The reflection of mountains on still water, and the peaceful sound of oars gently touching the water is one of the most serine ways to spend the day. It's easy to switch off from the stresses of everyday life and to really take stock of what's important.
Being out on the water with the kids enjoying spotting wildlife, challenging their fitness, and being completely disconnected from devices gave us the opportunity to connect on a level that was once taken for granted when they were younger, or rather was that pre Covid? I'm not sure, but either way, I think you'll find it's a lovely way to spend quality time with the people you care about.
Where are we you may ask? We're at Brogo Dam, in the Bega Valley on the South Coast of NSW. It's located 430km South of Sydney, approximately 20min North of Bega or 45min from Bermagui.
I'd been wishing to explore Brogo dam for a few months, after finding out about this spot from locals. But, as we don't own a canoe or kayak, nor a vehicle equipped to carry one, I needed to source a way to spend the day exploring the region. Luckily, a quick Google search brought up Brogo Dam Wilderness. A local business that hires out Canadian canoes. A quick text to the owner Dave and we were set to hire two canoes the very next morning!
Dave, as it turns out, only lives a few doors down from the dam and could provide us with easy directions to the dam, along with a list of things we may like to take for an enjoyable day paddling. So the following morning, Dave met us at the boat ramp and gave us some maps of the area to look at whilst he unloaded the canoes from his trailer and launched them into the water. He then gave us a quick safety briefing and showed us some of the best spots to explore on the map before setting us off to explore the dam for ourselves.
I couldn't fault his service. He was on time, efficient and full of local knowledge.
Brogo dam is so much bigger than I envisioned it to be, so we only covered a small amount of it during our two hours. I'm looking forward to getting back out onto the dam again to see the areas we missed the first time.
From memory, the two canoes for two-hour hire with life vests cost $75 for two kids and 1 adult. Though, prices may be different now.
Pack a picnic, and a sense of adventure and explore the wildlife and scenery at Brogo Dam.
