From Lorrie:
This upcoming Raid in Victoria could be exactly what you are looking for. A long row over a few days down a gentle river with rowers from other clubs.
One boat will be made available for LBT members and there may be a few places on other boats as well.
We do need a bit of organisation this end with someone from here taking a car that is suitable for towing the boat. If you are thinking of going could you please let me know as well as Simone, so we can work out the transport over?
It sounds like a great trip.
Planning is underway on a four-day raid (open to SASCRAA registered clubs) on the very scenic Glenelg River, located in south-western Victoria. The Glenelg River is the longest estuary in Victoria, starting just south of Dartmoor, meandering through the Lower Glenelg National Park, and after 75km, arriving at Nelson where the river meets the Southern Ocean. You can even travel interstate on the river, crossing into South Australia for a four kilometre stretch before heading back into Victoria.
The rowing promises to be exquisite, with daily distances no greater than 25 kilometres on peaceful winding river waters, with a nightly return with boats to comfortable group accommodation at Karnkendi Presbyterian Camp in Nelson.
The event is to be held in March 2025, starting rowing on the morning of 20th March (or for the time poor starting day after). The last day of rowing will be 22nd March followed by a group dinner at the Nelson Hotel that evening. Teams can then return home on the Sunday, in time for the start of the work week.
For those fortunate enough to have time available after or before the event, there is a plethora of visits that you could tack on to your raid to make for a very enjoyable trip e.g. taking off on the Great South West Walk, visiting Mt Gambier and its crater lakes, or winery touring through the Limestone Coast Winery regions.
A general map of the national park is included on the following page for an overall perspective of the river geography. The Lower Glenelg National Park Visitor Guide has a smaller scale map of the river ( including approximate distances between canoe campsites), and other practical information so is probably more suitable for day to day use on the trip. The proposed event itinerary, and details of the camp accommodation follows on after the map below.
| Time slot | Wednesday 19/3/25 | Thursday 20/3/25 | Friday 21/3/25 | Saturday 22/3/25 (last day of raid) | Sunday 23/3/25 |
| Breakfast | Self-catering breakfast | Self-catering breakfast | Self-catering breakfast | Self-catering breakfast | Self-catering breakfast |
| Morning | Drive to Nelson, settle in at Karnkendi, investigate Nelson by foot, hire a kayak, go birdwatching, bushwalk or just relax, read a book, or play pool! | Tow boats to Saunders Landing for launching @ 9am. Row upriver to Moleside (road access to drive & meet boats for lunch or crew swap-over) | Tow boats to Saunders Landing for launching @ 9am. Row downstream to Battersbys (road access to drive & meet boats for lunch or crew swap-over) | Tow boats to Sapling Creek for launching @ 9am. Row downstream to Sandy Waterholes (road access to drive & meet boats for lunch or crew swap-over) | Leave Karnkendi to head home or off to other adventures |
| Lunch | Self-catered lunch or picnic at Moleside | Self-catered lunch or picnic at Battersbys | Self-catered lunch or picnic at Sandy Waterholes | ||
| Afternoon | Downstream row back to Saunders Landing, load boats & return to Karnkendi | Downstream row to Sapling Creek, meet cars & trailers @ Sapling Creek, load boats & return to Karnkendi | Downstream row to Nelson where choice of finishing at Nelson public boat ramp (access via Leake St), or adding extended row around Oxbow Lake before finishing at Nelson public boat ramp. Return to Karnkendi with boats | ||
| Evening | Self-catering evening meal. Relax & unwind | Potluck Dinner (shared smorgasbord with each team contributing). Relax & unwind | BYO BBQ Night Trivia Night | Last Night Dinner at Nelson Pub (6pm sit down) |
Participants for the full rowing itinerary are recommended to arrive on Wednesday to get comfortable and settled in at Karnkendi Camp, for the earlyish start trailering the boats to the launch site from Nelson (around 15kms) on Thursday morning. For those opting for a shortened rowing experience (two days on the water instead of three) participants are expected to be settled in at Karnkendi Camp by Thursday afternoon.
Note the launch, lunch & loading sites have been selected to ensure the travel distance for vehicles is minimised, and in the case of emergencies, are readily accessible. This includes taking into consideration any possible fire restrictions still in place in March in the area.
All rowers will be required to wear appropriate personal floatation devices (PFDs) to participate. Clubs and individuals will need to bring with them sufficient PFDs for their crews, and any other safety equipment as required. As mobile phone coverage is patchy in the area, two-way radios will need to be bought to communicate between skiffs on the water and service vehicles.
For any teams or individuals coming from SASCRAA registered clubs outside Victoria, or further than a day’s drive, there may be extra Victorian skiffs which could be made available. However, this would require extra vehicles and road support supplied by the Victorian clubs. For those interested in attending but unable to provide their own boats, food, equipment etc., or looking to pick up individual seats in team skiffs, please contact organisers as early as possible to determine what can be made available and how any up-front costs can be covered.
For those extra friends and family who are coming along but are not regular rowers or doing the full raid, there may be opportunities for them to have a row during lunch breaks or end of the day’s row, if their fellow club members are happy to crew with them and supervise.
Karnkendi Camp
The camp features:
- 8 dorms with attached ensuites sleeping 6 people per room (3 x single bunk beds)
- industrial kitchen with two double ovens, a double door fridge, air fryer, BBQ, industrial sized toaster and kettles along with cooking utensils and crockery
- large dining hall with open fire, lounge/ games room with fireplace, television and DVD player, pool table, table-tennis
- laundrette, camping areas, car parking, outside firepits (firewood $70 per box or BYO).
Participants need to bring their own sleeping gear e.g. blankets, doonas, sleeping bags, sheets, pillows, and towels and toiletries.
The price is $45.00 per adult, $20.00 per child 4-15yo (under 4yo free). There is a large grassed area where tents and vans can be set up, but note this area is unpowered, and the charges per head are the same as for the dormitory accommodation.
The camp charges a minimum nightly fee of the equivalent of 20 adults per night. If the number of people drops below 20 head, we can still use the site however the camp still charges for 20, which means the per head cost is higher. A $900 deposit is required to hold the booking.
Participants will need to have committed to the event and make a payment contribution to the camp deposit charge not later than December 2024, to secure the site. Payment details will be provided to clubs once numbers of participants are confirmed. A full refund of the deposit can be made for cancellations made at least two weeks prior to the event. The costs resulting from later cancellations need to be covered by the teams/clubs from which individuals have cancelled.
Nelson and surrounds – things to do and see
There is only one petrol station in Nelson, and very limited food shopping, so you need to think about this in planning your trip. The single roadhouse has a restaurant, take-away food, fuel and LPG gas refills, fishing tackle, bait, ice, fishing licences, meat and groceries. The Nelson Kiosk offers a range of groceries, hot & cold takeaway meals, tackle and bait. The kiosk also acts as and Australia Post Agency.
The Nelson Hotel, where we will be having our ‘end of row’ group dinner, is described as a ‘quintessential little Victorian pub’. It sits at the mouth of the Glenelg River, overlooking the Oxbow estuary lake. The hotel provides food, cafe style, and pub bistro meals, seven days per week. The bar has seating for 80 and the recently refurbished fireside dining room has seating for 25 people, and there is regular live entertainment.
The Nelson Visitor Information Centre is located in the centre of town with parking on Leake Street, and is worth a look for more on local activities. The Visit Nelson website has a good summary on the town amenities, local activities, sites to visit, accommodation etc.
The Nelson Tennis Club is located in the heart of town and is available to visitors. Visitors can book the court space at the Nelson Visitor Information Centre. Access to the courts incurs a small fee.
Canoes and kayaks can be hired through Nelson Canoe Hire for day, overnight and multi-night trips on the Glenelg River. There are also other adventure companies running kayak/canoe trips on the river. You can investigate further through the Nelson Visitor Information Centre or web searching.
Booking a place on the Glenelg River Raid
SASCRAA registered clubs (or club members) interested in participating in the Glenelg River Raid, please contact:
Simone Tolson, President, Coastal Rowing Geelong Inc. via email at coastalrowinggeelong@gmail.com
