Australia’s first modern sea kayak expedition: “The journey they said couldn’t be done” Members: Earle de Blonville & John Brewster First kayak expedition to circumnavigate Tasmania’s 1,600 km coastline Route: The 1798-99 route of Bass and Flinders in the ‘Norfolk’ Start and finish Georgetown: anticlockwise via the west coast and Hobart. Media covers the Tasmania expedition itself, plus the pre-Tasmania training voyages in Scotland and the Hebrides, plus resulting articles.Kayak used in 1979 circumnavigation of Tasmania by Earl Bloomfield, accompanied by journal of expedition and photographs Sea Kayak, Nordkapp designsea kayak, circumnavigation of tasmania, earl de bonville, earl bloomfield

Feja Hoffmeister was the first woman to complete a circumnavigation of Australia by kayak.The journey that started at Queenscliff (Victoria), on the 18/1/2009 and ended at the same point on the 15/12/2009This kayak used by Freja Hoffmeister for her circumnavigation of Australia. Sea kayak [white] with equipment. Various promotional textfreya hoffmeister, kayak, circumnavigation, paul caffyn

Paul Caffyn undertook perhaps the ultimate kayak circumnavigation, a 9,420mile journey around Australia in 1981/2 which took 360 days to complete. ‘The Dreamtime Voyage’ is his account of this odyssey which is acknowledged as one of the most remarkable journeys ever undertaken by kayak. Paul had to contend with a tropical cyclone which nearly swept him off a small offshore islet in the Coral Sea, raging surf, tiger sharks which frequently bumped into the kayak in the Gulf of Carpentaria, crocodiles, sea snakes and three sections of sheer limestone cliffs. To overcome the three 100 mile plus long sections of cliffs, Paul used Nodoz tablets to stay awake and Lomotil to keep his bowels dormant during these overnight paddles. The longest stint along the awesome Zuytdorp Cliffs in Western Australia, took 34 hours of continuous paddling.Sea kayak used by Paul Caffyn to circumnavigate Australia in 1981-82. First sea kayak to voyage around Australia.Yellow fibreglass kayak"Lalaguli" various other markingssea kayak, paul caffyn, lalagule

In 1960 seventy-four commandos from 2 Commando Company left Point Lonsdale at 6pm on February 17 to cross The Rip in an exercise raid on the Portsea officer school. Shortly after departing, a strong tide caught the raiding party and pushed them out to sea through The Rip, where 10-metre waves capsized many of the kayaks and amphibious vehicles. Many of the men were picked up by larger rescue boats, only to be overturned once again in the heavy seas. Warrant Officer George Drakopolous and the driver of his amphibious DUKW, Private Eddie Meyer, both drowned as their vehicle sank. Eight of the commandos were rescued in Bass Strait after being picked up by an Italian ship, the Toscana. Commando Roger Wood helped others board the Toscana safely but was washed off a rope ladder by a monster wave and into the sea. His body was never found. It remains one of Australia's least-known peacetime military tragedies.One of the later disasters around the Rip between Points Nepean and Lonsdale. The 'Queenscliffe' lifeboat turned out to search for survivors without success Paddles from a Mk3 foldaboat used in ill fated commando training exercise in 1960the rip disaster, kayaks, oars