Kookaburra Park to College's Crossing

Kookaburra Park, Karana Downs to College’s Crossing

This trip is recommended in the “Places to Paddle” by Gerard and Tina Effeney Page 98. We launched from the boat ramp in Karana Downs, initially concerned by the number of power boats and water ski boats. No need to worry however as the river going upstream is speed limited to 6 KPH with numerous signs reminding boaties of the speed limit. It would be a brave or foolish power boat owner who flouted this rule as we bumped over numerous submerged rocks or trees as we kayaked up on the rising tide. Low tide would be very dangerous for power boats.

The river narrows here and is ideal canoeing territory. The tide reaches here about two and a half hours after the high tide at the pilot light in Moreton Bay. It doesn’t noticeably assist paddling upstream but you are certainly aware of the rising tide on the return trip. Once you reach College’s Crossing you can see the current going upstream quite easily as the river narrows substantially and you judge the peak before returning on the top of the tide or on the falling tide.

The Brisbane River is in good health if fish numbers are anything to judge by. We paddled past shoals of tiny bait fish scattering from unseen predators, saw a dozen or more larger fish jumping out of the water, including a freshwater perch right beside us about 200 mm long. The birdlife reflected the water life. We counted fifteen darters, both males and females (the males are all black, the females have brown and grey in their plumage), one black cormorant, six or eight more common pied cormorants, a small bittern lurking in the undergrowth as we passed, plenty of black and teal ducks and, our favourite – an azure kingfisher with a tiny silver fish in his beak. We were very lucky to meet him on the return trip and he flew past at water level less than two metres away. Spectacular! Birdlife was so prevalent Bobby, the wonder boy (my son) and I took bets on how many darters we would see. We even spotted a darter’s nest with a female sitting in attendance. On the shore we were treated to the calls of whipbirds all the way up the river. Pleasingly, and unlike Oxley Creek, there was little rubbish in the river. We only counted three plastic bottles, the scourge of rivers, and one milk crate.

Midway up the river we met some older boaties in a tinnie setting crab pots. They reckoned they took some mud crabs out of the river this far up. There were a few other fishermen on the banks and a tinnie we met on the way back. Just after the crabbers there is a lovely reddish rock escarpment that juts out into the river on the left (northern side) of the river.

Again, like the College’s Crossing to Mt Crosby Weir trip we saw a number of big swirls left in the water by submerging fish or turtles. Some of the swirls would have been larger than dinner plates and half were accompanied by a trail of bubbles. We are guessing these were left by turtles and the others by large fish resting near the surface. Kayaks allow almost silent running and we were within a metre of whatever submerged suddenly. One day I might just solve the mystery I know there are lung fish in the Stanley River as I saw them in the pools at the foot of Somerset Dam during a bad drought around 1960/61 so perhaps the swirls were lung fish breathing.

The area is perfect for kayaking. There is an absence of noise as the power boats are all downstream and the river isn’t close to the road. The first traffic noise comes as you approach College’s Crossing where the road crosses the river. About 500 metres from College’s Crossing you pass under the powerlines that traverse Karana Downs. This is the only signal you are reaching the end of the paddle. About 200 metres before College’s Crossing the river divides into a small and slightly stagnant stream to the right and the main channel to the left. As you come around the channel the big black water pipe is visible and just as we approached we hit an underwater obstruction with the skeg on the kayak. We bumped over it but at low tide this obstruction is the other water pipes that cross the river and you need to portage across them. It is very important to travel with the tides on this trip both up and down. The river level drops very fast on the falling tide and you can get trapped at College’s Crossing.

The current on the rising tide narrows here and speeds up and the current will carry you all the way past the picnic grounds and into the channel that goes up to the weir. You can disembark and have a picnic here or a swim but remember that sharks and stone fish have been found in the area. We returned as the tide was slowing but there was enough current to make it hard work. Once out of the narrow channel leading to College’s Crossing the river widens a little and the current has less effect. However remember that winds travel down rivers in the morning and up rivers in the afternoon. We had a good breeze on our nose all the way back as we returned after midday. By the time I reached the boat ramp my arms were begging for a rest! The time up was fifty minutes and the return trip the same.

I recommend this trip highly. Pick a high or rising tide and don’t get caught at College’s Crossing when the tide drops. It is an unpleasant portage according to friends in the Wooden Boat Association who did this trip in rowing boats. If you are into birdlife, enjoy solitude and the company of your son or daughter this is a great bit of river to explore.