Packrafting the South Esk River – Sandhurst Rd to Mathinna Plains Rd

I’ve paddled several sections of the South Esk River above and below Avoca. While a pleasant outing, the river around Avoca is wide and largely flat, the water is cloudy, and the much of the view is of farmland. Consequently, I’ve been keen to see what some of the upper reaches are like. After scoping out sections on maps and doing a recce on a previous drive through, I decided to check out a section near Mathinna from Sandhurst Road to Mathinna Plains Road this weekend, after some good rain through the week.

The Stats

• Water Level: 0.55m at Mathinna

• Grade: 1

• Distance: 9km

• Time: 1 hr and 40 mins

Location

This section of the river runs more-or-less parallel with a relatively flat section Upper Esk Road near Mathinna. As a result, I was able to leave my car at the finish at Griffin Park, where Mathinna Plains Road crosses the river, and ride my mountain bike to the put in point at the bridge on Sandhurst Road.

Entry Point

At the bridge on Sandhurst Road there is easy access to the river at the northeast corner of the bridge, which immediately puts you into a shingle rapid that probably wouldn’t be passable with any less water.

The River

While the surrounding area consists of forestry plantations, the narrow river is boarded by native forest. This makes for a lovely outlook while paddling, and the very regular grade 1 rapids and moving water keep the section interesting. There is only one long section of flat water between kilometres 7 and 8, while the rest of the river is constantly presenting something interesting, including two rapids I classify as grade 1+.

On my previous recce, the river was at 0.3m at Mathinna and I thought it would just be doable at this level. However, my boat had a few scrapes on the way down at 0.55m, so realistically, this is probably the lowest level at which it would be enjoyable and not require any portages.

The video below gives a good indication of the character of the river at this level.

Exit Point

Thanks to the good flow at this level, I reached my exit point at Mathinna Plains Road in one hour and forty minutes. There is a grassy park area here beside the river making for an easy exit.