You are so right in everything that you have said - assuming there was a canoeist?!
IMO the QPS and the media have been outstanding in their working partnership of this case. The Police would most definately have so much info and evidence, and I'm positive that the media are not far off knowing just as much. They are working in total alliance, so that no team jeopardises this case ......... however, they are just killing us (sorry bad choice of words) in not being able to give us the details that we are so badly wanting to know and hear!
I believe that if there was infact a canoeist, the media is leaving him/her alone for many reasons. I'm fairly sure that the media have left many "situations/people/evidence" etc alone and have decided not to report any of this info ........... bravo to them!
All will be revealed, in time. The wait is incruciating, but I guess it's absolutely necessary. We don't want any parties to stuff up.