The 2016 WomDomNom - What a Sensational Paddle!

All roads led to Wellington in the last week of November 2016 when the Macquarie River Paddle Club hosted the 6th annual WomDomNom paddle.

Australia has some magnificent waterways and many are perhaps more spectacular than the Macquarie River but when you add to the natural beauty of this inland river the opportunity to explore nearly 200Kms of it in relative ease and comfort, it's easy to see why WomDomNom is becoming one of the first events written on many paddlers calendars each year.

Rapidly expanding numbers and a long, hot, slow paddle in low water stretched our resources in 2015 and a key goal for our committee in 2016 was to reinvigorate the great feeling of camaraderie that has become a benchmark of the WomDomNom. Not an easy feat when you have 120 paddlers spread along up to 10Km of river at times, but one we were determined to achieve.

The widely fluctuating river levels that are a hallmark of inland waterways ensures an equally variable paddle experience each year. Thanks to the six successive floods that have swept down the Macquarie valley this year, the 120 paddlers who converged on Wellington for the 2016 event were treated to a week of near perfect paddling conditions. Conditions off the water were equally pleasant though the cold nights caught a few unaware and no doubt sleeping bags will be the first thing packed next year!

Once again we kicked off with a prelude paddle from the Burrendong Dam to Wellington on Wednesday 23 November.

During introductions at the Dam the 2 dozen people present took turns to describe what they felt about the WomDomNom. It was very humbling to hear one paddler describe it as an event he anticipates more than Christmas. There's no doubt that WomDomNom means different things to different people but that comment has stuck with us and demonstrates the affection with which the growing number of regular WomDomNomers have come to regard their annual trek to the central west to enjoy a few days floating down the Macquarie while reconnecting with like-minded people, making new friends and supporting the work of the Black Dog Institute.

The 36Km prelude is along one of the prettiest stretches of the Macquarie and the usual portage areas were well submerged, making for a relatively easy day's paddling.

The great day was capped off with a sumptuous prelude dinner at Wellington's Cow and Calf Hotel who did a phenomenal job of feeding and watering nearly 90 paddlers and crew.

Daily water releases in excess of 3000mg from the brimful Dam provided a flow that eliminated many of the shallower rapids that usually bring paddlers to grief on the first day and made the paddle a breeze in comparison to negotiating the 600mg  flow of the 2015 event.
Several of our regular paddlers tell us that's one of the things they love best about WomDomNom; every time they have paddled the river it has been at a different height and the experience changes accordingly.

One of the hardest tasks this year would be for the support crew to keep a step ahead of the paddlers with the normal 6KM/H paddle pace averaging closer to 10Km/h most days and some of the usual support stops out of action due to the higher then normal water level and bank erosion caused by the sustained flooding.

But manage they did, with the help of the fantastic team from Dubbo Rotary who came aboard this year to support our committee with the catering effort.

Showing the hospitality that is a hallmark of country communities, local landowners were again very generous in allowing access to their own patch of paradise to enable us to provide meals and land support to our hungry hordes. It's quite astonishing to see how quickly a mountain of food can disappear when an army of ravenous paddlers appears!

It was certainly a big eye opener for the friends and family who provided moral and physical support along the way.

Day 1 saw a lot less of the spills and thrills that normally mark the morning session on the bends that punctuate the river below Oxley Park at Wellington, but there were still enough unscheduled exits to keep paddlers alert to potential dangers and it was great to see fellow paddlers assisting with boat, paddle and paddler recovery when needed.

The magnificent dinner provided by David and Sheri Ryan of Dubbo's Cattleman's Motel at our first campsite Bril Bral Reserve absolutely hit the spot and it was fantastic to stand back and listen to the sheer number and volume of happy post dinner conversations under the marquee.

The early-morning transfer of vehicles from Wellington to Narromine on Day 1 enabled a very relaxing paddle from Bril Bral Reserve to Lazy River Estate on Day 2, without the pressure of needing to arrive at Lazy River in time for a 3pm bus trip to Wellington. With plenty of time for a leisurely set up, chat, swim and shower, pre-dinner drinks and nibbles was a wonderfully communal affair with tales of the days exploits exchanged - and perhaps only slightly exaggerated…

There could be few things more Australian than sitting by a river in a deck chair after a barbecue dinner to watch The Castle. It was a great vibe, we had to pinch ourselves to be sure we weren't dreaming!

Day 3 dawned cool and clear and fortified with the Rotarians' brilliant breakfast fare of bacon and egg roll, pancakes and corn fritters, paddlers headed off for the longest and potentially most dangerous section of the paddle, entailing two weir portages south and north of Dubbo.  Since it's construction in 1942, 9 people have drowned at the South Dubbo Weir. This has resulted in the soon to be completed installation of a rock ramp and fishway to reduce the danger of this section of the river. The new portage is quite tough on the feet due to the sharp rocks on the fishway, but much the safest option for paddlers.

As a small community volunteer organisation our focus will always be first and foremost on the safety of all our paddlers and we make no apology for that - it's our deepest dread that any harm would befall a WomDomNom participant. With this in mind we stipulated a compulsory portage at both weirs and fortunately nobody was injured despite the very high flow leading to some unexpected exits.

We have been blessed to welcome some highly experienced paddlers to WomDomNom each year and this in itself creates a quandary. Because the paddle is attractive to paddlers of widely ranging abilities, each year we see folk paddling right at the range of their experience and capacity as well as those who have to paddle well within themselves to participate within the safety and timing requirements set by our committee for the course. This is often not ideal for the more experienced paddlers who are constrained by safety guidelines that by necessity are formulated to minimise risk for paddlers of all abilities as well as our volunteer crew.

We are immensely grateful to Andy Singh for taking on the role of paddle leader this year - a largely thankless and difficult task especially given the river level, pace and distance between first and last paddlers, and thin yellow line of support.
As WomDomNom moves into its 7th year, we are hugely fortunate that increased catering support from the Dubbo Rotarians will allow our committee to focus more resources towards supporting the on-water safety aspects of the event.

We counted ourselves very fortunate on Day 3 that all paddlers survived the portages unscathed and safely negotiated the worst mishap of the day; the lack of tomato sauce for the lunchtime sausage rolls!

A highlight of day 4 was an opportunity that very few people would've experienced, to paddle over Minore Falls, which usually has a drop of more than a metre. It was great to hear so many people talk of the support and guidance they received  from more experienced paddlers; what a fantastic opportunity to learn from people with a vast array of incredible skills and experiences.

We're hoping in 2017 to take more advantage of this, if we added up the years of paddling amongst this year's participants it would've been well above a thousand years experience on the water and that wealth of knowledge is a fantastic resource for newer paddlers… who better to learn from than an expert.

Suggestions for the best ways to tap into this resource are very welcome!

Standing on the bank at Narromine, few sights could match the great image of the flotilla rafted up with paddles skyward- that has gone straight to our poolroom!

Without a doubt every participant at the 2016 WomDomNom was a winner, paddling 150Km over 4 days (186Km over 5) is a fantastic achievement regardless of the water flow and perhaps the best outcome of all was in excess of $23,000 raised to support the great work being done by the Black Dog Institute.

WomDomNom... we're so glad you came along.

Happy New Year and Safe Paddling to All and huge thanks to every volunteer, supplier and supporter whose dedication and generosity makes this event possible.

Originally written by, The WomDomNom committee.  For more information visit www.womdomnom.com