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River: white water |
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The rapids can be very dangerous as they can take the form of water through crevices between large granite boulders. There has been a fatality on the section of the Deep between Fernhook Falls and Gladstone Falls. That rapid is not identifiable beforehand. All rapids where you can't see ahead should be scouted from the bank to ensure there is a safe passage down. If in doubt, portage. Both Fernhook Falls and Gladstone Falls are not paddleable.
Camping in huts at Centre Road and Fernhook Falls |
Deep River Weekend - October, 1994
by Brian Morgan
The trip was to start at Fernhook Falls on the Saturday afternoon and finish at either Centre Road or Railway Parade, midday Monday, 24 km or 29 km respectively. The trip was of special interest as we were to carry all our camping gear and provisions for the three days in our kayaks, something none of us had done before.
A car shuffle was made to Centre Road and we set off about 2pm.
The river was at first quite narrow and the close and tall karri and jarrah- marri forest made a special impression. The river generally wound backwards and forwards through the forest, often with immediate banks, about three metres, outcrops of huge, impressive granite boulders perched along the river's edge and a dark brown stain to the water making submerged objects particularly hard to see. There were plenty of logs across the river , but most of these could be squeezed under or around. We probably portaged around six or eight logs over the weekend.
There were some nice little rapids to go down this first afternoon - it's fun to shoot rapids that are new to everyone. The low water might have meant there were more rapids on this trip than there would normally be, but it also meant that they were pretty rocky. Consequently, the rapids weren't good for playing in, not that we dared try much because our boats were heavy and we did not want to risk testing out how waterproof our dry sacks and garbage bags were. They contained sleeping bags and other essentials.
After 4:30 pm we started looking for a good camping spot and, conveniently, found a large granite dome on the river's edge at a portage point in the river (water flowed through crevices between boulders forming a wall across the river). We set up camp at the top of the dome at the edge of the forest, enjoyed the views, fine foods (?) , wine and a hot fire.
We had rain overnight and, next morning, during a short spell between showers, packed our wet tents and other gear into the boats. We planned to camp again just below Gladstone Falls, leaving about five or six kilometres to finish the trip on Monday morning. However, the weather had other ideas. During the day the rain got heavier and the temperature colder in the afternoon. Again, there were some interesting rapids, grades 1 & 2 and some impressive valleys of tall karri forest. A lot of the plants were in flower giving the impression of paddling through a wild garden.
We had been warned of a potentially dangerous spot in the river about 2km above Gladstone Falls. The cloudy skies meant that we couldn't get an effective bearing from the sun so as to pinpoint where we were on the map in relation to the anticipated hazard. Anyway, we did not come across any turbulent water with a strong undercurrent as had been described. In fact, I think we probably had lunch at the hazard spot - in the low water it took the form of another boulder block across the river with the water flowing through crevices between the rocks.
By the time we got to Gladstone Falls there was no foreseeable break in the bad weather and we paddled for the finish rather than set up tents. We paddled steadily, completing that 7km section in about two and a half hours. Over the 7km there were a few logs to portage and five or six rapids, a couple of which were a good challenge.
We arrived at Centre Road just before 6pm and the onset of darkness. Fortunately, one of the two small rustic cabins at Fernhook Falls was available. With a couple of candles, a combustion wood heater and a good supply of wood we had a warm, dry night before heading back to Perth next day.
The consensus was that it was an enjoyable
trip with great scenery. Water height has a great bearing on
the nature of a paddle on the Deep River. It turned out to be
good fortune that only five made the trip with all the log crossing,
getting down unknown rapids and boat packing time. Also, suitable
open camping spots along the river were fairly rare and pitching
a lot of tents amongst the forest understory would have been
a little destructive. Carrying all the gear on the boats was
a novel experience and is a good way to travel where the scenery
is a bigger feature of the trip than the white water.
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