25th Anniversary Edition

Th e Dreamtime Voyage is Paul Caff yn’s story of one of
the most remarkable journeys ever undertaken by kayak
- the fi rst kayak circumnavigation of Australia - a 9,420
mile 360 day epic. It is an inspirational tale of one man’s
dogged determination to fulfi ll his impossible dream
against all odds, including tropical cyclones, raging surf,
sharks, sea snakes, crocodiles and three long sections of
sheer limestone cliff s.
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 Caff yn Cove to receive a
marvellous reception, with Lesley on the beach, champagne
fl owing, 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 signifi -
cance of the 1982 paddle, which had started and fi nished
at Queenscliff .
Led by a lone piper, Lalaguli was carried in a solemn
procession to the Queenscliff e Maritime Museum where
Paul formally handed over his kayak to go on permanent
display.
Aft er, Paul self-published Th e Dreamtime Voyage in
1994, the fi rst 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 2ndhand
copies led Paul to consider a new edition, especially
aft er 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
Cliff s - but Andy kindly consented to the replacement
R18 launching photo. Reader discretion is advised.
A two page preface to the new edition, with fi ve 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 Dreamtime at a KASK Picton sea kayak symposium,
with details of the bribery note received aft er Paul was
photographed wearing a suit, tie and shoes.
A photo of the RAKE team 25 years aft er the 1982 fi nish
at Queenscliff , compares how Andy, Lesley and Paul
have stood up to the test of time aft er 25 years.
Tsunami Ranger co-founder Eric Soares in his new
book rates Paul as ‘the greatest living sea kayaker’ and
reckoned Dreamtime ‘was an amazing read.’ High praise
indeed for a bloke who reckons he lives as a recluse on
the West Coast of the South Island.