Distance: 10 to 16 kilometres return
Duration: 2.5 to 4 hours return
Best time to launch: 1 hour before high tide at Richmond River – Coraki Boat Ramp.
Start/finish: Coraki Beach, Richmond Terrace, Coraki – GPS: 28°59’12.9″S 153°17’17.6″E.
Parking: On gravel beside the street.
Toilets: Near Coraki Boat Ramp, a short distance to the left of Coraki Beach as you are looking at the river.
Route:
The name Coraki comes from a Bundjalung Aboriginal word that means the meeting of the waters. This is because it is situated on the confluence of the Richmond and Wilsons Rivers. The town’s beach is the best place to get onto the water. If that is not possible, you can use Coraki Boat ramp, a little further north. From the beach, the junction of the rivers is to your left. Head that way and then decide whether you would like to venture up the Richmond River to the left or the Wilsons River to the right. There aren’t many who can say they have seen a koala in the wild, and even fewer can boast of seeing them from the water, but if you paddle up the Richmond or Wilsons River from Coraki you might just get the amazing opportunity to add your name to both those lists twenty times over. It is possible to travel a long distance up both rivers so it is up to you to decide when you are ready to turn around and come back to Coraki. To the right of Coraki Beach, the Richmond River runs all the way to Ballina. We don’t suggest you go that far today but if you would like to say hello to the koalas in that direction, a 14 kilometre paddle to the mouth of Bungawalbin Creek and back is a great reason to stay in Coraki for another day.