Lower Bell Creek Canyon

April 8, 2018April 7, 2020 | flynny101

07/04/2018

Madie, Autal, Marchelle, Craig, Ev and me.

Madie told me she had trouble finding the entrance to the lower section of Bells creek on a solo mission. So we threw a few dates around. Nothing worked for us both

Poo i have to go to Zanzibar. Says she. I guess April wil be too late.

Na Aprils good. And shit Zanzibar!

Great Now I have a Hoodoo Guru song stuck in my head. And it’s not even one of my favourate Hoodoo Gurus songs

Anyhoo.

Man I’m back, keen for bells creek???

Apparently Madie’s back. We lock in a date. Others were invited. The weekend came and it was a warm one for this time of year. Perfect for Bells

I breifly considered a car shuffle from the Bells line of road out along the ridges but group size would make that awkward so I opted for the standard slog down to Du Faurs creek and over the ridge. A couple of people dropped out but any way it not a bad walk

I pull into the carpark next to the Mt Wilson fire shed. Marchelle, Ev and Craig are waiting. I look around sure Madie would have camped. Oh that looks like Autal down there.

Autal wanders up. Madie’s there. She is making coffee.

Yep she has a full on camp kitchen going on with a frying pan full of water on the boil. Anyone want coffee. I need coffee.

Sometime later we are all ready to go and set off along the fire trail.

It’s easy walking and with some friendly banter distracting us it seems like no time and we are making our way down the rope into Du Faurs creek

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA — Marchelle on the hand over hand

We reach the standard start point for Clatterteeth canyon but head straight across and make our way up through a series of little cliff lines on the oposite side

There is a slight track leading up to the ridge top but then we are on our own. The scrub has grown back since the last lot of fires but nowhere near the horror stories of yore.

I take a compass bearing and we make our way along the ridge and drop off the other side. I considered trying to drop into Little Bell but opted for the easy gully where a track comes and goes at random and soon we reach the start of Belfry Canyon.

It’s taken us just under 2hrs. Which is fairly good going.

For a trip that has a relative beginner rating of 2 in the guide book there are some tricky bits. The navigatioin being one and some interesting down climbs being another.

No one wants to carry in abseiling gear if they don’thave too, despite the unnecessary ring bolt above a realy nice natural anchor….. It looks worse than it is. It’s a pretty simple down climb and a deep pool below, if you land in the right spot…

Bellfry is such a pretty canyon in it’s own right and the early Autum sun light gave us some rays in the narrow bit

The yellows and oranges of the sandstone som give way to lush greens

a lot of photos were snapped by the group in this section

There are usually some very dark sections on this trip

Last time this was pitch black. Such a nice light in here today thou

We emerge from the dark swim and fnd ourselves at the junction with Bell Creek

From here there is a bit of creek walking interspaced with some bounder scrambling and a couple of down climbs that have you scrtching your head at the beginner rating

Again, I’ve seen abseils set up on easier down climbs. Autal and Craig giving Marchelle some tips while Ev takes photos and watchs with some *apprehension*

And then we descend into lower Bell Creek Canyon.

The constrictions in Bell Creek are really top notch. It’s a high quality canyon for a long way

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Hulks hand? The Angry green man seems to like canyons.

The canyon closes in.

There are some big log jams that are tricky to negotiate. Testament to the raging power of this place in flood

This time I decide not to make the same mistake as last time and suggest we blow the lilos up.

Oh, we didn’t bring any.

So me and Madie blow our lilos up and the others will be swimming

You can see by the moss that the water level is down a bit

Again there is so much more light in this section than on my previous visit.

longish lilo/swim sections are broken by some wading, down climbing and boulder hoping

And then we get to the long dark tunnel like swim.

some soft sun rays in the usually dark section

Who needs a lilo? Not Autal, turning floating on his pack into an art

and just when you think it’s opening out it goes from a narrow dark canyon to a deep grand gorge

Madie and Craig adding some perspective to the scale

Madie waiting on Autal, Marchelle and Ev. It’s well past lunch time. I think she is getting hungry.

What time’s lunch? I’m hangry

How about we get to the junction with Du Faurs, there might be more sun.

How far it that?

Just around the conrer…

It was a bit further. but we continue

We eventually stop on a sandy beach and replenish energy supplies.

Then make our way up into the lower section of Du Faurs creek

Traffic jam with another group coming down Du Faurs. AKA Clatterteeth Canyon

There are so many cool rock formations in this trip. Every time you look up you see something cool

Lots of options in Du Faurs to climb up the walls and jump back in

And then we exit up Joes canyon.

From there it’s a quick walk around to meet the usual Wollangambe entrance track at the big Pagoda and a final slog up to the car park.

Another enjoyable day with a great bunch of people.

Party Size: 6 all experienced

Timing: A tad under 8hrs car to car

Include some foolishness to you serious plans. It’s wonderful to be silly at the right moment.

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Claustral Canyon, with a side of Thunder

March 26, 2018March 27, 2018 | flynny101

24-03-2018

Ed, Ethan, Garry, Jodie, Dick and me.

So Ed had just about run out of awesome photos to edit awesomely into awesomer photos of our awesomest trip to Claustral with Lewis last season.

If you haven’t seen his photos do yourself a solid and look him up on the book of faces or find him on flickr

Anyhoo, with Ed being a new dad he had other things to occupy him and thus was only going on limited trips but we had hatched a plan ages ago for a return trip to Claustral for more photos.

But it just didn’t seem like it was going to go to plan. Ed’s camera had some issue which meant it needed to be sent away for repair. I strained a calf muscle a couple of days before the trip and could barely walk and the weather turned wet and cold and the best laid plans of small rodents and hairless apes seemed like they would crumble.

In the end it came together and we found ourselves signing the visitors book on the walk in track just past 8am. We had thought the weather might put people off but a group of 3 was just in front of us and a party of two pulled up just as we headed off. We’d perfectly time it to briefly meet each other at the thunder canyon junction and exit but otherwise not see each other in the canyon. (more cars were lined up on the side of the road by the time we returned to the car park)

Ed showed up without his camera. It was just back from repairs and he didn’t want to risk it in the rain. Probably be too gloomy anyway…

The day was actually sunny and we wasted no time getting into the good bits.

Ed in the ferntatious fernery of the fernilicious entrance gully fernery

After a week of rain water levels were up a bit

And the water was a little on the chilly side

We get to the infamous Black Hole of Calcutta. They are roaring. We agree on whistle signals as voices wouldn’t be heard and work out a plan to piggie back the ropes down the abseils to avoid a large group waiting in cold water.

In I go

last time I was awed by this section. Today even more so.

Despite the sun shine up above the black hole seemed even darker than usual. Around the corner the Green Room at the Ranon junction was as spectacular as always. A lovely soft light had Ed regretting not bringing the camera but if he had I think we’d still be there…

Free of camera duties he was quick to strike some poses

The quintessential Claustral shot of recent years is looking back towards the Green Room with someone standing on a rock that looks a bit like Hulk’s fist. Just about every group that goes through takes the shot. I’ve heard of people booking a commercial tour just to get the shot. You’d think it would be blasé by now.

But it still holds some magic.

Ed contemplating shades of green on the Hulks Fist

Still I try a few different angles and poses just to be different. Now I wouldn’t claim to be a photographers areshole but I think they turned out ok

And we move on.

It’s dark in the canyon. With the mist lifting I was expecting sun beams but it seems we are a tad early. In a few spots I’m glad we had head torches

The low angle of the sun creepng down the walls throws up interesting shots like this shot below

Jodie in the spotlight of Garry’s Ay-Ups while up above the light plays hard to get and a mist fall sprays the walls

Ed posing in a scene he made famous with his 2017-18 season Ozcanyons banner

Jodie joins him to pose for Ethan. I’m pretty sure thats the angle that featured on the cover of National Geographic a few years ago.

We get to the junction with Thunder Canyon and I convince them it’s worth the side trip with it’s cold dark swims.

The group in front of us are just coming back out. they have found an intense light ray and are warming them selves in it’s brilliance

It was a small teaser of the light show that was about to burst forth

But first to brave the cold swim. Thunder Canyon is deeper and darker than it’s more popular siblings.

It has glowworms shinning throughout the day if you know where to look and are game to turn off your light

Oh look light rays are starting to come through

And didn’t they what

But eventually we dragged ourselves away. Further up was more dark but it was worth venturing up to join the short finned eels in the cold waters.

Just around the corner is the base of Westerway Falls.

Believe it or not this is 100% natural lighting. As Ed declaired you couldn’t design a light scheme that perfect. And check out the play of that water feature.

But still there’s more. Hidden behind the falls is another delight

A deep dark cave behind the falls themselves. You may be able to make out some glowworms in this shot

I could have stayed here much longer but we needed to move on. This was as far up Thunder we’d be able to get. Time to back track to the junction

The light beams were waiting for us again

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And then we are back to the junction.

Most people consider the next bit to be part of Claustral but technically it is Thunder Gorge in Camathan brook and Clautral brook is it’s tributarty. Sure Thunder comes down and takes a right angle turn while Claustral seems to go pretty much straight but Thunder was the first one explored and named so it gets the glory. Or sumfink

There is some energy sappng boulder scrambles and tricky climb downs

but then the walls close back in for the tunnel swim

And some more gorgeous canyon

And then it’s time for lunch and the haul up Rainbow ravine.

It’s hard going in the humidity but the veiws from the top of the camels hump are worth it.

Just up there is the old car park… But we turn back down steeply into the top of Claustral Brook where we work our way down through some more nice canyon sections. Above us thunder rumbles and a storm hits.

Well that saves the dilema of whether to dry bag the dry clothes or just swim in them. By the time we get to the swims we are soaked any way. The rain was heavy but refreshing and we reach our second exit point and do the climb out to the cars.

It’s later than we had planned. We’d sppent longer in Thunder canyon than I thought we would have but it was just so mesmerising. Still Gaz has to be at work for a 12hr night shift in just 45min so no time is waisted and it’s into dry clothes and a hurried good bye.

All in all a top day.

Your comfort zone is the most dangerous place to stay.

Party size 6 all experienced

Timing: 9.5 hrs not rushing and my injured leg holding us up a bit.

The video is a bit longer than my normal opnes but I could have put up 20min just on the Black hole abseils.

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Afternoon trip to Alcatraz

February 10, 2018 | flynny101

08-02-2018

Catherine, Chris, Dick, Joe and me

Making the most of Daylights saving we did a quick after work trip through Alcatraz

a alcatraz-8.jpg

Party Size: 5. 2 experiences 3 noobs (all had abseil and outdoor experience.)

Time: 2 hrs car to car

The Universe is full of magical things patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper.

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*Slight detour* in March I am again taking part in the West Cycles Classic to raise money for the Westpac rescue helicopter service. Whether preforming bush rescue, emergency patient transfers, and all the rest no one has ever had to pay to use the helicopter due to public donations. If, like me, you believe this is an invaluable service or if you just enjoy reading my blog think about pitching in with a donation. Large or small every bit counts. follow this link for details 2018 West Cycles

Grand Canyon at Night

January 26, 2018January 26, 2018 | flynny101

25-01-2018

Ethan and me

Anyhoo

I mentioned to the gang I wanted to do Grand at night this year. At some stage me and Ed discussed doing it the Australia day weekend but as he is a new dad I doubted he’d get the leave pass and so I promptly forgot about it.

Then I get a text, Are you doing the Grand Canyon trip tomorrow night? Ethan is keen

I had completely blanked it from my mind. Had no intention of doing it. I thought Ed must have known someone else doing it….

Now I’m keen thou.

A quick text to Mandy and Tal. Tal was a nope. Mandy was keen with a slightly earlier start. We’re in. Then Mandy had to pull out last minute.

Me and Ethan it is.

With dry lightning strikes causing havoc and starting bushfires in a lot of the canyoning belt I was keeping a close eye on both the weather and the Rural Fire Service updates, as well as NP closures but unlike the rest of the canyoning areas Blackheath got a bit of rain out of Thursday’s storm (10mm) and so it was damp and misty in the valley.

The soft afteroon/post-storm light was awesome

We dropped into the canyon around 6:30pm. Thinking by the time we phaff about with photos things would get dark about halfway through

The light was eerie and atmoshperic and awesome

Normally when I try this sort of canyon shot the sky and center is a blaze of washed out over exposure. The light today was something special, very little post editing done here

Ethan making his way down and the light continues to drop

Again this shot on a point and click camera would be horibly contrasty in normal light conditions. I could have lightened up the sides a bit but thought why bother, that’s how it looks when you are in there

Ethan contemplating stuff like if snake don’t have eyelids how do they sleep….

In this light it was hard to see with the lights off but even harder with them on as the mist got reflected back in your eyes like driving in fog with high beams

and the moody atmosphere kept getting better. I mean sun beams ar great and all but moonbeams are so chill

Giving the Gand Canyon a Claustral like feel

Um, we are at the last swim…. Depsite the photo phaffing we seem to have come through super quick. We breifly contemplated following the track back to the start and doing it all again but chose the better idea staying in the canyon, reversing it back to the start and coming down again in darkness. Excellent idea Smithers

It’s like 3 different canyons in the different light traveling different directions

The glowworms came out to play. they are hard to photo well but the little TG4 does OK

Looking up through a gap in the canyon walls. What are stars and what are glowworms?

Serveral times we just turned every thing off and sat in silence under the glowworms. It’s a special experience

Leaf tailed gecko spoted by another group who were heading in as we headed out

To the mind that is still, the whole universe surrenders. Lao Tzu

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Ranon Canyon

January 18, 2018January 19, 2018 | flynny101

17-01-2018

Kent, Anna, James, John, Tal and me

Last time I had done a trip through Ranon canyon Carlos Santana and Rob Thomas were Smooth and Mmmbop was unfortunitely still a thing. A drunken conversation between myself Della and Lerch on the wrong side of 2am saw us up a few hours later working off hangovers in the heat.

It was Lerch’s first big canyon I remember getting to the Junction with Claustral and him asking where the exit was. The look of dejection when I told him it was 2hrs down stream was almost as good as when we got to the top of the camels hump and I pointed out our destination up on Mt Tomah that looked to be separated by another deep chasm and I jokingly said we had come up the wrong ridge…..

Lerch is not a violent man but I think I saw murder in his eyes that day. Luckily he was too stuffed to chase me.

Anyhoo, I had some time off and Kent was out on another one of his multiple day canyon extravaganzas and he happened to be doing Ranon on a day that I could get to. Sweet.

The “normal” entrance to the Claustral system through the Black Hole of Calcutta Falls is spectatualr and all but I always preffered going in via Mistake Ravine and Ranon Canyon. Originally that was probably a snobby thing knowing it was far less visited but it does give you more bang for your buck with some very nice canyon above the junction that gives Claustral a real run for it’s money in terms of greenry. IMO it’s even more fernilicous and still has few signs of visitation.

Anyway there was so much beauty in this trip I think I’ll leave the words to a minimum and let the photos tell the story.

a ranon (1 of 139).jpg — Looking down Mistake Ravine towards the Ranon Brook Junction

a ranon (2 of 139).jpg — Tal on a slippry hand over hand into Mistake Ravine

a ranon (15 of 139).jpg — Like a lost world

a ranon (17 of 139).jpg — Sandstone, Sassafras and Coachwood

a ranon (20 of 139).jpg — Tal giving Anna some tips on foot placement

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After the junction with Ranon it somehow gets even more ferntacualr

a ranon (24 of 139).jpg — John dropping into Ranon

a ranon (27 of 139).jpg — Fern ceilings are cool

a ranon (30 of 139).jpg — Kent all chilled out and relaxed

a ranon (35 of 139).jpg — Work life ballence or something

a ranon (43 of 139).jpg — Tal resetting after having negociated the deep pool mid abseil

a ranon (46 of 139).jpg — Anna on another 2 stage abseil with a deep pool between drops.

a ranon (49 of 139).jpg — Kent and James pulling ropes

a ranon (52 of 139).jpg — John dropping down towards the Claustral junction

a ranon (56 of 139).jpg — James in the slot at the Claustral junction

a ranon (59 of 139).jpg — Sun beams in Claustral

a ranon (60 of 139).jpg — Looking out of the Black Hole of Calcutta towards the Ranon Junction. You can make out Anna belaying Kent down the final abseil

a ranon (61 of 139).jpg — Claustral Canyon

a ranon (68 of 139).jpg — The Hulks Fist

OK so this location/pose is probably the most snapped shot in any canyon in the Blue Mtns, if not the southern hemisphere. Sure it’s almost getting cliche and is certainly the classic “Claustral photo” but who cares it is such an epic spot. I thought it became “the shot” after it was featured in National Geographic but a quick google informs me that was the next one down which Ed has captured from a slightly different angle for the 2017-18 Ozcanyons banner.

So who first took it? No idea but two of the best comes from Ed and Jake

Anyhoo

a ranon (72 of 139).jpg — Claustral canyon

a ranon (81 of 139).jpg — Claustral is such a great slot, deep and sustained. Unfortunitey in 1982 3 people lost thier lives when they got caught in this section in a severe storm. Between the Black Hole and the Thunder Canyon junction there is little to no refuge in rising water. The Claustral system has a large catchment so it’s important to stay uptodate on weather forcasts and if it looks dicey or you are unsure… Well the canyon will stillbe there next week, next month, next year

a ranon (91 of 139).jpg — Enjoying a bit of sun light

a ranon (94 of 139).jpg — Looking up Thunder canyon

a ranon (95 of 139).jpg — Me and Tal go for a quick look up the bottom 100m or so of Thunder. The water is so much colder

a ranon (105 of 139).jpg — From the Thunder junction down there is a bit of boulder hopping before the canyon closes back in

a ranon (113 of 139).jpg — Tal in the tunnel swim. On my first trip though here it was silted up and was more a shallow wade. Deep and clear today

a ranon (114 of 139).jpg — In the tunnel swim

a ranon (118 of 139).jpg — The chock stones in the tunnel swim seem so far above you as you swim through but the cliffs above dwarf them

a ranon (127 of 139).jpg — A final swim to the exit spot

a ranon (130 of 139).jpg — And then it’s up and up and up

a ranon (132 of 139).jpg — Though the exit gully, Rainbow Ravine is very pretty itself

a ranon (136 of 139).jpg — Looking across to Mt Banks

in my report on our Claustral trip last year I explained how George Caley thought it would be an easy traverse from Mt Tomah across the “low saddle” to Mt Banks. Without knowledge f the deep canyons, only some of which we had just traversed, it’s easy to see why he had thought that.

Anyway anther great trip with great people, thanks again to Kent of organising.

Anna was pleased that on a canyon trip with 5 blokes no F bombs were dropped. Personally I think she blanked a few out.

Party Size: 6 all experienced

Time:8.5hrs car to car, relaxed pace

Is life not a thousand times too short for us to bore ourselves-Friedrich Nietzsche

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Windows

August 5, 2017August 6, 2017 | flynny101

05-08-17

Tim, Yuri, Scott, Louise, Peter, Sophie, Craig, Autal and me

Ah Windows 95, while Machintosh ensured “1984 wouldn’t be like 1984!”, Windows 95 took Graphic User Interface and plug and play and made it accessable to the microsoft masses who had thus far been stuck in MS-DOS. It may have been the first and last time people got excited about a Windows release.

Anyhoo.

Windows Canyon is nothing like that.

It’s more of an absiel trip with canyony sections and the access as well as the length and tricky starts of the abseils has probably kept the masses at bay.

We park up and do the meet and greet. This time around Tim is going to be ringmaster it’s his circus and we’re his monkeys and he rallys us up for the pep talk then we are off

Up we go. Out of the wind it’s a pleasant winters day wind jackets and thermals will soon be shed

In the spirit of adventure we opt to go a slightly harder route up that contains a little shimey up a rock climb

After climbing up through the cliffline the cliff edge is a great spot to have a drink and a bite ot eat

Yuri on a brittle shelf way above the Wolgan

Don’t worry it is a bit of an illusion as there is another wide ledge just below and the pedistal is way more solid than it looks.

Autal thought he’d replicate Yuris photo and handed me his brand new TG5 camera. Now over night it was windy. All morning it has been windy. But we really didn’t get too much wind all trip, except as Autal approached the pedistal where a gust of wind plucked the beanie right off his head and made it soar.

Like wow, I’ve seen some pretty impressive paper planes in my day but nothing that caught on the wind like that beanie. Go little beanie. Go!

It went and went and went and went before finally dropping down into the tree line and snagged in a tree in the distance.

Bye bye beanie

Oh well a bit of scrub bashing later and we were in our gully

Scott leading one of the tricky to start abseils

Craig 1’s new rope gets a test out. Flynny’s rope law. New ropes always tangle

Over the chock stone or under the chock stone?

Louise absieling through the arch “Window”

A window on the world. Louise setting up ropes

Another great day in the bush with great people

Time: a tad under 5hrs car to car

Thanks to Tim for organising and making it run so effortlessly.

“Get out there now and make sure you become part of the glorious past in somebody else’s future!” Andrew Penny

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Bobs Canyon, AKA Broadhead canyon

June 25, 2017August 4, 2017 | flynny101

24-06-2017

Tal and I

Bob told me about this one a while ago but I hadn’t managed to go for a look for it yet.

Apparently some time in the distant past they explored it, looking in from the top, then finding their way to the bottom. They thought it was 2 abseils and dragged logs in for anchors. Only just past the second drop where they expected it to open out was a 3rd drop… with no anchor point. Lucky they had some kids with them and they lowered one down to drag some more logs up to jam between the canyon walls.

Anyhoo me and Tal had nothing on so we decided to go for a walk to see if we could find it. Bob had given me some good directions but I still managed to swerve a little to far right trying to avoid the worst of the scrub, still thinking I was on top of the ridge so not checking the compass we ended up on a little spur.

Back tracking we regain the main ridge. Thinking Tal would be hating me for the scrub I asked if he just wanted to head back to the car or continue on.

Continue on says he.

We work our way down into the little depression that would eventually become the canyon but skirt around the side of it to get a look in from the top.

The veiws from the end of the ridge were outstanding.

We enjoyed a bit of lunch on top of a fantastic pagoda. Bob tells me there is a colony of Broad-Headed snakes that frequent this area and we spend some time peering into crevices but have no luck in seeing any.

With a little look around we spie a likely route back up from the valley below then head off to check out the canyon.

We hadn’t really planned to drop in today, just a scouting mission but we had thrown the ropes in at the last minute just in chase.

The short canyon looked as awesome as Bob had described, an arcing slot that dropped steeply through the cliff line. But it sounded like there was a bit of flow over the falls.

we make our way back along the tops and find a way to scramble down just as the canyon begines to slot up. A short way in there’s a down climb to a short pool. Crystal clear, deep enough to jump into but freezing cold. We back track slightly to see if we could get past on leadges and drop in on the other side.

We make our way along a serries of thin ledges but the further we go the less options to set up an abseil. We do, however spy the top of the first drop. The trickle of water in the creek srpays out from the wall. We’d definately be getting wet. We hadn’t planned on that so we deside to stick with plan A and back track out.

Know I know the way in and what to expect it will be on the list to do at a later date.

Broadhead (2 of 15).jpg — A slot I thought may give access back up but nope.

Broadhead (5 of 15).jpg

Broadhead (10 of 15).jpg — Looking back up to the start of the canyon

Broadhead (12 of 15).jpg — Looking down on the exit portal

Broadhead (14 of 15).jpg — Hmmm to deep to wade, too wide to straddle

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“You don’t have to sit outside in the dark. If, however, you want to look at the stars, you will find that darkness is necessary. But the stars neither require nor demand it.” –Annie Dillard

	Popeye Canyon Lower… on Popeye canyon, upper
	Popeye Canyon Lower… on Banks
	Hole In the Wall… on Banks
	Banks – sleepw… on Nose Dive
	Banks – sleepw… on Hole in the Wall and Banks…

sleepwhenwearedead

blue, mts, canyon, canyoning, mtb, mountain bike, gardens of stone, Lithgow

blue. mountains

Lower Bell Creek Canyon

Claustral Canyon, with a side of Thunder

Afternoon trip to Alcatraz

Grand Canyon at Night

Ranon Canyon

After the junction with Ranon it somehow gets even more ferntacualr

Windows

Bobs Canyon, AKA Broadhead canyon