Canoe Tas Inc
North East
Ringarooma River
Herrick Gorge
Distance: 2.5 km. |
Average Grade: |
Peak Grade: |
Difficulty: Grade 3-4-5. |
Paddling Time: 1-2 hours. |
Entry Point: The Tasman Highway Bridge (A3) at Moorina (Grid ref. 728 466). |
Exit Point: Immediately at bottom of gorge on river left. The obvious vehicle track takes you up to the road near Herrick at the first house, a 1.2km walk. There is also apparently a shorter track heading up left around or through the Euc plantation to bring you to a track leading up to road (the B82 to Gladstone), which is probably half the distance. |
Water Level: minimum 2.1m, 2.5m is nice gr 3/4, over 3.3m is gr 4/5. (BOM Ringarooma river at Moorina bridge) |
Tasmap: 1:100 000 Forester. |
Shuttle: 3 km. |
General Description: Travels through a spectacular granite gorge, which is strewn with car to house size boulders, many of which are quite undercut and at a lowish level water can travel under these boulders. At medium/low levels all rapids should be inspected. At high/flood level becomes continuous Grade 4 to 5 with the steep slabby granite walls making inspections almost impossible once in the gorge. |
Gavin Bye on the first major rapid in Herrick Gorge (at the minimum 2.1m water level).
The second rapid at 2.3m water level