The Dreamtime Voyage by Paul Caffyn

Description

The Dreamtime Voyage is Paul Caffyn’s story of one of the most remarkable journeys ever undertaken by kayak – the first kayak circumnavigation of Australia – a 9,420 mile (15,160 km), 360 day epic. It is an inspirational tale of one man’s dogged determination to fulfill his impossible dream against all odds, including tropical cyclones, raging surf, sharks, sea snakes, crocodiles and three long sections of sheer limestone cliffs.

In early December 2007, the Victorian Sea Kayak Club organized a 25th anniversary celebration of the completion of the 1982 Round Australia Kayak Expedition (RAKE) at Queenscliff. On a beautiful sunny morning, Paul in his round Australia kayak Lalaguli, with Andy alongside, paddled back into Caffyn Cove to receive a marvellous reception, with Lesley on the beach, champagne flowing, two pipers on the top of the headland, a canon shot and big mobs of well-wishers.

At the cliff top, Paul unveiled a big lump of basalt with a superbly inscribed plaque on top, noting the significance of the 1982 around Australia paddle, which had started and finished at Queenscliff.

Led by a lone piper, Lalaguli was carried in a solemn procession to the Queenscliffe Maritime Museum where Paul formally handed over his kayak to go on permanent display.

After, Paul self-published The Dreamtime Voyage in 1994, the first print run sold out inside two years. A second print run also sold well, with the book going out of print in 1998. On-going requests for the book and huge prices requested on overseas websites for very rare 2nd hand copies led Paul to consider a new edition, especially after the wonderful 25th anniversary celebrations.

Discerning readers will observe a vast improvement in the reproduction of the black and white photographs in this new edition. Mysteriously, one of the original colour photos could not be located – the start of the Baxter Cliffs – but Andy kindly consented to the replacement R18 launching photo. Reader discretion is advised.

A two page preface to the new edition, with five photos, describes the 25th anniversary celebrations and updates Paul’s recent paddling history. To continue the tradition of including a 1st edition book launch photo, as with the 2nd edition of Obscured by Waves, Paul has included a photo of the 1994 launch of The Dreamtime Voyage at a KASK Picton sea kayak symposium, with details of the bribery note received after Paul was photographed wearing a suit, tie and shoes.

A photo of the RAKE team, 25 years after the original 1982 finish at Queenscliff, compares how Andy, Lesley and Paul have stood up to the test of time after 25 years.