Today we had intro to canoes. I went to class with a positive state of mind all packed and set for a long day of canoeing. After the 9 o’clock headcount we set of on the bus to Yeerung River. When we arrived we quickly went through all the things like safety, people’s experiences and how to unpack the trailer.

Then we got out onto the water. It was hard at first to get the hang of steering and being in the boat with someone that you haven’t really worked much with so you have to learn how to communicate with one another so you can actually go straight. After some lessons on how to steer, raft up and just canoeing in general we headed off up the Yeerung heading towards the beach. It was quite an easy paddle and a great time to socialise with others around you. When we reached the beach we hopped out of the canoes and had a nice lunch on the beach. When we were done we swapped positions in the canoes and paddled back down stream. At the end we had to practise the dreaded capsizing. Each canoe had a go at rocking the boat and falling out into the freezing cold water and then dragging it out onto shore. We then packed the trailer and headed back to campus. Overall it was a fun day with lots of new skills learnt.

Jocelyn - Mount Beauty