Lake Eildon is a large water storage in north-east Victoria, formed by damming the Goulburn River near the town of Eildon. It spreads through a series of long arms and inlets, including the Delatite, Howqua and Big River arms, surrounded by steep forested hills and the Lake Eildon National Park.
It is a big, busy lake with a lot of shoreline. The trick for a packraft is to use the arms and inlets, not the open water.
Arms and inlets
The long, winding arms give you sheltered water in most wind directions, with coves to pull into and forested ridges on both sides. A short paddle along one shore of an arm, with the option to land almost anywhere, is the kind of day Eildon does well.
The main body of the lake is wide open. Crossings look short and are not, and there is nowhere to hide when the wind gets up in the middle.
Wind along the arms
Wind funnels along the arms and across the open water, and on a lake this size it builds proper chop. Afternoons are often windier than mornings.
Check the forecast for the whole day, launch early, and keep your route within easy reach of the shore. If you are paddling into the wind on the way out, the return will be easier. The reverse is a hard finish.
Houseboats and powered craft
Lake Eildon is known for its houseboats, and there are large marinas and mooring areas near the town of Eildon and elsewhere on the lake. Summer and holidays also bring ski boats, wakeboarders, jet skis and fishing boats.
Wake is the practical issue. Keep close to shore, stay out of ski zones and busy channels, wear something bright, and turn your bow into a big wake rather than taking it side-on. Give moored houseboats a wide berth.
A lake that changes size
Eildon is a working storage, and its level rises and falls with rainfall, irrigation releases and drought. When the lake is full the water reaches into the trees. When it is low, wide banks of exposed mud and rock appear, ramps can end short of the water, and old stumps and fences come close to the surface.
Standing dead trees and submerged timber are a hazard at any level. Keep your speed down near the edges and watch the water ahead. Check the current storage level and ramp status with Goulburn-Murray Water before you go.
Access and camping
There are public boat ramps around the lake, and camping in Lake Eildon National Park, some of it reachable from the water. Camping, fires and access rules differ between the park and other land around the lake. Check with Parks Victoria for the park and Goulburn-Murray Water for the storage and its boating rules.
The water is cold outside the height of summer. Dress for a swim, not the air.
Wear a PFD, leave your trip intentions with someone, and set a time to call when you are off the water.
Where a Seeka fits
A calm morning in one of the arms, launching from a ramp or a campsite and following the shoreline, is good packraft water. Open-lake crossings in wind, and busy ski areas on a summer afternoon, are not what a Seeka is built for.