Mini Meeeee has last laugh. - Gundagai, Murrumbidgee and Tumut NSW

By Chris Roberts    

I arrived in Australia and was greeted by Matthew Fallow of the NSW Jet Boat Association. I was here for four days of jet boating.

Wednesday morning was cool but clear as we travelled towards Sydney where we meet up with Rockhard Steve, No oil Simon and Gary with one of the new 4 stroke jet skis. The shallow V of the Gemini sliding over the wake of the Rivercraft made for some interesting boating. Simon insisted on showing me how much mud he could pump as we passes through some mangroves. With the tide going slowly out we blasted up a number of small waterways only to find the dry weather had dried up most of the flowing water. Gary managed to park the jet ski on a sandy stretch of water and provided a bit of entertainment as they moved it only a short distance back into a more boat able section. After having a snack break up a winding creek I asked Simon "how well does the boat spin" , well that was like a red rag to a bull and we spun. Just then the oil pressure disappeared leaving us floating with the tide. After a bit of playing about we primed the oil pump (just as well the P76 has it on the outside… maybe for this very reason.) After a bit more playing about we headed back to the ramp where when parking Steve's boat on the trailer we stirred up a bit of mud of the bottom which had him thinking he had a major oil leak. Matthew reassured him and all was well.

Early Thursday morning we meet up with Steve, Ryan, and Jones (Yogi) and we headed south through the Sydney traffic and arrived at Gundagai around lunch. After checking in at the motor camp we headed down to the ramp to find the Murrumbidgee river was discoloured and flowing high (52 cumecs) from the rain in the hills over night. We launched and headed upstream for a look. Boating was easy with the exception of the hidden logs. Turning off we headed up the Tumut river where Ryan found where the river flowed behind a large willow tree where he put on a display on for the camera. We travelled up as far as the first bridge. On the way back Matthew obtained permission from Canberra to exceed the standard 2500-3000 rpm and I put the foot down. We pulled the boats out and headed back to camp.

It was getting near dark when Keith, Steven and Kevin arrived towing Mini Meeee. The small hull is powered by a Suzuki 4 and Jacuzzi jet unit. After an inspection and a quick alternator change, it was decided to put the boat in the river and give it a test run before Friday. Like most units of this type it did not prime first off but once the water reached the impeller Keith decided to back it out and give it death. Slowly climbing onto the plane it disappeared behind the trees to return at quite a pace. The proceeding spin (one that Simon would be proud of) caused a great clatter. Frantic paddling saw Keith bring it to within a couple of metres of the bank before it sunk. Using a 4x4 and a long rope it was towed through the trees and up to the waiting trailer. Inspection later revelled that the jet unit had blown to bits. Various ideas were thrown about to the reason why. Not wanting to leave the motor full of water all the plugs were removed so the drive shaft bolts could be reached by turning the motor over. Matthew not wanting to get hit by the drive shaft stood back as the starter was engaged. If I had a video camera running at this point I would be a rich man because the water in the bore under quite some pressure came blasting out the no.2 spark plug hole and hit him directly in the face. Mini Meeee had the last laugh, mind you there were a lot of others joining in. Most were still talking about it down at the local club (where we were to have some great meals) when John Ward arrived.

Friday we woke to find a small amount of ice on the boat covers. Ray, friend and John B arrived as everyone was preparing for the days trip. Since the Murrumbidgee had even more water than Thursday it was decided to launch at the first bridge on the Tumut and head up as far as possible. The Tumut had dropped about a half a metre but still dirty. Murry had a few navigational problems after a steering overhaul (it always pays to make sure the nozzle points the correct direction when to turn the wheel) and a starter replacement. We headed up and left Ryan and Yogi behind to repair the throttle cable which had broken just after launching. Just after the township we found that all the dirty water was coming in from a side stream. We parked up in the now crystal clear water for a spot of lunch. Not long later our peace was disrupted as Ryan and Yogi arrived with the P76 on song. Amazing what you can do with fencing wire. With low flows (6.48cumecs) in the upper Tumut it was decided to see how far up we could get. Rattling up the shelves and moving the odd branch we did not quite make it to the dam as fuel was getting low. Heading down Ryan gave me first hand idea of how to navigate the willows while the motor starved of fuel. We soon had the motor going again and carried on down before it stopped again. With everyone safely back at the launch spot (John Ward using only fumes) we headed back to camp.

Saturday morning came early after listening to another night of people snoring. Before todays run, Ryan made a few changes to the fuel delivery system in an effort to prevent the starvation problems plaguing the boat. Keith, Steven and Kevin headed away as the rest of us decided to do a down stream run of the Murrumbidgee. While getting ready there were a few drag races held from which the results will remain anonymous. The water was almost ripple free for the hour we travelled down to the bridge which we could pass under. I managed to find a small shingle bar while taking the cautious approach around an island and had to check the water. We arrived back at lunch time so everyone would have ample time to travel home.

I left Australia for the land of the jet boat on Sunday morning. All in all it's been an interesting couple of days. Burnt heaps of fuel. Caught up with friends. Seen new sights. And still had the smile from on my face from the mental picture of Matthew with a face full of oily water.

For more information about boating in Australia contact the NSW Jet Boat Association www.zip.com.au/~gvhull/jetassoc.htm

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