Dargan creek canyon is a short, easier but still very pretty canyon down stream of the Railway dams at Clarence.
Even in the years when we weren’t right into canyoning we would visit this one once or twice a year. It’s one of my favorites to take beginners down, just because it is short and easy to get to and has the added bonus of the dams for a cooling swim after the walk out.
It is also one of the first canyons we took the kids down.
Today was just a quick trip afterwork as a reckie for Mark, who was looking for a trip to take some beginners down to gauge their outdoors ability.
Daniel in the first of the canyon like sections
There were a lot of juvenile Water Dragons scampering aboutMark and Dan as the wall close in and the water gets a bit deeperThe slot. it might be “easy” and short but it has some very pretty sections
Several years ago we took Marks brother and his Scottish girl friend through the canyon. Just as we go to the narrow section where Dan is a Brown snake popped its head up out of the water and made a bee line to the nearest heat source… Me. Mark quickly push his pack in front and the thankful snake curled up in his back pack..
Yours truly enjoying the relatively warm water in the last of the swimsDan and Mark and the canyon
My preferred method of exit is to just reverse up the canyon but the scramble up the waterfall and tree is the quickest way out
Some time in the distant past someone nailed a series of spikes into the tree to make a ladder. As the tree has grown the spikes have been somewhat enveloped but it is still fairly straightforward. Beginners may need to be belayed with rope and harness.
Party size:3 (1 experienced canyoner. 2 experienced bush walkers)
Time:1.5hrs car to car
sleepwhenwearedead 