Last time I did the Empress Falls/Grand canyon double, Empress was still better known as Valley of the Waters canyon. We were still amazed that civilisation hadn’t been wiped out by the Y2K bug. The Euro was still brand new. NASAs Mars Odyssey was mapping the red planet and Queen Lizzy was pomping about for her Golden Jubilee…
So when Gaz and Jodie said they were keen to ease back into it I thought why not.
Being anti social, disliking crowds and line ups I like doing Empress early morning or very late afternoon. The light frost on the windscreen when Gaz came to pick me up may have indicated we needn’t have worried too much about that but, anyhoo, we went early and had the place to ourselves .
When Gaz announced he and Jodie had brought 2 sets of wetsuits, spring suits of Empress and Steamers for Grand, it was one of those Why-have-I-never-thought-of-that moments. I mean I had been contemplated doing Empress in with just a thermal top. I had a spring suit hanging in my cupboard…
You Eeeejit Flynny!
Too bad they gave me that epiphany after we left, But anyway.
We didn’t do the upper section today but did make the detour up to check out the Asmodeus Pool.And then it was into the main sectionThe water was bracing… We opted to carefully down climb the obstacles rather than jump and get fully submergedWhich works well except for the squeeze under the chock stonethere came a time when we had to swimIt’s such a short little canyon, but very prettyAnd the final bit is OK too I guessEmpress falls, just 1 of many falls in the Valley of the Waters
A quick 15min hike up the tourist track and we are back at the car putting dry clothes on for the drive back to Blackheath.
While we pretty much had Empress to ourselves we struggled to get a spot at the Neates glen car park and a steady stream of walkers filed up and down the track.
The entrance to the Grand Canyon is pretty awe inspiring, No wonder the commercial tour companies love it.
Despite plenty of walkers up top we had the depths to ourselves
Unfortunately the early start in Empress meant we were in Grand in the harshest mid-day light so the photos are no where near as good as previous trips.
Back in the day the guides challenge was to see how far you could rockhop, scramble, bridge and generally dick about to avoid getting too wet. Gaz took the challenge on today and got all the way to the final 20m swim without getting wet over his waist. Here a submerged log saves his shorts a dunking
Me and Jodie had given up by this stage. Water wasn’t *THAT* cold
The bastard is still dry, this bets my best effort in my short stint as a guideBut he wont be dry for long….
Party size 3: all experienced
Time: Empress 1hr 40min car to car Grand 3hr Car to car
Look deep into nature, then you will understand everything better:- Albert Einstein
My plans for the weekend were not going to plan but Sunday suddenly freed up and I thought Madie had a trip sorted out so I send her a quick message to see what she was up to and whether I can jump in on it. The reply was ” Nothing planned let’s do something”
Galah it is then.
Naomi joined us and we set off from the car park in high spirits.
The constant banter saw us eat up the walk in no time flat and before we knew it we were suiting up.
It’s a really bad rope pull, you’d be better off pulling the rope on the boulder and sliding down the log on the next drop.
How did you get down the log? Asks Naomi
I’ll teach you to hump it. Says Madie. I’m a log humping expert…..
Naomi does it with style
Me… Not so much
The canyon here is deep and impressive. A stunning bit of canyon
Naomi at the top of the “Guide book abseil”Not quite how it looks in the guide book
We stuff around trying to re-enact the pose that features on the back of the 5th edition of the Jameison guide
Ok so Madie is not wearing stubbies, volleys or a terry towelling hat as David Stuckey did when he posed for the shot that became the image on the back cover of the guide book and she is standing a bit to far along the log but we got close going from memory.
Strike a pose
The other big difference is the water levels. In the image on the guide book the water is all but covering the log and there is a nice flow coming under the chock stone above.
Did I mention its a stunning section of canyonRemember to look up
And then the canyon opens out. Tom rates it an 8/10 and I’d have to agree, if only the constriction was a tad longer it would be a solid 10/10
But we still need to get out and after a bit of route finding we pick up the right trail and find the climb where we decide to play it safe and belay each other up.
The exit follows the bottom of the top cliffline back around to meet the creek just below the upper section of canyon. From there we have a couple of options but choose to reverse up through the top section.
a fairly simple climb up the first abseil
From there we have a few deep wades and slippery climbs. Not wanting to either put wetsuits back on or soak dry clothes we opt for a quick undie run. Avert your eyes girls…
Naomi learns the hard way about the difference in grip on wet rock between bestards and her trail running shoes. Madie and I pretty much walked up the larger climb. Naomi had a couple of failed attempts resulting in some slides and loss of skin before we set rope on a meat anchor for her.
And before long we are back at the change point putting dry clothes back on for the stroll out.
Group size: 3. All experienced
Timing: 7.5hrs not rushing but not dawdling either.
So Madie had a big weekend of canyoning lined up to ̶c̶o̶m̶m̶i̶s̶e̶r̶a̶t̶e̶ ̶, um, I mean “celebrate” her turning 30. Unfortunately I had to pullout of the Claustral trip on Saturday due to other commitments. Apparently there was a bit of excitement on the trip as Matt scampered up onto the hulks fist and dropped down on one knee and proposed. Luckily Madie said yes. It would have been an awkward 7hr walk out otherwise…
Anyhoo, I drag Tal out of bed Sunday morning and we meet up with the others at the campground.
Options were discussed. An easier, drier day dismissed. And we eventually headed off to do Water Dragon canyon.
The walk down to the Wollangambe was uneventful and we made short work of the hill on the other-side then scrambled down to the start of the canyon where Matt pointed out that had we dragged him all the way to the top of the hill only to descend most of the way back down…
At the canyon we look nervously at the cold water but suit on up and slip on in.
Tal descending into the depthsNeither age nor engagement has dulled her sense of funWater Dragon is such a pretty little canyonof course the people you share the adventure with adds to the experience
This is a tricky little down climb into a cold pool then onto a small ledge for the big abseil. Matt gets to about here, There’s no more room over here Matt can you wait there until we get ropes set up and stuff…. Um yeah, hurry up… Those walls are super slippery. We fire off a few photos…Stunning abseil with sun beams trying hard to show through
The waterfall is wetter than it looks here
Madie!Below the abseil is a lovely dark section, complete with glowworms. This can be visited from below, which seems to be the more popular way to do it. The alternate name of the canyon is Kelvinator canyon as it is much colder than the relative warmth of the wider Wollangambe
And when the canyon begins to open up there is 1 more cold swim to deal withNaomi and Matt enjoying the cold poolThen a pretty section of more open canyon leads down to the WollangambeEmerging into to the Wollangambe is like stepping into a warm room
Then it’s a bit of a float down stream to the exit
The Wollangambe
The Wollangambe
The Wollangambe
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and then up the usual Wollangambe 1 exit track and back to camp
Wollangambe 1 exit
Wollangambe 1 exit
Wollangambe 1 exit
Wollangambe 1 exit
Wollangambe 1 exit
Wollangambe 1 is rated an easy canyon but groups often underestimate it and this climb out has thwarted a few groups in the past.
Another great day in the bush with awesome people
Surround yourself with the dreamers and the doers: Edmund Lee
I’ve had some half-baked plans involving Closet canyon floating around in my head for a few months now so when I noticed Geoff put it on the calendar for the Upper Blue Mountains Bush Walking club I called a favour and got myself a day off work.
Laurie and I met the others at the picnic ground and we headed off to the car park, sorted ropes and set off on foot over Galah mountain.
Last time I’d been out along this trail Bill Clinton was PUSA, Dolly the sheep was front page news, you could still drive out to the start of the Breakfast creek trail and we were getting smashed with the biggest hail storm I’ve ever been caught in.
Climbing out of Rocky Creek in the hail
That’s hail not snow
Anyhoo, The trail had now regenerated into a narrow foot pad and the wild flowers were out in force.
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We made good time to the end of the main trail but from there the faint trail came and went and was, at times easy to loose. Geoff, Guy and Nichole were sharing navigation duties and kept us basically on line.
Gabby had a small run in with a spider however, disappointingly, she failed to develop superpowers from it (Unless of course she was keeping them secret to use for evil…)
After a bit of scrub bashing a short abseil gained us access to the creek
And a short time later said creek dropped into a canyon. A slightly smelly canyon due to a large dead wombat polluting the pool midway down the second drop
Ev keen to get into itGeoff avoiding the wombat pool by abseiling in from the sideThere some nice, if short, canyon sections
And then there was a a scramble down before you had no choice but to drop into the wombat soup
A nice dark section with a cold swim
The creek then opened out and there were some scrubby abseils in the creek. Apparently it’s possible to exit here.
Why would you thou, when the show stopper is just downstream.
The creek canyons up again and we are greeted by a very Butterbox-like chasm
Laurie watching Guy set up
Traditionally done as 1 long abseil Guy decided the risk of the ropes getting snagged in the the sticks jammed at the halfway ledge warranted doing it as two and so set a re-belay
Geoff above the halfway ledge
Guy leading the final abseilGeoff on the final abseilGabby dwarfed by the scale of the canyon
leaving Laurie to belay I scrambled down a little further and found a comfortable rock that offered a great camera angle.
What’s the view like from your rock? Asks Gabby
Pretty good. says I. I’ll move over so we can share it.
Before I knew it, it went from “My rock” to “Our Rock” to “Gabby’s rock” and I was left wondering how the hell that happened. Maybe she did get evil superpowers after all.
That was my rock… Was.The highlight of the canyon
From there it’s a short journey down to the junction with Rocky creek and then upstream a bit to the exit.
Rocky Creek
Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten. ― Neil Gaiman
Party Size: 7 all experienced
Time: 10hrs car to car relaxed pace with plenty of phaffing (Photo and otherwise)
The forecast was for rain, lots of it topped by severe storms…
Gaz had been keen to do Starlight canyon and I suggested the MTB/canyon combo rather than the full loop. If the tunnel was dry we’d get all the way up to the waterfall. And if it was not abseiling in from the top is not the best idea anyway.
Anyhoo. Dawn came sunny and warm and we crossed the Wolgan and pedalled our way down the management trail.
Even with a detour through the ruins the bikes turned an hour long walk into a 20min ride.
There always seems to be a handy tree to help crossing the Wolgan
Almost immediately we ran into this little beauty
She was a bit of a poser and almost seemed disappointed when we took the cameras away
Morelia Spilota Spilota
Diamond Python
Entering the Amazing Wallaby TunnelThe light was pretty special today
There was a big colony of bats above us, as evident by the poo floating on the water
This use to be our go to winter trip before realising the impact to the Bats. The tunnel is an important hibernation cave for bent wing bats so the canyon is now officially off limits over the winter months.
I’ve done this one quite a few times and while I’ve heard tales of people be caught out by high water levels personally I’ve never had water over ankle deep before
The layer of batshit wasn’t the most pleasant part of the trip
Just before the little climb up/down in the tunnel the water became too deep/cold for us to continue today so we turned back early
Sitting on the halfway ledge enjoying the sun and a bite to eat when around that corner deep down the valley came a plane flying right at us…Banking hard left to make the turn up the valley.
These guys did a few laps, some of the were so low it seemed we we looking down on them.
And then as it was only early and the predicted storm was still a few hours away we followed the cliff line around for a look up Devils Pinch
The better way to do this combo would be to abseil down Devils Pinch and then reverse up Starlight.
You can only get a few hundred meters up the bottom before you a blocked by a waterfall but it is a spectacular section.
Once again more water in here than usual and after a coupe of cold wades and tight canyon sections we were startled by a gawdaweful rachet and something dashing past us into the next pool.
A young lyrebird… Not sure if it fell in or was nested here and got trapped by the rising waters after a wet couple of weeks but it was was panicked and trying to swim and not doing very well.
Producing a small hand towel Mckenzie and Jodie caught it as genitally as they could and carried it back out past the deeper pools to release it at the lower end of the canyon.
For a bird renown for mimicking the best sounds they sure produce horrible pitches when they are scared.
Party size: 4 (3 experienced I beginner)
Time: 6.5hrs relaxed pace bit of photophaffing
“There is a hidden message in every waterfall. It says, if you are flexible, falling will not hurt you!”
― Mehmet Murat ildan
I’ve said before that for me the abseils are just a means to get to the next bit of canyon.
I’m far more excited by exploring the dark confines of a slot canyon. I’m captivated by the play of light as the sun arcs over head. I get fascinated by the way water and time have sculptured the rock, and I’m dazzled by the ferntacious greenery…
Ayhoo with that in mind the Kanangra canyons have never held a massive appeal to me but when Tim invited me on a trip down Kalang Falls I thought I may as well check it out to see what the fuss is all about.
With the east coast experiencing some much needed rain it was moody in the forest waiting for the others to arrive.
After a week of drizzle mixed with rain we’d check the water levels and if it was too high we’d abort and do Dione Dell instead.
As it was it was pretty much prefect
And so our group of merry adventurers set off from the car park with a buzz of excitement and a swagger in our steps.
Despite a few of the others having done the trip before myself and Al got nominated leaders so the real leader, Tim could follow along at the back of the group as safety man with the spare rope. So we set off to rig the first drop.
Making our way down towards the first abseil conditions were very slippery making it slow and steady going
There is a bit of scrambling to get down to the first anchor and Tom’s notes warned the final drop before the anchor could be dangerous so in the wet slippery conditions we rigged the abseil from above it.
I have to admit the waterfalls are stunning
As with all of Tim’s trips we had multiple ropes and walkie-talkie communi-doonies so the group could spread out. Me and Al would set rope, the next person would arrive, we’d take their rope and descend to the next one. And so on and so forth etc etc etc. So even with a largish group taking their time on slick rock we made good time down the ravine.
Al, Fingers crossed I’ve tied the knot right Bro.It’s technically a dry trip but I got soaked in the spray off this one. If doing it in winter with this much water you’d want some good waterproof clothing
Rope management was the theme of the day. Lots of vegetation and ledges for ropes to get tangled on. I can see where flaking it out of a rope bag would be handy on a trip like this.
You can just make out Ev about to come over the edge
Tim at the 3rd anchor, this one is a little hard to locate.Not the best silky smooth waterfall photography today but not bad for hand-held shots with the TG4Epic Kanangra countryAl below the 3rd abseil. You can see Ev on belay where the ropes come down to the right
I found the scrambles between the falls took a lot of concentration. The quartzite is a lot slipperier than the standard Bluies sandstone and also tends to have a lot more loose rocks ready to roll your ankle.
Ev at the bottom of the big drop with Gabby way up high on rope to the right at the top of the fallsDespite the cool day Gabby felt the need for a bit of a swim. Ev is trying to dissuade her.Geoff handling it with ease
But….
Then he went for a swing and only good team belaying by Ev and Gabby kept him dryAlways time for a selfieGeoff’s enthusiasm for the bush is infectiousAnd then it was up Manslaughter ridge and out
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Probably really common, but can anyone tell me the species?
Thuratt Spires and Kanangra wilderness
How did I find it? Well the waterfalls were stunning, the company was awesome, the abseils were abseils and the walk out wasn’t as hard as I thought it was going to be.
Another great day in the bush with great people.
The mind is like water: capable of going anywhere but once hemmed in by walls of it’s own making it takes a powerfull flood to burst it’s banks and change its course: me
Group size: 8 all experienced
Time: 9hr 20min car to car, not rushing in the slippery conditions and taking it easy up the exit ridge.
There’s not much to see. Says Tal. It’s just a hole in the ground
In one sense he is right, it is just a hole in the ground.
But the hole had significance in a couple of ways.
As drab as it is it happens to be one of the largest sandstone caves of it’s type in NSW, possibly Australia (1 report I read claims 10th biggest in the world). From what I’ve been able to make out from what I’ve read sandstone doesn’t tend to form these large subterranean cavities that often.
and
ii. 25 years ago, when we first started going out Mandy dragged me out on a wild goose chase trying to find this cave that was suppose to be near her grandfathers property. Way back before we got really into the adventurous outdoors we had a couple of goes at finding it and never did
So when Tal comes home after a weekend of camping with his mates and nonchalantly announces they found the cave I was 2 parts proud dad 1 part jealous.
You’ll have to take us there one day. Says I
Meh, shrugs he. There’s not much to see. It’s just a hole in the ground
Any way with a bit of bunged up ankle and a free afternoon I con him into taking us for a walk. He and his mates had traversed quiet a bit of private property on their journey. We try the approach from the other side.
It’s further around then we thought and hard to spot until you are on top of it but he navigates us in with nary a wrong turn.
Like he said it’s just a hole in the ground.
But that’s not the point
Tal leading the way in. The big depression this hole lies at the base of suggests the cave was once much much bigger
A little witchcraft is needed to find itBad photo of a pit left over from an archaeological dig done in the 80s(?) Apparently nothing was found
I often browse websites, blogs, trip reports and photos looking for inspiration and in doing so years ago I stumbled across a name of a canyon I’d not heard of before. My interest was pipped. More research revealed nothing but another name of a second canyon close by.
After some assumptions, deductions, guess-work and staring at satellite imagery I mark 2 points on the map with question marks. But at the time I didn’t have a group I thought would be willing to go in search of a probably low quality canyon through thick scrub just for the hell off it. And, well life got in the road And that was the end of that.
But the other week I pulled out my old map and those 2 question marks burned into me. I put out a call to see who’d be keen on an exploration trip that would probably involve a wet canyon but probably not stunning or wow material.
To my surprise the above mentioned folk said yes and so we found ourselves parked on a seemingly random bit of otherwise highly trafficked firetrail and we headed off into the untracked scrub.
Only then we stumbled over an old vehicle track that was heading right where I’d marked would be the most likely easy way to enter the creek.
The track stopped at a rock outcrop and while there was no obvious path down it was an easy scramble into the creek. Surprisingly there was a footpad of sorts along the creek edge. OK this must get more visitors than I thought.
And then
Just like a chocolate milk shake only crunchy
I was pretty sure I was looking at a small Wollemi Pine. But this isn’t where they were suppose to be. I fire off a few photos to compare images later on but I convince myself it was something else.
What going on? says they
I thought that was a Wollemi pine. say I
The plaque says it is a wollemi pine.
OK I missed that. It seems it was planted in 2008 as a memorial to two people who enjoyed the area. OK that explains that.
From here the faint track disappears and is replaced by not so faint scrub.
Scrubby Scrub.
At some point the conversation turns to buggery and bestiality. WTF? the weird conversations you have in the bush. Those who recognise where we are may get the reference.
Anyhoo Chardi, who missed the memo that it was going to be a wet trip until Tim picked him up and asked if he had his wetsuit packed, is not impressed with the scrub so far. He makes comment on our 6 dope trip and threatens to wipe me off his list if things don’t improve dramatically
Luckily we round a bend and are greeted by a drop into a heavenly looking pool. Well it would be heavenly looking if it was 28° summer day instead of at 14° mid spring day…
How’s the water?
Bathy and only knee deep, or sumfink…
Chardi in the first swim, Marchelle roping up
What follows is a delightful little Sheep Dip style of canyon with lots of slides
Madie on the first slideMarchelle on another slide
Abseils
Tim keen to get back into the water
and Jumps
Madie taking a leapHow much fun is this?
Chardi forgives me for the scrub on the way in.
Marchelle wondering if she can stay dry: Gabby manged to on this one
And in-between were some surprisingly nice bits of canyon. Not mind=blowing wow but nice
And after another little drop we find a spot in the sun to warm up and have a bit of morning tea. There are signs that this spot is more visited. I point out there is a popular walk in the area and this bit could be visited from the bottom up before the waterfall stopped you.
We continue down a track of sorts but now I’m looking for a pass out to try to link up with the other possible canyon. I’m starting to think there wont be one when a steep gully appears that looks like it might go.
Tim and Gabby follow Madie up a steep bit of scrub out of the creek. Chardi and Marchelle follow me a few meters down stream where I think looks to be an easier ramp.
I scramble up a steep rock using a small sapling as a hold and reach out with my other hand to grab a reasonable size tree root.
That’s not a tree root. Tigersnake! Big one. Now I’m generally pretty good around snakes so I slowly stand and be as non-threatening as I can be. Old mate has flattened out but on a cool spring day I doubt he is going to waste energy on me if I don’t threaten him. I slowly reach for my camera. The bugger stands up and comes straight at me. I jump back off the rock.
Did I mention the rock was steep. so now it’s on top of the rock where I was just standing and I’m at the bottom of the rock which pretty much puts us eye to eye about a foot and a half away from each other.
It comes at me again. Shit!
Ok so snakey people know that Tigersnakes put on pretty good threat displays but unless you try and pick one up or step on it they’ll often do a bit of bluff where they launch a closed mouth headbutt to scare you off. This one had it’s mouth closed. I highly doubt it was looking to bite but when it’s coming at your face all that goes out the window. I launch myself backwards down the hill.
Chardi is wondering what the hell is going on, surely I didn’t fall of that bit of rock, did I break and handhold or…. Oh Snake.
I stumble in the loose rocks and fallen branches, I’ve put a good couple of meters between us but I look up and it’s still coming at me. I’m all tangled up on the ground and have nowhere to go. Shit Shit! Shit! I’m f#$ked.
It gets to within about a meter and veers off. Shit!
Marchelle cottons on to whats happening. The Snake coils around. Takes another good look at us, sees there is now 3 big things not just 1 and takes off into the undergrowth directly towards the other group.
Watch out! Angry Tigersnake coming across towards you.
They all take it nice and calmly and continue up the hill. I compose myself and do likewise.
Later, back at the cars Chardi brings up the snake encounter.
What? Where? Oh wow we thought you called out you couldn’t continue up where you were and were coming across toward us. Then we wondered why you didn’t
No wonder they were so calm about it.
But we get ahead of ourselves. For now we continue up and reach the top of the gully only to be blocked by a small overhang and the last little bit of the cliff. Using Chardi as a ladder a scramble up the overhang and the dirty, not quiet vertical scree and set a rope. I call,Rope below .
Don’t bother there is an easy pass up to the side.
Now they tell me.
Once through the cliffs it was an easy stroll through fairly open scrub down into the next gully along until we are stopped by a reasonable sized cliffline. We had plenty of ropes but as they say in the Bluies “The nose always goes! Sometimes.” Just up-stream on a bend I see a steep nose that looks like it would indeed go.
The scrub to get there was horrid but it gave us a way down. It was steep and slippery and at one stage Gabby slipped bounced into me and like a snooker ball I shot off down the next bit. Then again she slipped and landed on me…. Well she says she slipped but I’m taking it as a compliment or sumfink.
Anyhoo we reach the creek. The dry, dirty creek filled with razor grass and dead fern fonds and choss and disappointment.
We fight our way down stream. Chardi revokes his forgiveness and when we are sure this isn’t going to be a canyon suggested the creek be renamed Flynny’s Folly.
And then a trickle of water. Then a rocky bottom. And then, out of nowhere
Alright
I didn’t think the previous creek was as cold as I expected. This one seemed to make up for it.
But it was quite a nice little canyonWith plenty of small abseils and swimsCall Madie on 1800 CANYONs
At one point we drop into a pot hole to find the other side to be rimmed with a 2 meter high wall (Water must flow underneath but the passage was silted up with sand. I scramble up. The wall is about a foot wide and drops straight back down into a pool on the other side. I help Gabby up and then use her pack to lower her down until her feet touch the water and drop her.
I must admit I didn’t really pay attention to her landing. I help Tim up. Just slide down the wall and land soft it’s only about waist deep. says I.
Tim slides and disappears under the water. OK chin deep….
This was the longest and most complex abseil of the day and in the cool breeze coming up the canyon it was the first time I really felt cold all day
But just around the corner it opens up into a glorious amphitheatre and we warm ourselves in the sun thinking that’s it. But just just down stream
It canyons up again
One more short swim through the darkest and prettiest bit of canyon so far on the trip
And then the gully opens out.
Near by was far more popular canyon and while we were in the area we thought why not
And then it’s up the hill and back to the car.
Party size: 6 all experienced
Timing: 6hrs car to car
Life is more enjoyable and less oppressive with some mountain air, a little adventure and just the right company
Sometimes I like to just go for a look to see what’s around the next corner. Curiousity tugs at me to veer off the usual path. That tends to annoy Mandy, especially when we are off track and in dence scrub, but in doing so I’ve come across some great features, sometimes not too far off popular trails.
Anyhoo, armed with rumours, vague recolections and no real idea I wanted to go for a bit of a wander around near the Pogoda track between glowworm tunnels and the old coach rd and Geoff was keen to join me so off we went.
I’d picked out a couple of gullies on the satelite images that looks like they might be interesting. Gullies I’ve riden and walked past numourous times over the years but never ventured down.
It was a prefect Bluebird day with glorious sun shine yet not too hot an we made our way along the old rd before veering off into our first target.
Imediately we were greeted with relics from the fuel pipe line that pump feul refined from the shale works at Glen Davis, across to Newnes Juntion to be shipped out to who knows where.
Bridge for the pipe line made out of reclaimed rail tracks
Both Geoff and I were familiar with this piece of histroy but hadn’t ventured into the gully below it
So confident were the owners of the Newnes shale works in it’s longevity that when the built the Wolgan Valley railway to service it they used double headed rail track known as bullhead. More expensive up front but as it worn down you simply flipped it over
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We admire the dry stone wall supporting the road above as we scramble our way down into the gully.
For our efforts we are greeted with some nice curved rock walls and plentiful thick scrub before our way was blocked by a drop into a short but dark slot. I’d bought a short rope believing we wouldn’t encounter anything too big out here. I was wrong.
Geoff above a sharp drop that was surprisingly deep.
Foiled we scramble out and make our way back up a ridge to the road.
The next gully I had earmarked was even less traversable and thus we worked our way around to the start of the pogoda trail and then followed the base of clifflines around looking for things of interest.
A tactic that generally pays off one way or another.
Some moderate scrambling and not so moderate scrub bashing bought us to this stunning overhang. I’d be keen to see it in rain with the waterfall flowingThe view from under the dripping waterfall
We push on and just aroud the corner Geoff calls for morning tea. That rock up there will do. We scramble up and discover and long disused humpy
An old pallet bed made out of felled timber with some fence pailing nailed to it. most of the pailing long sine rotten
Remains of a wind break
When the railway was being built there was a thriving town nearby complete with a pub and post office. This seems a little too far away to be assciated with that but maybe someone wanted a bit of solitude away from the rowdiness of Greens camp.
With the things we were hoping to find seeming like a bit of a chimera we changed tack and scramble up on the cliff tops.
Looking back across pagoda tops to the rock way holding up the old coach rd
Before visiting an more well know humpy
A rough home though probably more cosy than most had further along in Greens camp.
And so back up the coach road. A pleasant day for just having a look
Donkey mountain viewed down through the gap where the trail line cut through the tunnel and hence into the Wolgan.
Not all who wander are lost. Well I am. I’m often lost as shit and loving every minute of it
