Paddling in Mitchell River National Park

Mitchell River National Park sits in the foothills of the Victorian high country in Gippsland, where the Wonnangatta, Wongungurra, Dargo, and Wentworth rivers converge to form the Mitchell River.

The park protects a free-flowing gorge system on Gunaikurnai Brabralung Country, and the Mitchell is the water that defines paddling here — a continuous moving-water run through old-growth forest, rocky cliff faces, and gravel races that demands honest skill assessment before you put in.

The character of the river is pool-drop and chute, with grade 2 gravel races linking sections of flatwater and a handful of grade 3 to 3+ rapids that require scouting.

Amphitheatre, Weir, and Final Fling are the rapids of most consequence — all portageable at most flows, but none to be taken casually.

A cluster of three grade 3 rapids just below Scotts, beginning with Surprise, can also catch paddlers off guard; portaging all three along the right bank is a reasonable call.

The river reads differently depending on level: late winter through early spring brings higher, faster water that changes the paddling landscape considerably, while summer flows drop to board-shorts territory — refreshing and manageable in a packraft, but a longer canoe will hang up repeatedly on the shallows.

The standard multi-day run goes from Angusvale to Final Fling over 2 to 3 days. Putting in near Dargo adds roughly another day of paddling before reaching Angusvale.

The Castleburn Creek confluence is a practical alternative starting point that cuts several hours off the Meyers Flat campground put-in near the Waterford Bridge.

Riverside camps on gravel flats are part of what makes this a worthwhile overnight trip — confirm current camp rules with Parks Victoria before you go, as access tracks including the Angusvale Track have been subject to storm landslip and the Mitchell River ford between Angusvale Track and Hortons Track has been closed to vehicles.

Before committing to any section, check the Waterford and Glenaldale gauges and read recent paddler notes. A gauge height of 1.

62 at Waterford is low enough that you will be walking short sections and scraping through others — manageable in a packraft, slow in a canoe. Higher flows change the grade and the hazards.

The Mitchell is not a river to run on assumption: flow, skill, craft, and a workable self-rescue plan all need to line up before you leave the put-in.