Avon Descent

Every year the Avon Descent is held on the first weekend of August.  It is the longest white water event in the world and competitors from all over the world endeavour the long arduous journey to be first at the finishing line.  The event is over 2 days:
Day 1 is a 57 kilometre stretch beginning from Northam, 100 kilometres east of Perth.  The event started 2 hours late due to low fog.  The half-way point and overnight stop is the Boral Campsite located at Cobbler Pool 20 kilometres west of Toodyay.
Day 2 is 76 kilometres long and sees competitors tackle the valley containing the major white water obstacles and challenges of the event including Supershoot, Emu Falls, Championship Rapids and Bells Rapids. The rush of the valley leaves competitors with the marathon 30 kilometre, flat water stretch to Bayswater.
It is a beautiful weekend in Perth, yesterday we went to Monga Lake for lunch and a walk, today we took a ten minute drive to Sandy Beach (not really a beach, it is an area of the Swan River) in Bassendean.  We spied an empty park bench and watched the speed boats and kayaks on the last leg of their cruelling race.  A group of not so young girls were perched on the small jetty, clapping and edging each participant to keep going to the end.  The finishing line along the river in Bayswater, the next suburb, but I don't know how long it would take by kayak.  Maybe twenty minutes.  The young and not so young men were eager to keep going and were cheered by many spectators clapping and cheering them on.  We heard many of them remark they were tired and the race had been a difficult one.
Helicopters flew overhead filming and reporting on the race below, a lone kookaburra, out of view laughed cheekily and children played near by. 
Unexpectedly a small group of people quickly walked onto the jetty in front of us with a kayak oar and swapped it with a competitor as he slowed just a fraction to do the swap.  I don't know why the swap happened but the people seemed pleased it happened smoothly and encouraged him forward. The wind cooled the air and we returned home knowing we had once again been part of this annual event which inspires many.