Packfest 2025! Whitewater Kayaking

Get keen, get hyped, get excited, get eager, do a dance, sing in the shower, run and tell your mum, run and tell your dad, run and tell your brother, run and tell your sister! Because PACKFEST 2025 IS HEERRRREEEEEE!!

Packfest is an annual whitewater kayaking event where all the keen packrafters get together and paddle on the mighty Mitta Mitta River in northern Victoria. While the club doesn’t have packrafts, we have kayaks, and where there’s water and kayakers, we kayak, so we’re going. For more information, check out the official facebook event.

Who is this trip suitable for?

This trip is suitable for people who have done some kayaking, or are super keen to get into whitewater kayaking. We will do a mix of intro and advanced kayaking, so this trip is suitable for all paddling abilities (provided you have *some* experience to begin with, even flatwater)

Priority will be given in order of kayaking experience due to a lack of space; whitewater experience is prioritised

What’s the plan, Stan?

Packfest is a 2 day event, but considering the drive time, I think we should make it longer. So we’ll try to paddle in the NSW Snowy mountians on the way, and potentially on the way back too.

Thursday night/Friday morning: Drive down part way, and do some kayaking on friday either in the Snowy Mountains, or Murray river etc.

Saturday and Sunday: Enjoy packfest events. Do some grade 2 and grade 3 river kayaking. Which sections you do will depend on your ability and confidence on the river

Monday: Drive back to Sydney (8 hours)

What you will need

The club will provide you with boats, paddles, helmets, spray decks. Please talk to me about that once you have booked the trip. Everything else below, you will have to source yourself either from the club or your own cupboard

You will need to bring your own:

• Sleeping/camping equipment (tent, sleeping bag, sleeping mat etc.)
• Food for the entire duration
• Cooking equipment
• Warm clothes for off the river (you will likely get very cold, we are paddling snow melt)
• WETSUIT OR DRYTOP IS MANDATORY!
  • I recommend bringing a very very warm wetsuit. A conyoning wetsuit is probably most suitable
  • A surf wettie won’t cut it, but 2 might
• Pogies! These will keep your hands warm. I will make a pattern to sew your own, or you can buy them
  • if you don’t know how to sew, ask a friend to teach you, or to do it for you if they’re nice enough
• Dry bag – 1 or 2 is good to carry your lunch and other things on the river

Some reasons to come

• Rory has offered to drive us all down in his bus
• Lawrence is a trained raft guide and we’re gonna bring the raft
• You are keen on paddling and want to meet others in the paddling scene
• I will be there

In the textbox, please tell me:

1. What is your experience kayaking (flat or whitewater)? If you have kayaked on whitewater (and we haven’t met), what rivers and grade have you paddled? If you have never kayaked, convince me why you’re super keen to learn whitewater
2. What will you bring to keep yourself warm on the river?
3. If you have a car, does it have roofracks?
4. If you are keen to come, but can’t miss friday/monday cos of work/uni

If you miss an answer to these questions, I will come over to your house and eat your dinner and all the leftovers

Bookings close on 14/09/2025 at 12pm (noon)