Franklin River

BOATING Franklin River

Parks and Wildlife Service Tasmania DEPARTMENT of TOURISM, PARKS HERITAGE and the ARTS The Franklin River flows 125km from the Cheyne the box provided. Information from these sheets Range to the Gordon River. Rafters usually provides data that is used in planning for the area. commence their journey at the Collingwood River, Remember to sign the log book at Sir John Falls on 49km west of Derwent Bridge, and finish at the completing your trip. Gordon River. Rafters can then either catch the It is essential that you leave details of your trip with Gordon River ferry at Heritage Landing, or charter a someone reliable who can contact the police should float plane or yacht to pick them up from Sir John you be overdue. A search will only be mounted if Falls camp (contact Tourism Tasmania for details). someone reports you as being overdue. The trip takes about 8-14 days. The best time to raft the Franklin is between Fees December and March when the weather is relatively stable. However, you are advised to come thoroughly The most convenient National Park pass for the trip is prepared as southwest Tasmania is renowned for its the Holiday pass which is valid for all National Parks wild weather. High flood levels can occur even in for two months. They are available from all park summer. centres, Travel and Visitor Information centres and selected retail outlets. All money raised goes towards All party members should have had previous bush and the maintenance and protection of Tasmania’s rafting experience — preferably in Tasmania. The trip National Parks. will require the party to negotiate some arduous ‘portages’. In the event of a mishap, any walk to Minimal impact rafting safety will be very demanding — especially carrying rafting gear. Campsites are well distributed along the Franklin River, but many are relatively small providing enough Safety room for twoor three tents. Larger numbers can cause environmental damage. You can assist in The Franklin is a demanding river to raft or kayak. It minimising damage by remembering to: requires intense concentration, good preparation, a high level of river skills, confidence and experienced • Use a fuel stove instead of a campfire to leadership. If you are in doubt about your ability do reduce wildfire risk and campsite degradation. not go on! • Bury faecal waste 100m (or as far as possible) away from your camp and If you are tackling the river privately make sure you watercourses. This is essential. Attacks of have the right gear and the right level of experience. gastroenteritis have occurred in the past due to All party members need to have had previous white poor sanitation habits. Consider carrying water experience in the same craft that they will use faecesout with you. Commercial companies do on the Franklin. this and it is not as difficult as it seems. Details The group leader should have experience on the are available from the Queenstown park office. Franklin and be a competent rafter and ‘river-reader’. • Do not use soap and detergents in the river as They also must be able to handle people in cold, wet these can damage aquatic life. and stressful conditions for days on end. • Don’t feed the wildlife. Processed food can give them diseases and feeding also creates Inexperienced rafters should consider joining a unnaturally large populations around camps commercial trip with a suitable operator. There are a where they can become pests dependent on number of good companies with experienced guides rafters’ food. and different lengths of trips to choose from. Contact • Carry out all rubbish, particularly plastics that Tourism Tasmania for a list of rafting companies. can harm wildlife. • Leave campsites as natural as possible. Do not: Registration • enlarge campsites • dig ditches around tents Please record your trip intentions on the sheets in the • cut saplings for tent poles or registration booth at Collingwood River and deposit in • erect rock shelters. Deaths on the river • Personal Equipment — Wet suit (preferably the full length type), wetsuit boots (or woollen socks Unfortunately, the river has with sandshoes that have a good grip sole), claimed many lives. Deaths life jacket/buoyancy vest and helmet (must have occurred at the rapid be worn at all times on the river), windproof above Irenabyss (a kayak was jacket, tent, stove, fuel and cooking gear, entrapped in a relatively easy sleeping bag and mat, spare clothes rapid), in the Great Ravine (woollen or thermal), woollen gloves, hat, (rafter falling into the boots (good idea for side trips), Cauldron rapid and becoming waterproof parka and overpants, pack, maps jammed while assisting with a portage), and two detailing rapids and a compass. deaths at Big Fall, the last major rapid on the river. • First aid kit — Sunscreen, wound dressings The last two were caused by rafters becoming (4), roller bandages (2), triangular bandages entangled in loose ropes in a stopper. (4), band-aids and butterfly closures (1 The following factors have contributed directly or packet), space blanket, pain reliever ( e.g. indirectly to death: aspirin or panadol) sticking plaster (5cm wide • Loose ropes (which have entangled rafters) — 1 roll), non-adherent dressings (8), • High river levels antiseptic (e.g. Betadine), scissors, tweezers, • Equipment failure splinter probe, Stingose or Blue Gel for bites • Inexperience and stings, eye irrigator and other personal • Overconfidence medications. • Entrapment • Food — This depends on personal tastes. Take plenty of high energy food that can be Equipment eaten on the run. Take at least 4 days extra food. • ‘Four person’ rubber rafts –– These carry • Packing — Most gear can be packed in 25 or only one person and gear. This raft is the 50 litre plastic barrels with wide screw top minimum size that should be taken on the lids (available from some outdoor shops). Franklin. The raft should be equipped with a Always line the inside of barrels with plastic bow line and a rope attached tightly around the bags. raft through D-rings. • Lilo — Useful to have in small rafts to protect Remember to tie up rafts and move equipment well the flooring. above river flood levels overnight — the river level • Paddles — Must be well constructed and can rise dramatically (up to 10m in the gorge float. Carry spares (at least one per raft). overnight)! • Pumps — Good quality high volume pumps. Carry a spare. River levels • Rope/Netting — Required to tie barrels and Most accidents occur during high river levels. Do not packs to the raft (remember — no loose begin the trip if the river is rising or if the ropes). Collingwood River is above 1.2 m (see gauging • Bailer — For removing water from the raft. station under the bridge). Continue only when the • Rescue Equipment — At least one throwbag river has dropped to a level where there are plenty of per raft. Also 30 m of 8 mm or 10 mm static still eddies. rope (see also section on ropes). • Safety knife — Quick release and buoyancy Low river levels can also be dangerous for puncturing vest-mounted. At least one experienced person and wrapping boats, foot entrapments, logs and per raft should have one and be trained in its stoppers. Experience is required to avoid these use. obstacles. • Repair kit (housed in an ammunition box). Needles and thread for repairing large holes, Contingency plans lilo and raft patches (rubberised canvas and hypalon, or a material that matches your raft), Allow yourself four days extra provisions for the trip matches, roll duct tape, pliers, candles, to sit out high water. This will avoid the stress of sandpaper, contact glue such as Rema being late which often leads to dangerous decisions SC2000, brush and mixing container, scissors made simply to meet a prearranged commitment. and a spare lilo and raft plugs. page 2 Maps of the surrounding area should be carried in Big Fall is especially tempting as it is the last major case you are forced to abandon the river and walk rapid on the river. Remember that rapids change with out. different water heights, at high water levels Big Fall doesn’t exist, Due to erosion on the banks of the Gordon River it’s just a cruise boats no longer go to Sir John Falls. A new slight dip in jetty has been completed at Heritage Landing and the river. At cruise boats will pick up rafters there. most water Heritage Landing is 22 km downstream from Sir John levels it is very Falls. About 2-4 days should be allowed to travel this treacherous. distance as paddling the tidal section of the river can be fairly arduous, particularly on days when the wind River is blowing upstream. Eagle Creek is the best campsite reading on this stretch of the river. You should know what the following are: current, Party Size eddy, hole/stopper, strainer, undercut, boil line. You should also know what happens to your boat, what A party size of six people is recommended for safety happens to you and how you can avoid trouble in and to create low levels of environmental impact. each of these features. There should be one highly experienced paddler to every three intermediate paddlers. Entrapment Two rafts per group is the minimum number so that The rocky nature of river beds means that it is easy one can always protect the other on the river. to jam your feet in between rocks. If this happens in strong currents you can be pushed over and pinned System for river travel underwater. Entrapment is a greater danger in low Organise the group so that: grade rapids and at low river levels. Most Tasmanian timbers do not float and consequently the Franklin • everyone is always in sight; has numerous logs caught up in rapids some • no one enters a rapid until it has been properly underwater) which are a serious entrapment threat inspected; and everyone is safely assembled above it; Overboard! • safety backup is provided as required by any rapid and; Swim to the upstream side of the raft, keep your feet • no one is encouraged to raft anything that they up near the surface to avoid them being trapped in are not comfortable with. rocks and logs — never try to stand up in a rapid or fast flowing water. Swim down the rapid on your Stop to inspect all rapids that cannot be fully back, feet first to fend off obstacles. Stay with the inspected from rafts. Inspect rapids from the bank, if raft if possible. Wear wet suit booties or sandshoes there is any doubt about the group’s ability to handle not walking boots when rafting. it the rapid should be either lined or portaged. If the rapid is to be shot it should be done one at a time Logs are particularly dangerous and must be avoided while an experienced person is standing in a safe at all costs. If you are being swept towards a log try position with a throw rope — ready to give assistance to get up on it by throwing both arms and a leg over if necessary. the log. To do this it may be necessary to turn over and swim towards it to gain some momentum. DO Rapids which should be portaged by all groups NOT try to put both arms onto the log and pull the include: rest of the body up, because the water pressure could • Log Jam in Anaesthesia Ravine wrap your body into a U shape around the log. • Nasty Notch • All rapids in the Great Ravine • The Pig Trough and • Big Fall.

Rapids other than those listed may require portaging depending upon the water level.

page 3 Ropes Hypothermia Used correctly, ropes can be life-savers but used This is a real possibility with the combination of incorrectly they can be lethal. water, cold winds and strenuous days. • Ropes should be bagged or coiled and tied off To avoid hypothermia, dress to stay warm and so that the risk of entanglement is reduced beware of the chilling effect of wind. Always keep (this should be checked regularly throughout your sleeping bag and spare set of clothes dry — they the day, especially before shooting large are essential for treating hypothermia. rapids). All ropes should float. Eat high energy foods throughout the day and wear a • There should be at least one throw rope, thin woollen hat under your canoeing helmet to packed in a correctly designed reduce heat loss. For treatment of hypothermia see throwbag, clipped onto each raft. Welcome to the Wilderness, Bushwalking Trip Planner • It is imperative that you learn how to for Tasmania’s World Heritage Area. use throwbags and ropes as safety and rescue aids. Further information Rafters should also be aware of the hazards 1:100 000 Tasmap ‘Olga’ and ‘Franklin’ and associated with their use. 1:25 000 Tasmap ‘Loddon’ from Land Information Bureau, 134 Macquarie St, Hobart 7000. Phone (03) 6233 3382. Safety in the Bush, available from Department of Tourism Sport and Recreation, Trafalgar Building, Hobart, 7001. Welcome to the Wilderness, Bushwalking Trip Planner for Tasmania’s World Heritage Area and Bushwalking Code — Minimal Impact Bushwalking. Both are free and available from the Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Structures Service. Structures placed along the river help to protect the Contact environment and assist users. Prior to use the integrity of each structure should be assessed. In Parks & Wildlife Service Strahan particular check: PO Box 62, Strahan 7468 Phone: (03) 6471 7122 • Ropes for secure anchors and fraying. • Walkways and ladders for stability. • Steps for security and strength. Note: • Ropes placed by unknown persons have proven to be insecure. • Due to the remoteness all structures cannot be regularly inspected. • Limit use of every structure to one person at a time. Please report any damaged or insecure structure to the Parks and Wildlife Service.

FURTHER INFORMATION Head Office: 134 Macquarie Street Hobart TAS 7000 Internet: www.parks.tas.gov.au Phone: 1300 135 513 December 2003 © State of Tasmania