Dave didn’t set out to complete the 2,287km journey in complete silence, but after dropping his phone in the river on day one, he didn’t have much choice.

 

Starting at Bringenbrong Bridge in NSW and finishing at Wellington in SA just shy of fifteen days later, the 47-year-old NSW man broke the previous fastest known time (FKT) to kayak the river end-to-end by 19 hours and 25 minutes.

‘Physically I’ve pulled up really well, I’m really happy with how the body is, I am a little tired, that’s the only thing’ Dave told ABC reporters.

In a stroke of epic bad luck, Dave’s phone snapped off the bracket on his kayak when he capsized early on in the challenge.

‘I had some audiobooks and music and podcasts downloaded ready to go to keep me entertained and that was gone halfway through day one’.

 

He Got By With a Little Help From His Friends

Despite the early loss of entertainment, Dave was supported by seven crew members who followed him down the Murray in a tinny.

Initially they’d forecasted that Dave would need to paddle for about fifteen hours each day, but when they arrived on the 16th of November to get started, they were met with their first challenge.

‘The flows were down about a third of what we were hoping for,’ Dave said.

To top it off he was met with headwinds for the entire duration of the journey so in order to break the record, he had to paddle up to 23 hours each day.

 

But…why?

Every adventurer who sets out to achieve a big meaty goal has their reasons. Sometimes it’s to raise money for charity, sometimes it’s to compete against yourself, or prove your skill on the world stage.

We’ve come across ambitious athletes of all kinds at We Are Explorers. From Talia Rose who voluntarily took fourteen hours to get to work on a raft, to Bonnie Hancock who set out to paddle 16,000km around Australia, to We Are Explorers Founder Henry Brydon who rode his bike 35,000km from London to Sydney.

For Dave Alley, who holds multiple endurance-related world records, this trip was about motivating, inspiring and educating others to ‘chase their goals, step outside their comfort zones and see what is possible’.

Mission accomplished, Dave.

 

What’s next for Dave Alley?

Having completed eighteen months of preparation for this Murray River mission, Dave has no plans for future adventures right now.

‘What’s next? I don’t know, I think I scare myself even thinking about it,’ he said.

Inspired to explore the Murray River?

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