On Saturday 18 September 18 members of our club paddled downstream Tingalpa Creek from John Frederick Park in Capalaba back to the club. Where the annual Tingalpa Trot (from the club to Capalaba) is a race, this “Reverse Trot” was a recreational paddle. The tide was still coming in a little when the boats were launched, so getting in was a bit of a muddy affair. Great team effort saw everyone get in safely – nobody ended up in the creek…
The first potential hurdle turned out to be no hurdle at all: there was more than enough water in the creek to paddle smoothly across The Rocks just downstream of the launch spot. The Rocks are a historical site: it used to be the main crossing of Tingalpa creek linking Cleveland and Brisbane in the mid 1800s. Crossing at The Rocks was treacherous and could only be negotiated at low tide, so eventually the first bridge across Tingalpa Creek was built in 1874.
Downstream from The Rocks, Tingalpa Creek is somewhat narrow at first, meaning one has to navigate their through the mangroves, then slowly opens up wider and winds its way downstream with endless curves. It’s a great paddle, perhaps with a few more curves than some people expected…
Arrival at the club was mostly in ones and twos, which although not quite the mass finish that had been hoped for, actually worked out great: the gradual arrival meant that washing down and putting boats away wasn’t the traffic jam it would have been if everyone had finished at the same time.
Lots of smiles and positive feedback – we’re all keen to do another great paddle some other time! Check out some more photos below.
