PRESS RELEASE
For immediate release
FRI July 24, 2009

Kayak Man tackles Brumby over Goulburn

Author, adventurer and engineer Steve Posselt will paddle up the Goulburn River and over the Great Divide into Melbourne this month to lend his profile to the campaign against the Victorian Government's plan to take another 75 billion litres of water each year out of the rivers.

He will leave Echuca on August 1st and plans to arrive in Melbourne on August 16, a gruelling 16 day trip upstream and over a mountain range.


He implored the people of Melbourne to support the farmers and environmentalists who are fighting for the river. “Melbourne has other options, the river doesn't” he said.

With 38 years industry experience and over 5000km on the rivers he knows what he is talking about.

His kayak is unique, with three wheels and a harness, he dragged it more than 1000km during his Brisbane to Adelaide trip when much of the river was dry. “A bit of a hill near Kinglake will be a doddle,” he joked.

As Steve travels up the stressed river he will talk to those affected by the North South Pipeline, a State Government project currently being built as part of the State Government's water grid.

Steve will be sent on his journey with a river boat's ‘Bon Voyage’ with horns tooting. Along the way he will stop at Shepparton, Nagambie, Seymour and the site of the Melbourne Water Pump Facility at Killingworth near Yea.

“When there is not enough water to go round, no amount of large-scale engineering will get us out of trouble. In fact, it usually makes things worse’ Steve said.

“There are much better and much more sensible solutions – we have really got to invest in water efficiency in Melbourne – much more stormwater capture and recycling, retro-fitting of houses across Melbourne to be truly water efficient. Almost as much rain falls on Melbourne as Melbourne uses and what are we doing about that?“

On Sunday 16th August Steve Posselt will kayak into the city along the Yarra River finishing at Federation Wharf where people from across Melbourne who share his concerns will join with him to make a plea for common sense water decisions.

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For more information contact Giovanni Ebono 0402 779 375