Torbay Inlet

Day 45 - Torbay Inlet

Torbay Inlet

Monday, 4 March 2013
Woke up early, Tuka and I had breakfast and then we went for walk and Tuka had a swim. Talked to one of the campers in a tent near the inlet. He told me that he feeds a bandicoot each morning.

As it was sunny and calm at 8.30am I decided to go for a kayak and explore more of Unndiup Creek that flows into the inlet. The bank vegetation along the creek varies from sedges and melaleucas to sedges and eucalypts to cleared farming land. As I came around each bend of the inlet I would here fast paddling in the water and ducks would take off. Then there would be the heavy beating of wings as the cormorants took off from their branches. At one stage there were 30 ducks flying over me.

The creek narrowed and expanded but I didn't see the branch to the eastern inlet so I just kept kayaking upstream. At times I could see a house in amongst the bush with its private jetty and boat ramp. Met a group of five kayakers paddling towards the inlet. They had launched in the creek south of Elleker. Continued upstream for another half hour and then decided to come back as the weather was changing with a buildup of storm clouds. On the way back came upon ten yellow-billed spoonbills roosting in the eucalypts. Then another fifteen landed amongst them. Of course by the time I paddled underneath them they all decided to take off and go somewhere else.

As I was returning the wind increased and was against me. At one stage it was so strong that if stopped paddling I was going backwards. Managed to get back to camp and said hello to Tuka. I had been out kayaking for two and a half hours.

In the afternoon I went for a walk to the beach and then along some of the 4wd tracks through the bush. Saw a few flowering plants that I had not seen in the bush in eastern Australia. Later identified one as a Coastal Woollybush.

Later on I took Tuka for a walk and he went for a swim in the inlet. As it is predominantly fresh water Tuka had a drink as well.

	NW Tobray Inlet (West) (Sedges, Melaleucas, Eucaly [Map]		Inlet [Map]
	Tree lined Unndiup Creek [Map]		Spoon bills in trees [Map]
	Coastal Woollybush (Adenanthos sericeus) [Map]		Campsite [Map]