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RUBICON RIVER - UPPER SECTION
ubicon River: Upper Section above Rubicon Power station (Royston River Confluence)
There is a bit of information below from the Adventure Pro write up some time ago. The Upper does not usually get paddled due to the inordinate amount of wood and logs in the river, and the lack of water. The put in is up the hill from the Lower Rubicon power station and seems to be only about 500m from the confluence with the Royston. However, I managed to put in slightly higher and paddle about 1.5km down including all but one of the smaller falls and slide. The walk up to the put is is also steep but it affords a great view of the river, and you can scout on the way. Actually getting to the water is quite hard, as its down a steep cliff with blackberries etc. Make sure you know where you want to take out to portage, as the eddies are few and far between, and hard to catch due to their small size.
Water level was only 1.1 on the Rubicon but due to the recent high rains the level on the upper was an absolute adrenaline rush. The river is quite big and bouncy but still technical due to the boulder style rapids.
Take out at the confluence or just below the Royston Rd bridge for easy access.
Potentially FD section Nov 26 2022 Dita Pahl
I have also managed to paddle from the Rubicon Pondage down to the upper Power Station ( Dec 2023). This is a great run at low water and at least grade 3 with the potenital for wicked grade 4 at higher flows. There are some logs, but easily avoidable and due to the boulder style nature of the river, its easily scoued. Make sure to get out at least 200m before the upper power station.
Paddling below the upper power station is hard, as you encounter Rubicon falls which is canyonned, and getting down to below the falls is almost impossible.
Write up taken from Adventure Pro
Central Victoria. 150km NE of Melbourne
Class: IV (+)
Season: Snow fed, although requires additional rain to bring it into condition
Gradient: 60m/km
Gauge: Rubicon at Rubicon
Shuttle: Walking usually
Character: tight, steep and continuous, this is a short blast
This section of the Rubicon will never become a popular classic as the window of
opportunity for running it is tiny and to look at it is horrendous. But for those lucky enough to catch it in 'condition' and to know the lines the buzz will stay with you for a long time. Basically one long rapid this section starts below the "drops", four or so small waterfalls on a section of river above the 2nd Rubicon power station. From this start to its finish, at the 2nd Rubicon power station, the river drops between the classic Mountain Ash forest of the
region and cascades between the log jams and over hanging branches. Rarely more the a boat length wide and with few eddies to catch prior knowledge is definitely a must. Many hours of log clearing have taken place to make this section go and there are many logs just waitng to take their place. So, if you know someone who knows the lines and has checked it for logs recently and you are after a wild ride it definetly worth the ride.
Putting In: From Melbourne follow the Maroondah Highway through Healsville, over the picturesque Black Spur and approx 110km from Melbourne turn right at Taggerty for Thornton. After about 9km turn right again toward Rubicon and the road that goes up the Rubicon Valley. This road winds up past the old power town of Rubicon, turns to dirt and after about another 3km splits. Take the right fork, pass the second Rubicon power station and park just before the gate 200m further on. This being a seasonal closure road most of the time you can run the river the gate is closed. Shoulder your boats and start walking. The best put in is only about 700m up this road just below the 'drops', it is a steep slide of 50m down to the put in eddie just below the last drop. Really if someone in your party doesn't know where it is then you probably don't know the river well enough to paddle it.
Taking Out: At the second Rubicon power station, near where you start walking from.
Map: Rubicon 1:25,000