08-03-2019

Madie, Ethan, Dave@, Kylie, Shauna, Roy, Mark, Dick, Luke, Joel and meeeeeee

I’ve said it before I’ll say it again Rocky creek is my favouritest canyon ever. I’ve been through it many times and hearing the the little waterfall on entry never fails to give me goose bumps and remind me of the first time Scott dragged us through there to spark my canyon addiction.

The light is always magical, even at night

Anyhoo with people coming from all directions several meeting places were teed up, things got confused, no one had reception but eventually we all met up at the Rocky Creek car park. Late but keen.

A quick meet and greet and then down the hill and into Twister.

We head on into Twister right on dusk and the light quickly fades and the glowworms begin to appear.

The glowworms are out and the crew spend some time just checking them out, but we are still on the walking track and I try to explain they are only going to get better.

Most canyons around these parts have glowworms, especially at night but Rocky is next level

There are 7(possibly 8) species of glowworm found throughout the world. 5 of those are found only in Australia and New Zealand and are the larvae of a fungus gnat, most live of fungus and their glow is redundant . The ones endemic to NSW are Arachnocampa richardsae and they are still predatory. Their light attracts small insects that get trapped in silk snares they trail down off the roof which they then consume.

For the most part if they are hungry they glow brighter and just after a feed they dim.

They are sensitive to noise and light and will turn off to hide

The pupae also glows but the males dim and stop glowing altogether just before they emerge as adults, while the female’s glow gets more intense to ensure they have a choice of males waiting as she emerges.

The adult flies can’t do much but reproduce, they can’t eat, they can barely fly but they do flash little lights to attract their mate.

Anyhoo, Glowworms are freakin cool ok.

But on we go
 

Back at the cars we revel in the night but some have long drives home and some have an early morning for their next adventure.

Party Size: 11

Time: 3hrs 40

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Disclaimer: While canyoning at night poses pretty much the same risks as doing it in the daylight the consequences of things going wrong is much greater. Without the beams of sunlight to warm you between darker swim sections Hypothermia is a heightened danger. Limited peripheral vision may mask hazards that would otherwise be easily identified.

Navigation can also be much harder. You should be very familiar the canyon and it’s entry/exit tracks before attempting it.t.

It’s also worth noting the creatures out and about at this time of day are creatures of darkness. They don’t want thousands of lumins shone on them and massive groups disturbing their peace. We kept our beams set on low and trod as lightly as possible. As you always should in these pristine environments.

*March 2019 I am once again participating in the Wests Cycle Classic to raise money for the Westpac rescue helicopter. If you enjoy my blog or just want to help this great cause think about making a small donation