Gaz, Lauren, Renee, Jodie, McKennzie, Rob, Sav, Dick, Luke, Swav and me
I think I have mentioned before that Rocky creek canyon is my all time favourite. I’ve no idea how many times I’ve been through but I still get goose bumps every time we get to the spot on the entry track where you start to hear the little waterfall at the start.
Anyhoo
We leave town at sparrows fart and make our way up to the carpark. We are early but there is one other car already there. It looks vaguely familiar but I don’t take a lot of notice as we gear up and swing down the entry track towards Twister (not Sheep dip).
I’m a bit excited.
Wet suits get donned. stuff gets crammed into dry bags. For some reason I always seem to get a lot of go pro footage but not many photos in Twister and the opposite in Rocky but I digress.
Rob double checking where to aim. Yep that big wet bit.
For quiet a few of the group this is their first canyon and despite a few nerves on the jumps the smiles are big
Curro getting into the swing of it.Macca taking the leap with out hesitationSoon she is styling it upLauren was probably the most nervous on the jumps but she didn’t let the nerves get the better of herJump. Slide. Jump. Slide. Repeat. Twister is a hell of a lot of funBut all too soon it’s over and we have a 30min walk down to the Junction where the little stream that the entrance track follows meets with RockyThe soft morning light on the way in promised some thing special once we hit the canyon
Up ahead the waterfall can be heard. My pace quickens. And then Rocky creek comes in on the right and where our little stream meets it it plunges into an inviting slot
I realy can’t describe the feeling I get looking in here. Must be a bit like a coffee addict catching the aroma of the best coffee they have ever smelledIn we goRocky creek never disappoints meIf they thought the water in twister was chilly they are in for a surprise. I feel a bit sorry for curro who was toughing it out in a rash shirt.One of the small drops in the canyonThe swims start short but get longer towards the endAfter a fun constriction the canyon opens up breifly and offers a fun slide or small jump in a sunny poolThe walls soon close in again and up ahead the sun beams look magicalAnd they keep getting betterAnd better
It was about here I walked around the corner and see the light of a camera ahead. Think I might have walkedinto someones carefully composed long exposure shot.
Sorry, calls I, How awesome are these rays.
Is that you Flynny, comes the reply.
Oh Autal. I couldn’t see who it was, how are you mate.
We have a quick chat. He has been in there for a while already and is keen to stay a while longer chasing the changing light. We leave him to his snaps, can’t wait to see them, and continue down.
The soft morning light casts and etherial glow
The lower constriction really is sublimeAnd just before the junction with Budgary( originally Buggery) creek we emerge back into the light.
We do our best to catch a bit of sun to warm ourselves while having a quick snack.
Now it is posible to continue down the creek aways and then climb out via a break in the cliffs then follow the ridges back to the car. I prefer to reverse back up the canyon. In the little time it takes to turn around you can guarantee the light will have changed. Plus you see things you missed on the way down.
We grab packs and head back up the canyon
As I said the light changesAnd you get to experience the canyon from different angles
The sun ray were awesome on the way down but not half and hour later they were on a complete other levelRocky creek canyon dwarfs you, engulfs you and reminds you your troubles aren’t even a blip on the geological time scaleAnd the beams progress from sun to tractorBeam me up, ScottyStep into the lightAlmost need UV protected sunglassesLight behaves both as a wave and a particle and sometimes like a solid bar of awesomeEverytime I turned around I though I have to get a photo of those raysAnd still they got betterI could have stayed here all day. I was wishing I’d set up the camera on a tripod in a time lapse and could just sit and watch it all unfoldThe little TG-4 was pushed to it’s limits with the contrast but did a reasonable jobOk the others are well ahead of me now I tear myself away and continue up the canyon
Renee negotiating on of the little cascades on the way upCurro feeling a tad shivery in his rash shirt by now but not far to goI can see the exit up ahead. I assure himLauren is keen for a swim under the falls
Back where it all began.
All in all a great day out.
With the early start Autal was the only one we saw in the canyon itself. A few groups walking in as we were walking out and a few cars in the car park but much quieter than I thought i would be on such a nice weekend near christmas.
Party Size. 11. 4 experienced 7 beginners though most of them have experince in varying outdoor activities
Time: 4hrs 20min car to car
Rocky creek canyon dwarfs you, engulfs you. Your troubles fade in the face of it’s grandour. They aren’t even a blip on Rockys geological time scale
Waterfall of Moss is a shortish canyon that flows into the Wollangambe just up stream of the usual exit for the Lower Tourist/Wollangambe 2/Greg section.
I visited it for the first time with Ed last year as an addition to a Whungee Wheengee trip. It made sence to us to do it that way as the canyon itself (minus the walk in and out)only takes acouple of hours . That said I was pretty trashed by the time we mae it back to the car park that trip.
When Tim put out the invite to do WoM on it’s own I had to convince myself the walk in and out would be worth it just for that. But it is a nice canyon and I was hell keen on trying to capture better photos of the Arch.
Anyhoo it was off to Mt Wilson for the usual meet and greet at the car park and we are off.
Wild flowers along the ridge added splashes of colour.
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It was hot and humid and the walk down to the Gambe went without incident. Almost…
Al was walking along when all of a sudden the sole of his shoe decided it needed time alone. It didn’t start to separate and slowly peel off. One step it was fine the next it had come away from his shoe whollis bollis!
20 steps later the other one did the same thing. His shoes are now little more than protection for the top of his feet. He sets the now useless soles on the side of the trail for collection on the way back and soldiers on
By the time we get to the Gambe we were ready for a swim. Al scoffs at me as I take off my shirt as he dives straight in.
Girls you may want to wait up there for a bit. Calls Kent.
I should point out he did declair his intention of a nudie swim back at the car park.
The girls were already here. Kent was not to be deterred, Oh well you don’t have to look if you dont want and I suggest you dont. he declares or sumfink….
Anyhoo. We cross the warm waters of the Gambe and soon begin the climb up the other side. Thankfully Kent has his clothes back on.
Yuri and Chardy on the steep climb up the opposite sideIt’s a short haul up the ridge and before long we are ready to drop into the canyon
I had a very clumsey day and tripped, slipped and fell over just about everything, including the starts of one of the abseils but somehow stayed uninjured….
One of the awkward overhanging starts made worse by the anchor being faily long and onto small tea tree bushes. Tim warned last tim they had worn through a rope from the anchor bouncing and so Joel and Al rig a bit of a rerouter to make the start easier and save a bit of rope wearAnd while they do that I busy myself snapping pitcures of the arch below meLast time we were here it was later afternoon and the phone photos were very washed out, a still from the go-pro was the best I got. Being here earlier I was hoping for better light but shooting up toward the sky from the small ledge below the arch was still very contrasty. Every now and then the sun would go behind a cloud and I’d click away and hope for the bestMax rappling through the archIt took a bit of editting to knock out the harsh glare but not too shabby considering
Then it was straight into another abseil down a slope then over hung into a pool. Al’s new rope got a run. Coming down last I noticed the sheath damaged were it had been rubbing over a rock edge, the stretch in the rope allowing it to rub back and forth.
I’m not sure if using SRTs makes the rope more prone to this sort of damage, or it was just back luck, or poor rope management but either way Al now has two shorter ropes….
The bottom section of canyon is a very fine constriction. Straightish and narrowish all the way to the Gambe
Looks like you are almost done but 3 or 4 abseils still await
There were a a couple of abseils in this final section I remember having very tricky starts. Sharp over hangs with anchors set low and a long way back. I was looking forward to the challenge but someone has redone the anchors and replaced them with ones that take a fair bit of the challenge out.
Don’t get me wrong they are well thought out and placed and definately make the starts easier, the pull downs easier and probably the rope wear less but as I was looking forward to the challenge I almost felt dissappointed it had been removed.
Just me being a weirdo, thinks I, but then Kent voices the same thought. I always like taking people here to give thier skills a bit of a test. he says. The trip feels a bit deminished
so that’s two 2 weirdos.
And I suppose if you feel that way there is nothing stopping you rigging the old anchor points to reclaim the challenge.
Chardy and Yuri below drop 6 with Tim disappearing down drop 7 in the back groundYuri in the canyon
Tim in the canyonTim the the canyonTim on the Waterfall of MossJoel on the Waterfall of Moss with Al looking onLooking back up the canyon from the junction with the Wollangambe
A short float back down the Gambe to for lunch at the exit point and then the long hot walk up the hill to the car.
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There are only two reasons people fail to reach their goals. 1. They didn’t really want it or 2. They haggled over the cost.
Kent, Tim, Ruth, Doug, Sue, Pete, Toby, Scott and Me
When Kent put out the invite for this one I was pretty keen.
The weather forecast improved slightly as the weekend approached and a final check of the radar and 48hr forecast and it looked like we might be missing the deluge that seemed to be about to strike the rest of the state but rain predicted for around 3pm so I headed off nice and early to meet the others who had camped down there.
The usual meet and greet, sorting of ropes and then it was off to pick our way up through the cliff lines.
A Glorious morning looking down the valley from Pearson lookout.
We work our way up towards the base of the cliffs
A weakness in the towering cliff allows us to zigzag up between scrambles as the valley steadily drops away below us
Not quite full on rock climbing, not far off itAnd the views keep getting betterTim on a very exposed step around
A series of ledges guide our way, some ledges wider than others
Sue Negotiates one of the narrower and more exposed ledgesRuth followsToby gets to more solid footingAnd then it’s another tricky verticle scramble
And then we come to the most rock climbesque section. a Scramble up a chute that gets steeper the higher you climb.
It’s easy going except for a couple of moves in the verticle section at the top.
It looks loose so I choose to wait for the others to clear the climb. Tim and Pete get up without issue. However Ruth has a bit of trouble so I scramble up to help her with the foot holds. Tim offers to drop a rope. With a little assistance Ruth gets through the hardest move to where she can sit on a ledge, wedged into a bit of a crack.
ROCK!!!
I look up to see a house brick size rock tumbling toward us. Shit. I tuck in as close to the rockface as I can.
Whack. FUCK! it slams into Ruth’s shoulder and I feel the breese as it tumbles passed.
I’m OK, calls Ruth. My arm’s dead. I need a moment.
ROCK!!!
Fuck I’m on some ballancy footholds. Ruth is wedge into a ledge above. A smaller rock goes whizzing past, thankfully out in space.
No one move up there!!! I call. Just stay still until we are set.
Ruth takes a moment and signals she is fine. Tim drops the rope and she continues up. I scramble up.
Watch your footing, Tim instructs. and if there a loose rocks on the path pick them and put them some where safe.
Thankfully Ruth is OK. Everyone agrees helmets for the walk in are a good idea. The others come up without incident
We continue on. We are at the halfway ledge but from here up the climbing is easier.
Belatedly Toby suggests there is an easier gully just around the corner that bypasses the chute.
Did I mention the viewsMaking our way up the next cliff lineToby and Doug admire the ViewKent does the same for slightly higherKent says he puts a lot of stock into the quality of the lunch spot.
It’s taken us 2hrs to get through the main cliff line. One small line of cliffs to go then we can start to descend into the canyon
Selfie time.Descending a side creek towards the main canyon1 little abseil and some creek walking brings us to the main slotNow that looks worth the effort
Some large, dull coloured yabbiesTim coming into a very pretty tunnel sectionAnd still the long abseils keep coming
SueTim setting up ropesScott
With a bit of a hand some people managed to stay reasonably dry hereAnd still the drops come thick and fast
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And right on cue the heavens openned
Slight drizzle turns is to proper rain and it pisses down. Within a minute what had been barely trickles turn into proper waterfalls.
Geckos make for the safety of higher ground.Out of the constiction and with just one abseil to to go we enjoy the extra beauty the rain bringsTim on the second last abseil
One more spectactular 30m abseil I didn’t manage photo then we make our way down the ridges.
Back to the Capertee
Cycad fruit
Cycad in fruit
Capertee pineapple
And after a 4km trudge up the maintenance trail we are back to camp
Another great day with great people.
Group: All experienced
Timing: 9hrs car to car steady pace.
“Without new experiences, something inside of us sleeps. The sleeper must awaken.” – Frank Herbert
sleepwhenwearedead 