Bushwalking

Hassans Wall Undercliff track

| flynny101

Access: Easy access to the start of the trail then steep and vague in spots

Navigation: Navigation is fairly straight forward .

Map: Lithgow

Time: It takes about 1.5hrs

Traditionally known as Gnallwarra, Hassans Walls was named by Governor Macquarie who thought the stunning pagoda topped cliff line reminded him of the hill forts and Hasanamba temples of the Hassan district of India.

The Under Cliff track began construction in 1916, Largely the work of Richard Merrick and the Lithgow Progress Society, and stages were added over the years.

It largely fell into disuse but was reopened for a short time in the late 90s or early 2000s before being closed by council due to concerns over the stability of the cliffs above (I think a cliff collapse may have taken out part of the trail so be warned or whatever)

Its a shame because its a great walk under some spectacular coloured cliffs with little alcoves of rain forest hidden in the nooks. Just beware of falling rocks, small and large.

Getting there: Head up Hassans Walls Road. Before you get to the top there is a spot people park on the right near the imaginatively named “First lookout”. Park here and look for a road angling back up to the right.

Most of the gullies between here and the lookout will give access to the track but head up to the right passed the locked gate.

The easiest access is in a gully to the left as the road starts up the steep hill https://goo.gl/maps/BcPjZqdgfqBtjD1

But for a more adventurous start keep heading up the hill. Take the left fork at the top of the hill and the next left fork as well.

The road dips down into a saddle, just before the bottom it flattens out. Head into the bush here and find a break in the cliffs to the right of the main gully (main gully cliffs out) https://maps.app.goo.gl/NyPxTjhz5dGzcgQZ9

Alternatively go to the bottom of the saddle and just before the road climb up the other side go left into the bush and find a break to the left of a great lookout. But note the undercliff track is vague at the point.

Once through the cliff line follow the base of the cliffs around to the left. The track can be vague in spots but if you loose it follow the base of the cliff and you’ll eventually pick it back up.

The colours of the cracked and errored cliff line is stunning in afternoon light and you will find small pockets of rain forest in their shadow, unfortunately the biggest section of rain forest is below the car park of the lookout so littered with shopping trolleys, toilet paper and other crap shit humans throw off the top.

Eventually the track will take you around King Georges head ( AKA Indian Head or Iron Dukes head) and it appears to peter out. But continue around and head up the ridge keeping near to the base of the cliff and you will pick it up again on the otherside of the lookout.

This will bring you past the table and chairs in Gannon cave before winding back up to the road near the turn off to Hassans walls Lookout. A short walk down the road will take you back to the car

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Note 1: Taking care  While reasonably well known these spots are still wild places and care needs to be taken around cliff edges and on the steep trails.  Carrying the right gear as well as having adequate food, water and clothing is important. Always tell someone where you are going and when you expect to get back.

Emergency beckons (PLBs) can be hired from Katoomba Police for very little.

Note 2: First aid A basic first aid kit is essential bit of kit whenever heading into the Aussie bush. A basic first aid is highly recommended

Note 3: Maps and Navigation Having the right map, a compass and knowing how to read them is very important when heading into the bush. If you are new to bush walking joining a club or accompanying more experienced walker for you first few outing is a very good idea. I found practicing map reading on well defined trails was helpful when I started out.

The Maps mentioned are the 1:25000 series. They can be purchase at Lithgow tourism information center, from outdoors shops or online for around $10 each.

Note 4: These are wild and beautiful places, respect them. If you are able to carry something in you can carry it out. Don’ be a tosser. Leaving your rubbish behind is a sure way to ruin it for every one else.

A Blue Mountains canyon

| flynny101

Marcia, Geoff, Madie and Meeeeeeeee

06/04/2021

So I wanted to checkout a couple of small, less visited creeks in the mountains. The above mentioned legends joined me. I had a tip one creek had a small canyon section but I wasn’t expecting much. We packed ropes just in case. We didn’t pack wetsuits….

©Geoff
©Geoff

Our creek soon starts to develop a little canyonette

©Madie
©Madie
©Madie
©Geoff

The creek contained two small, but very pretty canyon sections.

Our original plan was to continue down through the clifflines then skirt around and walk up another creek. But changing plans is what we do the bestest

I reckon the gully might give us a short cut over the ridge, says I

Lets do it, says Madie

It would save a couple of kilometres of creek walking, says Marcia

Geoff looks sceptical

I scramble up and drop a rope down

©Madie
©Madie

And then we had lunch and made our way back to the cars

As always a great day exploring new things with good mates

And remember….

Every song has a “you”

A “you” the singer sings to

and you’re “it” this time. Ani DiFranco: Dilate

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Lake Gooch

| flynny101

Tal and me

ding ding. I get a message.

Heads up

There’s a photo attached. My eyes light up

Many years ago I came across a video of a little lake that had formed in Goochs crater and and ever since I have wanted to see it in the same state . \

Many times Mandy and I have headed up in the pouring rain in the hopes of witnessing this rare phenomena (Do doo be-do-do) without luck

Now here I am looking at a photo of it full

As soon as I can get out of work I do

Grab your shoes, I say to Mandy.

I have to work this afternoon lets’ do it tomorrow

Oooooo. But it might be empty by then. pouty face.

Take Tal

Woohooo.

We head on up, anticipation grows

What will we find? will it blow my mind or disappoint me a again?

Looking down on the “Crater” It’s full of brown water” I the video that first inspired me shoed crystal clear water. With run off from post fires and what not what greeted us was a murky brown lake.

but a lake non-the-less. Happy boy

The wild flowers are out too

We Phaff about

And finally we duck down to check out a nearby canyonette

Do do do dodo

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Rediscovering back yard gems

| flynny101

2/8/20

Mandy And Me

When I was a kid a lot of amazing adventures started or finished at 166 Bells Street. We are 13 or 14 popping wheelies on our BMXes, or hanging out high up in the climbing tree, or digging tunnels in the river bank or making home made fireworks out of stuff you could still buy or find when we were kids or sumfink.

Let’s go yabbying.

We grab some string, stuff some form of meet into our pockets, race off on our bikes and head up to some long forgotten little dams in a long forgotten gully right at the edge of town. It all sounds very Huckleberry Finnish. But it’s nothing so grand, just a day in the life of me and my mate Smiddy some time in the 80s. Nothing overly memorable except we didn’t catch any yabbies and on the way back while bridging through what I’d now call a canyonette (but back then was just a nice bit of narrow creek) Pat slipped in. We are wearing jeans and jumpers, it was an icy winters day (the yabbies had been smartly tucked up in their nests) and it was cold ride home for Smiddy.

Anyhoo, fast forward mumblemumble years. (Would you believe 10? No? How about 20? Ok it’s closer to 30, and by closer I mean over 30) Mandy is keen for a small walk and thinks Ida falls might be the go.

Pulling up in the little car park it’s packed (well 4 or 5 cars but enough to ruin the uncrowded feel I like.)

Hey there’s another gully we use to frequent and from memory it’s kind pretty too… says I

Understatement!

Especially after we’ve had a bit of rain through the week.

Memories are Golden. Get out there and make some

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Empress and Grand

| flynny101

01/02/2020

A quick run through Empress with Russ and Libby then a slow trip into the Grand at night with Russ, Mark, Ethan, Jamie, Marc and Ariadna.

I can’t believe it’s February and this is my first canyon trip for the year.

Mark invited us out on a night trip through The Grand Canyon so to make a bit of an afternoon of it Myself, Libby and Russ decided to hit the only other canyon in the Bluies that is officially open, Empress, beforehand.

It was a stinking hot day and I get a message, “Car park is full. Russ parked like a dick so we could save you a space. k.”

They straighten up and I pull in next to Russ and do the meet and greet.

Stuffing ropes into pack or odd pre canyon rituals or sumfink.

Did I say it was hot? We quickly make our way down and enter the refreshing coolness of the canyon.

It felt so good to hit the water

No surprises we weren’t the only ones to have this idea today… We’d passed a couple gearing up at the entrance and come across a group at the little jump just after the matrix jump.

Want to go through? They offer

If you don’t mind, say I. But we’re not in a hurry.

Oh come through we are just practising.

They’d set the drop up as an abseil with a very awkward start.

We jump on past

It almost felt secluded
And then we ran into the bottleneck at the end

We climb up on to the ledge to wait our turn. Only to learn later earlier in the day some dirty grub decided that was where they really needed to drop a turd. Lucky some guides saw it take place. Chastised old mate and cleaned things up

A group just in front said they waited inline for an hour…. It’s a 20min canyon…. Luckily the crowd had thinned a bit and about 20min later we set up on the left and dropped on down.

Luckily it had cooled down slightly for the walkout but we were still hot by the top. So After chatting with a few people we head to the servo for a frozen coke. Except their frozen Beverages machine wasn’t frozen…

Here we say bye to the Libster and head around to Evans Lookout to check out the views over the Grose

Tiger stripes. Foreground: “Normal” Bushfire damage, burnt understory with the random bursts of where it crowned into the canopy. Distance: The Blue Gum forest seems to have been spared the worst. Middle: Devistation where even pockets of rainforest have been reduced to ash. It will trake these areas far longer to recover

Anyhoo, We are soon met by Mark and Jamie, followed by Ethan and then Marc and Ariadna and spend some time chatting and waiting for darkness before doing a car shuffle back to the entrance track and heading on in

Once again we aren’t the only ones and there is a couple dropping in as we reach the abseil point. We Phaff about to give them time to have the canyon in peace

Marc gearing up next to glow-worms
Ethan dropping in

Once in we spend a fair bit of time just soaking in the ambience

Glow-worms and Night skies through the canyon walls
  • Worms and Reflections

Making our way down there is a constant feeling of awe as we stop often and for long periods just to sit in the darkness and admire the glow

I fall behind a little taking photos. When I catch up they have stopped in one of the more spectacular chambers. Mark, Ethan and Jamie sit quietly talking on one side of the canyon. I set up some photos then sit talking to the Spaniards on a ledge on the other side.

I have no idea how long we stayed there, certainly longer than I normally like to sit still, but I figure its such a beautiful night and atmospheric situation that everyone is just blissing out

Some time later I hear. Do you think we should go back and look for them?

Russ turns on his light. Oh there you are. We thought you were still back there taking photos.

The two groups were about 4m apart from each other 🙂

We though you guys we just enjoying the stillness

  • I wish I were a glow-worm, they are never glum. It is hard to be sad when the sun shines out your bum
  • Marc and Ariadna under the glow-worms

We have a bit of a laugh and continue on our way

Towards the end we start to come across the first evidence the fires encrouched the canyon. The smell of ash and burnt logs.
But even here the glow-worms survived

And then we continue down to do the loop out to Evans lookout. I haven’t been out this way for nearly 20years. The impacts of the fires are more noticeable beyond the canyon proper. What was more disappoint was a wall completely covered in new graffiti, If scrawling your name can be call graffiti. I don’t get it.

Anyhoo. We slog back up to the lookout and stare out into the darkness. The stars are out. An orange glow to the south east reminds us the fires have finished with us yet.

Back at the cars we say good bye to the others and wait for Libby to come back to pick up Russ. She brings beer and Cherry the dog. I like Libby.

Another two emerge from the track followed shortly thereafter by 2 more we say hi but in the darkness don’t take much notice. Towards the end of the beer Russ looks up and says, Is that Kylie?

The same friend of theirs we’d been chatting too at the end of Empress.

It had been a great evening with truly awesome people but its time to go home.

To paraphrase Winston Churchill: We are all worms, but I do believe some of us are glow-worms

Time:

Empress: A bit over 2hrs with a long wait for the abseil

Grand: About 4 hours with lots of just sitting in the dark.

When evening closes nature’s eye, the glowworm lights her little spark, to captivate her favourite fly and tempt the rover in the dark: James Mongomery

 

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Deep Pass

| flynny101

1/09/2019

Mandy and Meeeee

We thought we’d make the most of the pleasant first day of spring weather with a little jaunt down to Deep Pass AKA Gawaymbanha Ngurambenggu

Working your way up from the bottom this is the first pool you encounter.

Mandy at the base of the water fall. Its a great place to hang out on a hot summers day. WOuld the allure drag me in? I’ve been coming here since the 80s and that’s the least amount of water I’ve seen trickling over the falls. It doesn’t bode well for summer
The narrow bit. For as long as people can remember log have been tied across this narrow section to allow you to get across without getting wet.
It’s not exactly the prettiest and considering the water is only waist deep…

More rope to help stay dry. Where it crosses around the corner is the only spot where you have to get your feet wet
One the way back down I couldn’t help myself. Even in the height of summer I reckon the water at deep pass is some f the coldest I’ve swum in. Today was no different.

After a quick bite to eat in the warm sun at the camp ground we poke around some of our other hidden gems

There are various pieces of rock art around the site. A lot of it is genuine

There are little nooks and crannies and dry slots scattered around the cliffs
Split rock is pretty amazing. This narrow hall branches off at right angles from another hall that is only slightly less narrow
Mandy at the bottom of Split Rock

“If you don’t turn your life into a story, you just become a part of someone else’s story.” 
― Terry Pratchett,

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Slavens Cave

| flynny101

01/10/2018

Mandy Tal and meeee

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.

  1. 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

 

 

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Tal leading the way in. The big depression this hole lies at the base of suggests the cave was once much much bigger

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A little witchcraft is needed to find it

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Bad photo of a pit left over from an archaeological dig done in the 80s(?) Apparently nothing was found

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Mandy Exiting back out

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I like to wander

| flynny101

22-09-2018

Geoff and me

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.

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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.

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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 flowing

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The 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.

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Looking back across pagoda tops to the rock way holding up the old coach rd

Before visiting an more well know humpy

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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

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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

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Pagoda Canyons in the rain

| flynny101

8-09-2018

Madie, Wouter, Meeee with a cameo from Jen

So with a bunch of other commitments I didn’t get out canyoning at all in August. In fact the last real canyon trip I lead was almost 2 months ago so I was frothing to get out.

I was keen for a couple of the Pagoda canyons on the Plateau before the weather warmed up and when Madie said she had the weekend off I thought why not combine a few of the smaller ones to make it worth her drive.

I also thought she’d might be nutty enough to join me for our first wet canyon of Spring.

Can I bring a friend, asks she.

Yep says I. And so Wouter, would be joining us for his first canyoning experience.

Jen had a morning free opted in for the first canyon too.

After a long dry spell a week of steady drizzle was welcomed by all and certainly made the first two usually dry canyons a bit more special.

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The rain made the ledges a little more slippery

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Wouter and Jen Tip-toeing along the tiny ledges

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The Acoustic chamber could be called the TARDIS chamber. It’s bigger from the inside

The first recorded group through here called it Acoustic Canyon due to a series of these chambers. But as there was another little canyon out in the Nayook system already called Acoustic this one is now normally just called Sunnyside, though the Jameison guide also lists it as Wombat.

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You can normally get through this one without getting your feet wet. Not today

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All the little side waterfalls were amazeballs. Madie doing a “Supermodel” pose, Jen wondering what sort of nutcases she has gotten herself mixed up with

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such soft light and textures in the mist

 

Back to the car we say goodbye to Jen and make our way to the next one.

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After the amount of water in the last “dry” canyon I was expecting a bit more in this one

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I normally don’t bother with a rope here but the walls were extra slippery so we played it safe

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I love this chamber

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And this passageway

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Not sure why we are trying to stay dry at this point

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Maybe it’s just the challenge

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So do you guys want to slip over and check out the tops or make a dash for time and go and get wet in another canyon? Asks me

Why can’t we do both, replies Madie in her best el Paso impersonation.

Right on!

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From the top you wouldn’t imagine that goreous, airy chamber is just down there

Then it’s back up the ridge, into the car for a longish drive around to our next stop. I have to say I was a bit excited for this one. Madie was so excited she wetsuited up while we were driving. I’m not sure Wouter knew what to make of it all.

We made the car park at a bit after 3. Starting a canyon, a wet canyon so late on a cool, wet, early spring  day would normally not be sensible. But this one is super short, we managed to go car to car in just over an hour which is nuts.

But it is nice as a side trip on the way home.

So are we going to abseil down beside a waterfall? Asks Wouter on the way in

Um not exactly, says I

Now I’ve done this one at normal water levels. I’ve done it with Ed when the water was pounding. I’ve been there with Julie when the water was so big we decided to bypass the falls

After a long dry then a week of drizzle I wasn’t sure what to expect but as we short-cutted over the ridge we could here the falls roaring and as they came into veiw it looked just right.

 

 

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To answer Wouter’s question, we wont be going down “beside” the falls. ©Madie

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He was more than up for it. ©Madie

 

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©Madie

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Yep

It’s a cracker of a abseil

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©Madie

 

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All in all another great day in the bush

Millions long for immortality who don’t know what to do with themselves on a rainy Sunday afternoon.

Party Size. 4 for Sunnyside/acoustic. 3 for Zorro and Alcatraz

Timing: I think it was about 2hrs car to car for Sunnyside (with a bit extra walking along the firetrail due to trees down). a fraction under 2hr for Zorro and 1hr for Alcatraz with a bit of time driving between the lot

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