FOR many people pipe dreams never flow.

But for three mates – Bob DanceWilson, Greg Turner and Wayne Phillips – their dreams did flow from the pipes.

“Three blokes around the fire you get talking about the stuff you like to do, and one of the things was a paddle of some sort down the Darling River,” Mr Phillips said.

“We did the entire length of the river – from Bourke to Wentworth – that's 1450km.”

Over the 35 days spent paddling, the three friends faced many challenges.

For the first few days of their journey they had to sleep on river banks covered with dead fish.

“Our camps at the start were among it; we couldn't escape it, it just smelt like rotting fish,” Mr Phillips said.

When their fresh water supplies became low, they had to resort to other measures.

“We made special billies and we boiled the water from the river, which was brown and muddy. Overnight we'd leave it to settle and we'd siphon it off into our water bags and then we'd treat it,” he said.

“It tasted very much like pool water, but it was better than getting crook.”

Because of the floodwater that had passed through the area, the river banks were caked in deep mud.

“We went down to our thighs. You can't move, all you can do is lay yourself down on the mud and physically crawl out,” Mr Phillips said.

“It was a big physical effort and we're all 52-year-old blokes.”

And the physical work had tangible effects.

“I lost 11 kilos, the other guys lost heaps, but nobody is game to say how much.”

But the beauty they came for was delivered with new life from the abundant water flowing through the area.

“We'd make camp for the night and come up off the river and you'd just look at the country and it's just green and lush. It was unbelievable. The flood plains were just full of life,” Mr Phillips said.

And he had no complaints about their meals that often contained wild goat.

“Cooking wasn't a problem. We had roasts as well as you'd eat at home – I'm talking roasts with baked pumpkin, baked potato, peas.”

But more than any- thing, it was the people who made an impact on him.

“Their lives are different to ours and they've got room in their lives for other people,” he said.

As for the another adventure, Mr Phillips said the next trip on the Darling would just be with his darling wife Dianne ... in a caravan.

“I now want to share it with Di, and retrace our steps in a vehicle and a caravan and meet those people again,” he said.

“It's not going to happen this year or next year; we are going to have to work towards it.”