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Packrafting in Western Australia

The south-west of Western Australia holds the touring river of record for the state. The Blackwood rises in wheatbelt country and runs to the sea at Hardy Inlet near Augusta, passing through jarrah forest and farm valleys on the way.

8 trip guides

The pedestrian suspension bridge over the Avon River at Northam, Western AustraliaWAMitch Ames, CC BY-SA 4.0

Packrafting the Avon River

The Avon River runs through the wheatbelt east of Perth, past York, Northam and Toodyay, and cuts west through the Darling Range to become the Swan. For much of the year it is a string of pools across farming country. In a wet winter it becomes a flowing river, and through the hills it turns into whitewater.

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The mouth of the Canning River in Perth, Western Australia, with moored yachts and the city skyline in the distanceWACalistemon, CC BY-SA 4.0

Packrafting the Canning River

The Canning River runs out of the Darling Range east of Perth, down through the southern suburbs, and joins the Swan River at Canning Bridge before opening into Melville Water. Its lower half is a broad tidal estuary. Above Kent Street Weir it is a narrow, freshwater river lined with paperbarks and reeds.

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A forested bend of the Frankland River near Nornalup in Walpole-Nornalup National Park, Western AustraliaWASam Wilson, CC BY-SA 2.0

Packrafting the Frankland River

The Frankland River runs south through the tall forests of Walpole-Nornalup National Park on the south coast of Western Australia and empties into Nornalup Inlet near the small settlement of Nornalup. Its lower reaches are slow, dark and forest-lined, and they lead straight into one of the most sheltered inlet systems on that coast.

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The Margaret River lagoon behind the sand bar at the river mouth near Prevelly, Western Australia, with hire canoes on the beachWASeanMack, CC BY-SA 2.5

Packrafting the Margaret River

The Margaret River flows west through forest and farmland in the south west of Western Australia, past the town that shares its name, and reaches the Indian Ocean at Prevelly. It is a small river with a big reputation, and its lower reaches and lagoon mouth make a short, easy paddle on a coast better known for surf.

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The Murchison River winding through its red sandstone gorge below the Z Bend lookout, Kalbarri National Park, Western AustraliaWAFlickr user robertpaulyoung, CC BY 2.0

Packrafting the Murchison River

The Murchison River reaches the Indian Ocean at Kalbarri, on the Western Australian coast north of Geraldton. Its last stretch runs through Kalbarri National Park, where it has cut a deep, winding gorge through red and white banded sandstone. It is remote, hot and flood-driven, and when there is water in it the gorge is one of the great paddling settings in the west.

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The wide, calm Murray River at Ravenswood, Western Australia, with paperbarks and riverside jettiesWACalistemon, CC BY-SA 4.0

Packrafting the Murray River (WA)

The Murray River in Western Australia is a different river from the Murray that divides Victoria and New South Wales. This one runs out of the jarrah forests of the Darling Range south-east of Perth, down through Pinjarra and Ravenswood on the coastal plain, and empties into the Peel Inlet, part of the Peel-Harvey estuary behind Mandurah.

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The Guildford Road Bridge over the upper Swan River at Guildford, Western Australia, seen from the riverbankWARonnievonjohnson, CC BY 4.0

Packrafting the Swan River

The Swan River is Perth's river. It begins where the Avon meets Wooroloo Brook in the hills north-east of the city, winds through the Swan Valley and Guildford, and widens past the city centre into Perth Water and Melville Water before reaching the ocean at Fremantle. Most of its length is a tidal estuary.

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The Blackwood River at Nannup, Western Australia, with jarrah and marri on the banksWACalistemon, CC BY-SA 4.0

The Blackwood River, WA’s long touring river

The Blackwood is one of the longest rivers in Western Australia's south-west. It rises in the wheat belt country east of the Darling Scarp and runs west and south through jarrah forest and farm valleys before it meets the sea at Hardy Inlet near Augusta. That distance, and the variety of country it passes through, makes the Blackwood the central canoe touring river of the south-west. Most of its length is gentle moving water, not whitewater. The reward is days of unhurried paddling through changing country, with the sounds of forest instead of traffic.

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About paddling in Western Australia

Most of its length is gentle moving water rather than rapids, which makes it a river for days, not hours: unhurried paddling, forest sounds, simple camps. Winter and spring bring the flows. By late summer many reaches run thin, so the season decides the trip. Access points are spread along the valley, which suits a packraft you can carry, launch anywhere, and roll up at a road bridge when the day is done. Check flows before you commit and expect fences and fallen timber near farmland. A Seeka Tourer suits the Blackwood pattern well, and the Solo keeps the walk-in options open.

Seasons in the south-west

Winter brings the water. The Bureau of Meteorology describes south-west winter rainfall as reliable and summer rainfall as unreliable, with the autumn break usually arriving by early May in the west and mid to late June further east.

Winter flow changes the character of the rivers. Parks and Wildlife describe the Murray River in Lane Poole Reserve as tranquil in spring and summer and fast white water in winter. In Walpole-Nornalup, the inlets suit a lazy summer paddle while the winter rivers swirl and rage.

Match the season to the trip. Summer is for the inlets, pools and slow reaches. If a winter section turns white, walk around it.

Check river levels before you drive

The Department of Water and Environmental Regulation runs a network of river monitoring stations across the state. Telemetered levels usually update hourly and are free to view.

The data is provisional, so read it as a guide rather than a guarantee. Compare the current level with recent days: a fast rise means rain upstream, and a falling river in late summer means more walking than paddling.

Safety rules on WA water

A packraft fits WA's definition of a paddle craft, and paddle craft must carry the safety equipment the law sets out. On protected waters and within 400 metres of shore, the Department of Transport recommends wearing a level 50S lifejacket or higher.

Paddling between sunset and sunrise? You must carry a torch or lantern showing a white light. Further out, more than 400 metres offshore in unprotected waters, the rules require a worn lifejacket, a GPS-enabled EPIRB or PLB, and flares. A Seeka belongs on the inlets and rivers, not out there.

Wear bright colours, stay close to shore, and tell someone where you are going and when you will be back.

Parks, passes and other water

Some WA parks charge an entry fee per vehicle and some do not. Lane Poole Reserve charges one. Blackwood River National Park and Walpole-Nornalup National Park do not. A Parks and Wildlife park pass covers entry fees for a vehicle; camping is extra. Check current fees and park alerts before you go.

Beyond the trip guides on this page, the Murray River runs through Lane Poole Reserve, where Island Pool gives you access to the river. The Walpole and Nornalup inlets connect to the Frankland and Deep rivers in tall tingle and karri country. In the north, the tropical cyclone season runs from November to April.

Official links

Rules, closures and fees change. Check these before every trip.

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