Have you ever wanted to swim in croc-infested waters ?
Me neither but... I just have.
For me, my curiosity was sparked many years ago. Our local beach club has a wonderful archives person who continually changes the club's display cabinet to highlight different adventure swims that club members have done over the years. There was one photo that always captured my attention... the one in Lake Argyle where a bunch of swimmers swam in a croc cage.
I always thought, why would you want to do that!
But secretly ever since I saw the photo it has always been on my "bucket list" of adventure swims to do.
So when a group of Balmoral swimmers called the "Salty Crocs" asked me to join their adventure to Lake Argyle this year, I had to sign up.
After doing a few of these adventure swims, you learn very quickly that they are a team effort, as the logistics to get there are exhausting and it's great to have a team captain. In this case we had 2 captains. I will refer to them affectionally as Captain Crazy and Captain Organised. Both wonderful people with lots of enthusiasm for living life to the full with the added bonus of exceptional planning expertise.
So the first step was getting registered for the swim. You would think that this would be the easy part. How many people could possibly want to swim with Crocodiles? Did I mention that the number of crocodiles living in Lake Argyle is quoted at 35,000 (Dept. of Environment and Conservation survey 2010)!
Well, it would appear that actually there are a lot of crazy swimmers out there. The slots for the swim get taken up so quickly each year. The website goes live and within minutes the event is sold out. 165 lucky swimmers can be registered in various events, the 20K solo, 20K duo and 20k teams, 10 k solo, 10k duo and 10 team.
Why the 10km duo? For me, it was the perfect balance of challenge and camaraderie. Swimming 10 kilometres is no small feat, but sharing the distance with a partner made it achievable, and dare I say, enjoyable. We were both avid swimmers. The allure of Lake Argyle’s pristine waters and the thrill of the challenge were irresistible.
As seasoned swimmers the distance was never going to be our challenge. It would be the fresh water, the water temperature being a predicted 28C and the ever present thoughts about the so-called friendly crocs. In preparation, Captain Crazy planned our first "Hot and Heavy" session at Manly Dam prior to departing Sydney. 6am on a Saturday morning, 2 months out from the swim.
Swimming out at dawn through the lilies was much more pleasant than I thought it would be. The water was a warm 24C and we began with a 4km course working up to a 6km course.
Behind the scenes Captain Sensible worked on logistics; booking accomodation, boats, kayaks, merch..... the list went on.
With 165 swimmers vying for all these essential arrangements you had to get in early as they can be tricky to secure. For future argyle swimmers my suggestions are;
Accomodation:
Kununurra - Kimberleyland 1 hr from Lake Argyle. Waterfront cabins
Lake Argyle Holiday Park On the Lake. Book out super quick
Boat Hire - Read the fine print. Not all boats are the same, as we discovered.
Kayake - Again, read the fine print. Kayaks are not delivered to the water. So getting them down to the lake is challenging.
Local Facebook groups
Just a little FYI. Boats are delivered to the boat ramp, however kayaks aren't. We only learnt this on the eve of the swim, which left us with no other option but to shove it in the back of the rental car and hold on tight as we ventured 2 kms down towards the lake.
Before we knew it we were having a pre-swim dinner to finalise our plans. To host the dinner one of the Club members who was instrumental in founding the Lake Argyle Swim came along and gave us insight to his experience and a bit of history on the swim's beginning.
He explained that in 2006, an audacious plan was hatched to try and swim the 61 km length of Lake Argyle for the first time. Six swimmers, all from the Club, became the first to swim successfully across this body of water.
In 2007, the group returned and helped to organise the first public swim held in the lake. This swim, now known as the Lake Argyle Swim, is the largest community participation sporting event in Northern Australia. It is also the largest community swimming event in Western Australia outside of Perth. This video captures their experience. "So many swimmers go to the English Channel when this in our back yard".
All geed up after the dinner, our Whats app chat started to hum with the usual swim banter..
"What brand of hydralite do we need?" What swimsuits are we wearing?
2 days later we arrived in Darwin. A steamy afternoon spent walking the waterfront before stumbling upon Austin lane. A graffiti filled oasis. We followed the Croc graffiti to Charlies a hidden Gin distillery. The overriding theme in the NT is crocodiles. From crocodile dumplings to crocodile gin, we sampled it all. Try the Salty Plum Gin it was delicious. Then we opted for Sunset drinks at the Zen Bar roof top. A fabulous 360 view. A locals joint where they dig into a free buffet followed by Drag Bingo
Dinner at Meraki ... Unexpected. The best moussaka I have enjoyed since visiting the island of Kythira, in Greece. The next morning, the essential coffee was acquired at 1995 in Air Raid arcade. An eclectic arcade full of shopping treasures.
Next a short flight and we arrived in Kununurra. Staying at the Lake Kununurra waterfront cabins provided the most tranquil view.
We were not long settled in when Captain Crazy suggested a swim off the nearby dock. Three from the team were off enjoying the water. A short while later only metres away, we saw our first croc. The locals refer to them as freshies.... as opposed to salties. The freshies are not considered dangerous.... this one was about 2 metres long with lovely white teeth, and was sunning himself amongst the reeds. To me, though, he looked terrifying.
The registration brief was scheduled for the afternoon before the swim, so we planned a morning on the lake so our skippers could familiarise themselves with the area. Arriving at Lake Argyle, the sheer size and beauty of the lake took our breath away. The view entering the boat ramp was spectacular; the signs at the bottom of the ramp not so welcoming. Warning....Croc sighting in the area.
But it hadn't stopped another group of swimmers who were exiting the lake as we were entering.
We swimmers are a crazy bunch!.
Lake Argyle is incredible...it's man-made. Created by damming the Ode River, it took over 3 years to fill and is now a thriving eco system, 20 times bigger than Sydney Harbour.
Boat orientation continued. Our skippers "know boats" but these were tinnies; metal decks with an outboard motor. Within minutes, we heard the crash as our Skipper reversed into rocks, the boat hire company looked on and shouted "do you even have a licence.?" Us swimmers looked on, thinking we may be safer in the water with the crocs than on the boat.
The afternoon was spent at the infinity pool which claimed it is "the 2nd most photographed pool in Australia", after Icebergs, at Bondi.
Race day. Half the team had a 4.30am start and the others had a sleep into 5.30am. We had about an hours drive in from Kununurra.
Skippers were then sent down to the boat ramp and swimmers were ushered down a goat track to the start. Swimmers and supporters buzzed with excitement, sharing stories and tips. The camaraderie among participants was one of the highlights. Everyone was here for the love of swimming and the spirit of adventure.
The event had 2 start times and places. The 20km start was at 8.30am and 10km at 10.am. The boat trip out was not without excitement, as the wind was up and there was chop on the lake. As our Skipper belted along we bounced up and down in our little, tin dinghy, until we hit a wave and the dinghy jack-knifed the boat. which gave us all an "oh gee" moment. After that we motored on at a more steady pace. We weren't the only boat with a mishap, as moments later we saw boat number 78 upside down washed up onto the rocks!
Arriving at the start line we had the adrenaline rush which gave us a strong start.
My partner Anna, being a seasoned Marathon swimmer, having completed the English Channel, Rottnest 4 times plus many more, planned our race change-overs. 30 minutes in the water each to begin, followed by 20mins, then 10 mins. It's the first time I"d done a duo and realised it gave you just enough time to gobble a vegemite sandwich, wash it down with a powerade and pop a few red snakes.... the sustenance of champions!
As a team we managed to chase down a few swimmers, but it was really hard to know how our pace was compared to others. We both were just enjoying the view.
Seeing the finish line in the distance brought a surge of energy. I joined Anna in the water and we crossed the finish line together.
And then headed straight to the barge that was serving champagne!
Followed by the biggest party in WA with 700 guests treated to a festive sit-down dinner.
And for those who keep asking about the likelihood of salt water crocodiles in Lake Arglye check out the latest stories on ABC News "Saltwater crocodiles in the Upper Ode River"
#YOU NEVER REGRET A SWIM