Into the wilderness

By Andrew Stackpool

FLTLT Bryan Cavanagh (right) hauls a barrel at the Ol’ Three Tiers rapids on the Franklin River during the Army Whitewater Association’s expedition, Exercise Franklin Wilderness.

The team enters the Wild Thing rapids.

AN AIR Force whitewater enthusiast teamed up with some like-minded Army members to tackle Tasmania’s Franklin River last month.

Flight Lieutenant Bryan Cavanagh was one of 10 ADF extreme sportsmen who arrived in Tasmania for the Army Whitewater Association’s (AWWA) annual adventurous training activity, Exercise Franklin Wilderness.

The Franklin River’s isolation, extremes of weather and potential for flooding make it a dangerous river.

Several Grade 5, 5+ and Grade 6 rapids exist and it should never be underestimated.

Two days after hitting the river for the first time, the members were introduced to portage, where the raft and all equipment is landed and carried past a section of river that is assessed as unsuitable or unsafe for rafting.

The training proved vital. On the next day, the expedition awoke to find that the river had risen several feet overnight, making navigation potentially dangerous in places.

“Our campsite was almost flooded and the water level was too high to paddle. Consequently we had an enforced rest day,” FLTLT Cavanagh said.

Conditions had abated somewhat the next day so the team set out on an unplanned challenge.

“We had to make up for two day’s paddling, so in one day we covered about a third of the entire navigable length of the Franklin.”

Before the extreme sportsmen set out in two rafts of five members each, they received comprehensive first aid, throw bag rescue and equipment training and were required to pass a swimming test.

Rafting began on January 4, on the Collingwood River, and concluded on January 14 about 110km later on the Gordon River when they were recovered at the Sir John Falls by a charter yacht.

FLTLT Cavanagh, who normally works for Defence Legal, said the activity was the perfect release from his dayto- day work.

“Adventure training is a great way to experience activities out of the office and meet new people in a very challenging environment,” he said.

“Rafting is just one activity that provides this.”

Throughout the 10 days on the river, the paddlers experienced the highs and lows of river navigation.

On January 5 the river level was “quite low and stayed that way for two days”.

The flood and hard work from January 6-8 was followed by more pleasant conditions, and January 9 produced good day of paddling until the team arrived at Thunder Rush.

“The raft guides assessed the rapids were too dangerous to shoot and the team would have to portage again.

“It took us about four-and-a-half hours scrambling up and down a goat track. We had five trips, moving our personal gear, then the group stores and finally the deflated rafts. Everyone pitched in and the job was done in great humour.”

January 10 and 11 comprised some good paddling, another portage through the aptly named Pigs Trough and a rest day at Newlands Cascades.

“We got to dry all our gear out and recover. It’s always sunny at Newlands.”

The final three days were a bit of an anti-climax for the group, with relatively easy paddles on flat waters to the rendezvous with the yacht. A highlight for FLTLT Cavanagh was his birthday on January 13.

“My birthday cake was a piece of boretto bread with ‘happy birthday’ written on it in tomato sauce.” FLTLT Cavanagh stressed that the expedition was not just a post-Christmas extreme sport.

“The exercise was conducted as a part of adventure training and run with that purpose in mind,” he said.

“The activities on the exercise were there to facilitate the aims of adventure training – it was an adventure-based activity that used experiential learning to increase unit effectiveness by improving a member’s ability to function in an environment involving fear and consequence.

“As far as the trip went, I believe it met those aims. In the process I had a fantastic time with a great bunch of guys.

“I would certainly recommend future AWWA whitewater rafting trips and the AWWA’s other activities to anyone, provided they are good swimmers, are prepared to do some hiking and rough it and can carry heavy stores.

“I am only aware of a few other Air Force members in AWWA. Perhaps people don’t know that they can become members of an Army association.”

For more information on the AWWA and its activities and application for membership visit the AWWA web site www.armywhitewater.asn.au.

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