17-07-2016

Mandy and I

Don’t be deceived this isn’t The Dry canyon but it is a dry canyon and a nice spot to visit on a pleasant winters day.

We decided to traverse along the ridge above the canyon and then reverse up it which should allow us to take in some nice views over the Wolgan.

The walk out was pleasant. The sparse undergrowth making for easy walking and the moss covered rockscapes almost glowing in the soft day light.

We gain the ridge line fairly quickly then took our time strolling out to the end.

You’d be hard pressed to find a spot along the Wolgan cliff lines that didn’t have mind blowing views and the ridge offered a couple of awesome vantage spots before ending in a point of pure grandeur.

Below us the One and Only Emirates Wolgan Resort with Donkey Mountain towering over it. To the right, down the valley some truly awe inspiring cliff lines toped with a maze of platey pagodas.

After much phaffing about it was time to head back away from the cliff lines and try to find away down into the end (our start) of the canyon.

A few likely routes down were soon spotted but looked like they may need an absiel or two. We had the gear just in case but opted to look a little harder.

This gully was running the wrong way but I had a hunch that it might lead to ledge that would take us around the nose and into the exit portal.

Well it did that but not before a few balancey moves on not much at all and then a cool ledge crawl through a long cave.

It was an interesting ledge. The pagodaish cliff came down from above, and it was almost as if someone had sliced a wedge out of it. While we needed to push packs in front of us to squeeze under the overhang the ledge was a reasonable width for all but this one little bit.

I’m not enjoying this bit Craig!, says Mandy with just a tad of malice in her voice. Of course you are, says I. It’s a proper adventure. This is why you love me

the look she gave me when she noticed I had the camera on her wasn’t exactly loving…

And now I’m dreading the ledge would end in a no go drop. There was no way I was telling her we’d have to go back the way we came…..

As it was a broad ramp lead us down the the level we needed to be on. It also lead us past this stunning over hang

We follow the water course up towards a very narrow crack.

Is that a canyon or just a fold in the rock? Only one way to find out. We walk into a cave like opening and still we weren’t sure if we’d be faced with a blank wall around any corner.

Next came a series of tricky boulder scrambles that tested our reach, flexibility and climbing skills on the slick rock. At one stage I had to scramble back down and give Mandy a good old fashion put-your-foot-into-my-hands-and-step-up boost to get her up one particularly slippery ledge that was just too high for her to get up on her own.

Another I set a rope and then hauled her by the back of the shirt… All class us.

Once through the scrambles the canyon was very short but made up for it by just being stunning.

 

Any bush tucker experts out there know what these blue berries are? They only seem to ripen once they fall off the tree.

 

Party size: 2

Time: ~3hrs car to car relaxed pace