Capital Paddle: Molonglo #2 - Water Dragon Campbell, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
By DARKSIDEDAN on 24-Aug-21. Waypoint GC9FJ6W

A quick find while paddling today. The log was signed and replaced as found. TFTC

Day 1/2 of UNNs big geocaching weekend. Decided to take my new kayak out for a spinCool spot! Tftc

In Canberra for the mega. Out on the water doing this series today with lee737, samuel737 and search4. The weather is perfect and the water is smooth, really enjoying being on the water at this point .the log was signed 7ms .thanks for the cache tnln replaced as found sl

#7634Its MEGA time once again, this time in the Capital! Day 4!Today were attacking the Capital Paddle Molongo with Mighty Minions and Search4, finding as many as we can and doing some maintenance for the COs. Signing all as 7MS. end copy paste Nice place to paddle, all good!Thanks for placing and maintaining this cache DARKSIDEDAN

#7637 On the water with Mighty Minions and Search 4. A cool start to the day, looks to be a ripper for kayak caching. All logs signed 7MS.Thanks for the cache!

What better way to spend a public holiday than out on the water!fitzy_1965 and I enjoyed our paddle today. It was just so nice being out there.Thanks to all the CO's for publishing and maintaining.

34,524. Found this one with minniek during another paddle on the Molonglo River.Canberra Day - a day where someone who lives in Goulburn but works in Canberra gets the day off - cool ! We decided at short notice to go for a couple of paddles, and 3 down this end of the river were on our list. After a relaxing morning at home we loaded up the KiaVan with the Kayaks and gear and headed into Canberra. We launched near the Boat House (a big coincidence that I had dinner there exactly 27 years ago) and headed up river to this one. A nice quick find once at GZ. Signed the log, replaced the cache as found, then continued back down river for another one.Thanks DSD !!

Got the cache, held together during the reach and got some mozzie bites while claiming the reward. TFTC DSD!

TFTC, once again, love getting up close and personal with nature!

Saw some water dragons. Had some trouble finding amongst the trees but once found easy to get in and out.

We've done the river many times, mainly because FFP loves water dragons. None here today but quite a few around the rocks in Claire Holland bay area. We once saw a rakali in this area which was very special. Using my phone wasn't the best idea for the caches we attempted as it was a bit flaky with direction to cache. A quickish find that could have taken a lot longer given the cache type.Cache is in good condition.TFTC DARKSIDEDAN and the intelligencia.

Mindful of my butterfingers l was much more nervous and cautious and this cache..I didn't see any water dragons today but I saw many on my previous visit. I had a nice breeze blowing into my face in this last section. It had me momentarily hopefull that it would help me on my return journey, but that wasn't the case..as the breeze just as quickly vanished.

TFTC - found with geologan66 and crew

Visiting family in Canberra, and picking up caches along the way. Targeting high-terrains (because of the challenge and adventure getting them!) and also Adventure Labs too.
Todays adventure is paddling the Molonglo river to pick up the kayaking caches, armed with kayak, tree fishing pole and abseiling gear.
Cache found and log stamped.
Found as per the hint

Wow. My inflatable tandem almost got stuck approaching this one. TFTH

The lake was very calm here and protected from the breeze, but at the gz I had to do a fair amount of maneuvering to get in close enough.
Cache in all good condition. Thanks for the fun DSD

A very generous offer by 2 Leg Drive to check this cache and others in the series today and do any necessary maintenance. The cache and logbook are reported to be in good condition. Thanks for visiting this cache and Favourite Points are always appreciated.

This one turned out to be a tricky hide, as the branches around GZ are now quite healthy, green and strong.
On one of our attempted approaches to the Hide, we could spot it, but not reach it.
We decided to try from a different angle and took the boat back out again, and brought it into a place which gave us success.
The branches, which held the boat, were useful in, stopping us blowing away in the wind while the log was signed.
Thanks Darksidedan

Spotted just as I was about to give up. Returned the log correctly after signing so container will stay watertight.
TFTC

A weekend end away with Crash and PPE saw us preparing for a Yak, tree and Goo weekend for some select targets and to escapes Sydney’s wet.
A late night Friday arrival, a good morning feed and then a 8.30am launch ( well for most of us). A great morning on the river with a variety of hides of which some had some greater difficulty finding or more physical effort. We bought all the right Tools to make a clean sweep.
We launched from the rowing club in flat conditions which picked up to a small breeze later on. A bonus we also managed to scramble ashore for a few other ones but the water caches were the main focus.
Some interesting bird life along the way
TFTC

Our long awaited ACT trip had arrived and bella at waggy and crash2079 assembled at the rowing club for an early launch. A wonderful adventure along this watercourse that involved encounters with many of the local ornithological critters and the water constabulary.
We came equipped with all manner of equipment in readiness for whatever this series was going to present to us, however we were now in less complicated waters and made a quick find.

SL TFTC

#5389

The plans for a caching excursion into the nation's capital had been in the pipeline for some time. The main focus was the Capital Paddle series on the Molonglo. Met up with bella at waggy and purplepeopleater at our accommodation last night and we were keen for an early start.

The weather was perfect for paddling - cool with no breeze. This was a nice change from my last adventure on lake Burley Griffin a few years back where we encountered a stiff breeze and nasty chop. We decided to put in near #6, hitting the water at 8:30 with an assortment of TOTTs for the day's adventure.

We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, getting back to the cars at around 2:30pm. Little did we know that there would be more paddling to come before the day was out.

With success under out belts, we still had another 3 caches to collect closer to the lake. We also thought there might be a photo opportunity with the Captain Cook jet. With the little remaining energy, we raced westwards and managed to grab a few distant snaps and of course signed the logs on these last three as well

TFTC DARKSIDEDAN

Found as part of the FRIDGBINT group. Certainly a great day on the water with lots of laughs. TFTC

After missing the first kayaking adventure due to being too broken we decided to try and see if we could organise another group to go attack the Capital Paddle series.
Our great caching group consisted of Rapidlywild, Isopeda, DeadThief, GLISS!, Boot65, Injuryman, Nibletricecakes, Turtle284 and the Co Loci612. So all caches were found and signed as FRIDGBINT to save space on the log.
6 of us set off at 8 am or there about's from the boat ramp and floated into the remaining 5 that were further upstream near the Duntroon boat shed area, returning around 3 ish with a little help from the good old motor boat which came in very handy on the return trip not to mention to carry the ropes, ladders and fishing poles.

This cache was true to it's name we did see a lot of Water Dragon's along our float today.

Thanks to Loci612 and DARKSIDEDAN for the Capital Paddle series and for also joining us on a maintenance run today and thanks for the fun day out to our #kayakingdonerightcrew.

With the weather being wonderful and the waters being nice and calm, the call was put out for an adventure on the Molonglo River with an awesome group of people. Todays kayaking crew consisted of the lovely FurfacesLL ladies, Isopeda, DeadThief, GLISS!, Boot65, Injuryman, Nibletricecakes, Turtle284 and even the CO of some of these caches, Loci612. A total of 11 people on the water and all logs were signed using a combination of our names being FRIDGBINT.

Alot of paddling along the river, collecting a wonderful range of different hides (and the CO doing maintenance along the way where required) and the occassional tow along by the boat all resulting in a super fun day out and a very successful day. With a target kick off of around 8, we managed to make our way along the river collecting all 25 hides (had to skip 4 on the outgoing trip due to skiing, but collected on the way back) and we were back to the cars around 3ish. The boat (and our great mate Boot65) came in handy to carry the TOTTs used across the series, and the laughter across the day was plentiful.

We seen plenty of Water Dragons out and about today, some brown ones and even a green one!

Thanks to both the CO's Loci612 and DARKSIDEDAN for an amazing adventure and thanks to our awesome team for a very fun filled day, one I wont be forgetting anytime soon.

Injuryman went swimming with his phone in his pocket and will update his logs soon.

No waterdragon in sight - we met one later up river.

Signed as FRIDGBINTT.

TFTC

#1790 FRIDGBINT. Still very fresh here we stopped off for a quick retrieval. Numerous Water Dragons spotted along the river. A couple so content they didn’t even move as we approached.

#276 More to come…

Ooops I got this a week or so ago but forgot to log it. TFTC.

Out for a lovely evening paddle with Albida33, Joolay, Barb2e, Kittykatch and GLISS! to clear up the rest of the newer kayak series up the way. Brilliant. A truly lovely evening of paddling.

After doing the Paddle caches upstream from the Ski park, we had been looking for opportunities to finish off the series before the borrowed canoes had to be returned. It was a little late and windy, but six of us gathered here for a 17.30 start. Gliss!, Nibbletricecakes, Joolay, Barb2e & Kitty Katch joined in for the trip today, and unlike last week, there were no really difficult ones, we just had to be observant. A nice afternoon finishing with an old puzzle and a dash to the Boat shed to exit.

Thanks for the cache DARKSIDEDAN

35124.10 TNLN
Visited: World Traveling Gold GC A#6 & 2014 Wise Monkeys A#281

**Albida**

It was a lovely afternoon out on the water. Dodging numerous canoe and dragon boat teams, we had a very successful paddle. I was pleasantly surprised that there was soooo much activity out on the water. Found with Albida33, Joolay, Barb2e, Nibletricecakes and Kittykatch. TFTC DSD.

It was decided while we had the extra kayaks to put in the effort and finish off this end of the series. It was a lovely afternoon, a bit breezy and the dragon boaters were out in force. Quick find and on our way. TFTC DSD. It was lovely being out and about on the water. Signed as Capital Cruncher. The group was made up of Kittykatch, Albida, Nibletricecakes, barb2e and GLISS! Great fun was had by all.

Afternoon paddle
Found with Joolay, barb2e, Gliss, Nibketricecake and Albida on an afternoon paddle. Signed as Capital Crunchers. Another Albida find - log sheet is good.

Thanks for your hide here DARKSIDEDAN

Out on the water again and signing logs as Capital Crunchers. Tftc

After the early morning event, Tankengine, Aquilus1 and I decided to come out and do these few easier ones.

I like this part of the series. I felt comfortable where we were paddling and the caches were straightforward to find and sign. Well. as much as you can in a kayak.

Most caches were ok, some logs a little damp and wet and ripped, but on the whole a nice quick part of the series which gave me time to go and do other things I had to do. Tftc!!!

After the event at Molonglo Reach and the main paddling group left for the longer direction, with dty73 and Tankengine we launched our kayaks from where we were. A super busy carpark and popular launch site but a nice close beach which was good to start from for the few we were doing for the morning.

A still calm morning made for nice paddling for the final caches 1 - 6 I needed to complete the series. Heaps of other kayaks and stand up boards out. A fun moment when a motor boat sped past and provided a mass of waves to bump through just as a huge bee swarm passed over us. Add in the man belting out a tune in a language of 'that sounds so cool' it was a morning of interesting moments. Just needed a gondola!

The logs were generally in a poor condition with being very damp and delicate to write on and unfortunately tattered as a result. We manage to carefully get our names on but the logs need replacing.

Always like an opportunity for a paddle, this section of the river is quite noisy from the traffic but a nice morning regardless. Thanks for the cache DSD, this log was in a great dry condition.

Chooo ooo [Found] with dty73 and Aquilus1 after the nearby event this morning! A nice 4.2km paddle. Wow there was a lot of watercraft! Even a motorboat that went past at speed - and tried to swamp us! Of course that happened at exactly the same moment as a huge swarm of bees came over us! - But that was the end of the excitement for the morning - plain sailing after that. A lot of the logsheets are very damp, tatty and torn! They really need replacing! TFTC.

Cache 8575 on 25 Jan 2022.

After collecting the rest of the series 5 weeks ago (bar the one with a cormorant on its nest), ZQX, Fox in Jox, TikvaNZ and I decided to make good on numbers 1-5 this morning. We shared the river with many other kayakers doing sprints up and down the same stretch so we were careful to keep out of their way. All caches spotted fairly quickly and all containers in good shape. Some of the logs were a bit damp though. Took us about an hour all up and a bit of paddle power. Thanks to TikvaNZ for the loan of the double yak for ZQX and myself!

Thanks DARKSIDEDAN for the cache and the fun!

Molonglo Paddle part 2. A month ago ZQX, TikvaNZ, AngelG27 and I paddled upstream to collect #6 and up. This morning we gathered at Molonglo Reach and collected #1-5. A beautiful morning, with other kayakers on the water doing some training drills. Our pace was much more civilised. All containers in good condition. TFTC and the series Loci.

Early on an overcast Tuesday morning, team FATZ (Fox in Jox, AngelG27, TikvaNZ, and ZQX) paddled on the Molonglo River, finding five geocaches.
To save room in the physical logs, we signed as FATZ. Well, to be accurate the four logs that I signed were signed "25/1/22 FATZ". Not sure what Fox in Jox did with the other one.
The river was calm and I did not detect a breeze. Not even a zephyr. And the temperature wasn't too hot or too cold. So we had excellent conditions for our outing.
We shared the water with other paddlers who were approximately twice as fast as us. They were in kayaks that seemed to be advertising some electronic picture. Or perhaps they were spruicking the Exhibition Park In Canberra. We said hello to a couple of them as they raced past and they greeted us in return.
We did not see a this time.
Some of the logs will need to be replaced soon. They are tatty and a little damp. Some blue ink from a previous finder has created a big blue smudgy thing. As Fox in Jox noted, the outer containers were fine.
Thanks to Loci612 and Darksidedan for deploying these caches. Thanks to TikvaNZ for providing a double kayak for AngelG27 and me.
Now it's time to get to work. A one-day sprint before the public holiday tomorrow.

#16672 @0640
An early morning kayak mission with Fox in Jox, AngelG27 and ZQX (Team FATZ) to find the first 5 of this series. A 20 minute paddle from Molonglo reach to #1, then a leisurely paddle back via the other 4 caches, disembarking about an hour after we started. Cache soon found, and signed as FATZ. A perfect morning to be out on the river/lake. TFTC.

With mountainsbeyond ready to head off on holidays he informed me that he had a couple of hours available this morning to complete a few water caches we had started together. As he had the additional boat I wasn’t going to say no.

Time was of the essence so with GeoTeen and GeoPartner2, the four of us zipped around the Molonglo River, Lake Burley Griffin, climbed one ️ tree, then did the same on Lake Ginninderra and climbed one️tree again. Then, just one️more recently replaced cache on our way home in time for lunch.

**This Cache**
The cache was eventually spotted and mountainsbeyond-GeoTeen placed a new log within the container that mountainsbeyond had brought with him.

The winds were getting stronger so it was time to return to the launch site as this was also fortunately the last cache up this way we needed to find. Worth another favourite point on this cache for this fun series. TFTC DARKSIDEDAN.

The younger GeoTeen and I had an opportunity to squeeze in a quick paddle on two lakes (when one is just not enough) thismorning before both the forecast storms and our forecast holiday, and met up with StarsAlign for an epic morning of Canberra caching.

A quick and easy find here. After reading previous logs we brought a new paper log and have placed it in the cache to replace the missing (presumed drowned) one.

Great fun - thanks, DSD.

Found with SA. TFTC

no log in this one. Guessing it went for a swim sometime. The container is in good shape though! Tftc

Find 430 for the tribe.

Oooh I love a good kayaking cache, and here there are plenty! Loci612 has just done my T5 Wherigo series in Wollongong so it's nice now to do this one that DSD and Loci put together!

Started out near the rowing club and made my way up to number 14 when I called it a day. Some of the caches had moldy logbooks and one logbook was missing in it's entirety, but apart from that all logbooks were signable.

Highlight of the morning was seeing a nest of herons. That was epic. Lowlight was the muggles at the ski section making massive ripples repeatedly speeding up and down the river but even that was fun to negotiate! Reaching into the banksia full of bees was also an interesting experience!

I will be back another day for the others!

This cache:
Cache in good condition but once I opened it there was no logbook. Photo evidence obtained. Cache logged with the permission of the CO - thanks DSD!

Nice to see that the red bridge that used to connect to Belconnen Mall has been painted grey and repurposed here as a cycleway, which the muggles were using to good effect today.

I took a muggle friend out in the kayaks today and a very enjoyable paddle it was. All hides found relatively easyish. Hope to continue when the rain stops. Thanks DARKSIDEDAN

The Capital paddle molonglo series is as epic as they get, being like a retro video game which gets harder and harder as you approach the end goal, the final boss which can be defeated but needs alot of nerve, patience and stamina. Me and IamCoust set out on a day we knew would be very challenging, trying to find all the molonglo series in one day, a 14-15km round trip on kayaks travelling deeper an deeper into inhospitable jungle, and seeing less and less civilisation as we progressed further in and closer to the final Boss.
This Cache.....Simple and easy. Just dont fall out of kayak. TFTC

An early start on the water with Green-Martian for a full day's paddling out along the Molonglo River. Couldn't have chosen a better day with clear blue skies and the slightest of cool breeze. Setting off from Clare Holland we headed across the still lake surface, completion of the Capital Paddle: Molonglo series our ultimate goal.

For the next 90 minutes we switched back and forth across the river. Caches were found without issue but retrieving and signing them a little more difficult. Soon we had it down, or closer at least to a fine art, and the pace settled to a comfortable speed. I was a little surprised with the number of muggles also out for some exercise, fortunately not one motor boat or water skier to been seen.

Had made arrangements to catch up with Aquilus1, Greyhams and Flintstones along the way, eventually running into them at CPM#7. With a complement of 5 avid geopaddlers we continued along the river, criss crossing from hide/find to hide/find. We all played our part, contributing a steady hand, a keen eye, a sure footing or an outstretched arm. A bit of luck thrown in here and there as well.

Steadily we moved further down the waterway, the finds continuing without any real issues. Finally we pulled up at the bank of the final hide, where just getting ashore proved to be an obstacle. Once on dry land and the cache located a number of suggestions were floated on the retrieval process. In the end common sense prevailed and with a spot of knowledge and a dash of daredevilry later the log was eventually signed, hoorah! With the job done and zero injuries recorded, the entire series was now complete. Sliding back into our watersteeds we set off on the return journey ALL THE WAY back, where congratulations and farewells were offered and accepted. AQ1, GH and FS made their exit and GM and I continued the final 2kms to our launching point, some 9 hours after departure.

A wonderfully enjoyable and successful day completed we loaded up our gear and off we departed. Returning home, I immediately threw the kids into the geomobile and headed out to a neighbouring suburb for 2 hours of trick or treating. What a day!!

Favourite added for the overall brilliance of the day. TNLNSL TFTC

It was just a little bit of a squeeze getting the kayak into position for this one, but after spot-on numbers at the first cache, I trusted the co-ordinates and soon had the cache in hand.
TFTC, Darksidedan!

No water dragons sighted but plenty of birds about. The professional looking kayakers out for there morning paddle were contently eyeing up my randomness in amongst the deadfall on the givers edge. TFTC

Published

**This Cache**

Yes, a water dragon was spotted here! Also at many other caches, but this was the first instance!

Thanks DSD!

**This Series**

Being the joint owner of this series I had an absolute blast hiding these caches, probably the most fun I have ever had hiding caches before! This river is just spectacular in good weather, took some great pics and saw lots of water dragons. Also saw a huge fish one day which did a huge jump out of the water only metres from us! Gave me a bit of a fright!

I came back to this river about 6 times in total to tie up loose ends in the series, expand on ideas for cache hides once I had explored, and for more supplies etc. I would do it all again however because of how nice it was out on the water!

We really tried to make a huge variety of cache hides for this to be both a challenging and fun series! Thanks to everyone who helped, who I have mentioned in the description of cache #1 in this series.