Kayaks trips

Oxley Creek

I would definitely recommend you paddle on the rising tide if going upstream or falling tide if coming downstream. You get a 2 knot current which makes paddling much easier. Launch from the Sea Scouts pontoon at Pamphlett Bridge if you are paddling upstream. The creek passes behind the Rocklea Markets but the mangroves prevent you seeing any landmarks. It is popular with kayakers and passes behind the playing fields of St Josephs. The creek is tidal and quite salty.

Nosworthy pontoon comes up on the left about 15 – 20 minutes into the paddle. Not a good haul out spot as the track is narrow and there is a long portage to the car park. No other haul out spots until Cliveden Avenue Reserve on the right after an hour and ten or twenty minutes. nfortunately the two spots aren't labelled so you have no idea where you are on the creek.

The Cliveden Avenue pontoon is recognizable by old demolished jetty at the site and factory behind mangroves on the left of the creek. Not too memorable a paddle. Creek water quite muddy and lots of floating debris including plastic water bottles. Not much bird life. Quite salty down near Brisbane River but less so as you progress up river. We reached Cliveden Avenue Reserve approximately two hours after high tide at the Bar and tide still rising. This spot is at one end of the Corinda Golf Course.

On balance this is not a very interesting paddle. The mangroves each side of the creek prevent you seeing anything and the water is very muddy. However on a rising tide it is an easy paddle and a good one to start with.

Colleges Crossing

This stretch of the river must only be attempted on the high tide or near the top of the tide. On a low tide the river going up to the Mt Crosby Weir is too low to allow paddling all the way to the weir. Remember bull sharks have been seen this far up the river and foot protection is essential if wading because stone fish have been found in the area.

Launching on the high tide gives a lovely leisurely hour plus paddle up to the weir. The launching area is on a large lagoon which gives you a chance to get organised before heading out into the channel. Black swans are always in the area.This stretch of the Brisbane River is alive with fish life and consequently birdlife. We counted 6 snake birds or darters, three cormorants, one bittern, five pelicans, four black ducks, five moorhens, five black swans and , the piece de resistance, one azure kingfisher.

Towards the weir you pass through some geologically interesting terrain. The river has carved out a gorge through solid conglomerate rock (which looks like natural concrete) and there is a wonderful conglomerate cliff you can climb up to. There are standing pillars of the conglomerate in the river which winds about at this point. About 150 metres past the cliff you encounter a very narrow channel which leads to a lake of water hyacinth. This prevents any further paddling but the first weir wall is less than twenty metres past this point so it is not too much of a loss. The water here shelves out to less than a metre on a stony river bed and the river narrows down to less than ten metres.

All said an excellent paddle which I would recommend.