00264 3 The "Canoeing Guide to New South Wales" was printed in Hong Kong by: United League Printing (Hong Kong) Ltd. , Film Separations by: D & S Brandish Print Consultants Typography by: Deblaere Typesetting Pty Ltd., Dee Why, NSW 2099
The Canoeing Guide to NSW Rivers
Published by: The Paddle NSW Inc. PO Box 6971 Silverwater NSW 2128 First published as a book "Canoeing Guide to New South Wales" in 1990 by NSW Canoe Association Incorporated Original Copyright NSW Canoe Association Incorporated 1990 Copyright PaddleNSW Inc. PO Box 6971 Silverwater NSW 2128 Email: admin@paddleNSW.org.au The information on this page and the printed book "Canoeing Guide to New South Wales" is copyright. Apart from fair dealing for the purposes of private study, research, criticism, or review as permitted under the Copyright Act, no part of this page may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of Paddle NSW Inc. All correspondence concerning the content of this guide should be addressed to the Paddle NSW Inc. ISBN O 646 00264 3 The "Canoeing Guide to New South Wales" was printed in Hong Kong by: United League Printing (Hong Kong) Ltd. , Film Separations by: D & S Brandish Print Consultants Typography by: Deblaere Typesetting Pty Ltd., Dee Why, NSW 2099
The Canoeing Guide to NSW Rivers
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Latest water level:
-0.52 m
Level update time:
02-Apr-2024 16:04
WATERWAY:
Nepean River
ENTRY POINT:
EXIT POINT:
AVERAGE GRADE:
Grade II
HIGHEST GRADE:
Grade III
TRIP DURATION:
3-4 hours for the paddle, portages, and climb-down from the
TRIP LENGTH:
11 km
Gradient:
0
Hot Tip:
Don't park in the emergency bay next to Pheasants Nest.
Maps:
Shuttle Length:
Portage?:
Yes
Description:
All this section is in an impressive sandstone gorge. At the first major rapid, about 2km downstream from the bridge, the river narrowly converges down a 1.5m chute over a rock ledge with a stopper at the bottom and a boulder in the middle 4m from the stopper. Trees on the right side of the stopper are a hazard. In lower water a tight left or right turn, preferably left, is necessary around the boulder. Portage on the right. The second difficult rapid, another 1 km downstream, is a 2.5m drop where the paddler needs to weave through a sieve of bushes to approach the drop. 20m downstream is a boulder in the middle of the river which has a hole and stopper below it when water is foaming over the top: Only attempt this rapid if all rocks at the base of the drop are covered. Portage on the left if necessary. The third major rapid is 1 km further downstream and consists of a 3m drop into a narrow, turbulent trough between two large rock slabs.The force of the churning water tends to push boats under a ledge on the left and then skew them sideways where they can become jammed between the walls. In very high water, this drop has a fearsome stopper. This rapid is best portaged on the left. Most paddlers portage these three rapids. At the end of the paddle there is 2km of flat-water as the river backs up from the weir. The weir (12m high) requires extreme caution and is visible from the road. It has been paddled at quite low water levels. At other levels the stopper and the suck back at the base are deadly. It is recommended to portage the weir at any level on the left or the right. It is only 300m from the weir to the Old Maldon Bridge.