regionX Franklin River
River & Ocean Expeditions
Wilderness Whitewater River Journeys
The Franklin River carves its way through some of the most beautiful, rugged and inaccessible country in the world. Its significance was recognised in 1982 when it was listed as a World Heritage Area.
On your expedition you will experience surging rapids, tranquil gorges and pristine forests of myrtle, leatherwood and the ancient huon pine. Platypus, wallabies, quolls (marsupial tiger cats), cormorants and white breasted sea eagles are often encountered.
Negotiating the untamed waters of the Franklin is one of the worlds true adventures.
RegionX offers a 10 Day Trip rafting the full navigable length of the river, 7 Day Trip on the Upper Franklin and a 5 Day trip on the Lower Franklin. Our seven and ten day tours include a day walk (optional) to the imposing Frenchman's Cap 1443 metres, as well as rafting through one of Tasmanias deepest and most impressive gorges. On the five and ten day departures you will enjoy a spectacular seaplane flight to Strahan, or to Hobart by arrangement. This allows us to spend additional time on the river.
Our guides are trained in wilderness rafting, campcraft, first aid and environmental interpretation. Our senior guide has been running commercial tours on the Franklin since 1987 for Wildtrek and Peregrine. Some rapids require portaging, however we have developed safe and efficient methods of negotiating them.
Delicious and nutritious cuisine is prepared with fresh Tasmanian produce. If you have any special dietary requirements just let us know in advance.
We practice the art of minimal impact travel through this delicate environment and make sure that we carry out all waste.
Each expedition uses two guides and two rafts paddled by a crew of two to five, with a maximum of ten people per departure. You are issued a waterproof drybag (~ 60 litre) to store your personal clothing and sleeping bag. Each trip has a spare day built in to cope with possible delays.
It may be possible to customise your tour if you have a group. The minimum age is 16 years, or lower by arrangement. There is no maximum age limit. Several people in their seventies have successfully completed river trips. No previous rafting experience necessary.
Tours
From its headwaters in the alpine lakes of the Cheyne Range until its confluence with the Gordon River some 130 km later, the Franklin River flows through a wilderness national park. You will see no dams, buildings or cars; in fact there is no permanent human habitation in its catchment.
The banks are lined by temperate rainforest punctuated by rock formations and small beaches, while the air is some of the cleanest in the world.
Water levels often rise 3 metres and occasionally up to 5 metres in 6 hours, we usually have plenty of warning when this is going to occur. The river level can also drop quickly, we may wait for this to happen, depending on the section we intend to run.
Our Environmental Policy
Water by Nature continually strives to minimise the impact our tours have on the special and fragile places we visit. On the Franklin we do not light campfires because the soil is so 'peaty' it may itself ignite. Portable stoves are used for our cooking needs. We carry portable toilets on the river to ensure we leave nothing behind!
Finally, we are fortunate that the Franklin runs with pure drinkable water and we do our utmost to ensure this continues.
Guides
Our guides are professionals, chosen for their local knowledge, rafting and cooking skills. They look forward to helping you get the most from your holiday. Your safety, comfort and enjoyment are our priority.
Camping
We prefer to use tarpaulins (flysheets) as camp shelters, as we find that in many instances adequate tent sites are difficult to come by, due to the density of the forest and general steepness of terrain. It is however possible to bring your own small tent if you wish. We provide comfortable air mattresses, you may bring a thermarest or closed cell foam mat as well. Insects are not usually a problem.
We expect to begin each days rafting at around 9.00am, have lunch by the river around midday, and aim to finish at about 3.00pm. This gives us time to take a swin, explore the river environs or just to relax.
Our guides take pride in their cooking skills and go to great lengths to provide a varied and interesting menu using fresh produce. Please advise us if you have any dietary requirements.
Weather
Often warm and sunny, however rain and cold conditions both on and off the river may be encountered, and nights are usually cool.
Much of the Franklin catchment receives in excess of 2500mm precipitation annually. It can snow on the peaks even in summer however, it is generally protected and comfortable in the river valley. For your comfort please follow the equipment list provided.
