It’s late March in the Australian Alps. Why am I roasting ?
Gather around, grab a seat and get comfortable kids. I’ve got a tale to tell.
I’m sat in the patchy shade of a patchy shade bush waiting my turn as the sun beats down and reflects back up off the granite.
The guide wasn’t overly clear on exactly where the top anchor was but the others were confident they had the right spot.
Me? Not so much. I’d been nervous as shit about this one for some reason.
The guide said there were a multitude of bolts to choose from but the ones set further back with captive rings were the better option.
Problem was I could only see 2 sets and the ones further back didn’t have captive rings. And we weren’t really on a rounded boulder and, I was second guessing stuff.
Just let me have a look around.
So I’d soaked up time looking a long the cliff edge then in the creek on the ledge below. Nothing.
We’d all donned our full wetsuits earlier. Did I mention it was hot?
It was hot.
Kris dunked himself in the creek to cool down while I was stuffing around. Kylie waded in to do the same.
We headed back up and decided to check the anchor closer to the edge as we figured at least that didn’t drop straight onto the ledge and U bolts are closer to rings than the bolt hangers on the other ones.
I’d stuffed everyone around and wasted time.
I set up on anchor duties. P1 is supposed to be 38m to a semi hanging belay. Because I’m not 100% sure we are at the right anchor I let out 50m so Kris has a factor of safety and over he goes.
Muz slips across to a lookout to take photos and is prefectly located to keep us informed of what’s happening on the face
Time elapses.
He’s coming back up. Calls Muz
Kris regains the ledge 10m below.
I could see the P3 anchors just below me but they were way over to canyon left and I could not traverse that far. Calls he.
Weird. P3 anchor was suppose to be another 35m below the P2 anchor. I still had 15m of my 64m rope in my bag.
I saw the bolts for P2 on the way up. Says He
He has done an amazing job and now he is safely back on the large ledge I had walked out to earlier (I’m guessing in high water like they had when pioneering the canyon that would not be an option) he directs me to reset on the other bolts. I add some maillons to the hangers and Kylie resets the rope.
It’s a little known fact that maillons were invented is 1673 by a Frenchman called Louis D’Nutter. The same guy who invented the bicycle derailleur. No one really knows how to pronounce either one but we all attempt to sound French as we try.
I digress, We’ve been in the wetsuits in the heat for about 1.5hrs by now
Did I mention it was hot?
It was hot.
Damn hot.
Fry an egg on your helmet hot.
Hywaida takes the 80m rope and goes next. There’s not much room at the rebelay so Kris has P2 set. She will get to him then continue down to set up P3.
Kylie will then go and skip past both and we’ll regroup at the bottom of the 80m P3.
At least that’s the plan.
I find a patchy shade bush to sit under as the sun beats down and reflects up the granite as I wait my turn. But I’d already told you that bit.
Muz calls that Kylie is clear of P1. I rig the pull cord, drop on down to Kris and we pull the rope.
I take a 40 leaving Kris with the 60.
Is Kylie passed the anchor? Calls I
No they are still sorting it out. Calls Muz. who is now adding in all the correct hand signals.
Two whistle blasts come up. I start down. Muz tells me to stop.
I whip the camera out
Oh hi.
Kylie calls me down
Hywaida is starting to struggle in the heat. She hadn’t taken a dip to cool off and it was damn hot.
I reach the small ledge they are setting up on and noticed they are clipped to a single bolt which didn’t leave a lot of room for PASs and rope.
Kylie is tipping water over H’s head to cool her down
This isn’t the right anchor
The guide doesn’t mention the single bolt at all but Kylie had more detailed notes from a friend and we remember them saying to ignore the single bolt halfway down P2.
We get the the 80m set up and we discuss a game plan. Kylie is going to stay with Hywaida to get some water into her and cool her down. I’m going to head down on the 80, if I find another anchor within the next 20m I’ll secure myself and I’ll blow 3 whistles. that means to lower the 80m to me and reset using a 40m
If I don’t find any rebelay bolts but make it to the bottom it’s two whistles as normal. come down on the 80.
I head on down looking for more bolts but I ain’t see shit.
Well, except for the end of my rope about 10m above the bottom of the drop.
Halfway down I’d finally entered the flow. It was deliciously cool but now I’m a little worried about people needing to pass a knot right where the flow funnels in to smack you in the face.
Luckily there was a convenient, albeit tiny, alcove with a 30x30cm ledge right where I needed it.
I join my 40m rope on and continue down.
Hywaida comes next.
Oi! Calls I. You need to pass a knot.
What, calls she.
A Knot! calls I
I can’t hear what you are saying!
She tries to continue
There’s a Knot! calls she as she finally sees it she does what’s needed and continues down
Kylie comes next.
Oi! Calls I. You need to pass a knot.
What, calls she
A knot! Calls me and Hywaida
I can’t hear what you are saying!
She tries to continue
There’s a knot! Calls she. And does what needs doing to continue down.
Kris comes next
Oi! Calls I… you can probably see where this is going.
He gets off on a larger ledge and scrambles down not needing to pass the knot.
Kris is in there somewhere
Ok so I can see how this would be a major test piece in the flows they had during the La Niña years when they were establishing it and writing the guide but at 1.2Ml so far it’s just been abseiling down a (high) waterfall for the sake of abseiling down a (high) waterfall.
From here though the abseils get a little more interesting and funner.
In high flow accessing the anchors would be scary as a really scary thing.
We’d been warned about the terrifying false bottoms and syphons and stuff but at this water level it was an easy traverse to the next anchor across a solidly wedged boulder choke
Dem views 📸Kylie
Whoop whoop 📸Kylie
Next up is the superhero anchors.
Apparently boulder has moved. The bolts were originally set high but now they are so high and reachy I wouldn’t be able to reach them and I have quite a reachy reach.
Lucky Kris has his panic draw, which only just reaches. He then has to use that to pull himself up and out to clip in. Once again he saves the day.
TBH I think you’d be better combining this drop off the previous anchor. It looks like it would be a clean pull down anyway.
Kris levitating at the SHAB (stoopid high anchor bolts) meeeeeee on rope 📸Kylie
H P5
And all that’s left now is to boulder hop down stream to find the exit.
We scramble on down and spot a small cairn but to the right of it the climb looks horrendous and the guide says large cairn and we have a trace off ropewiki that says the exit is still further down stream
We press on to where the trace says the exit should be. There’s no cairn but a slight weakness in the vegetation in the first real side gully we’ve seen so we start up. It gets steeper and sketchier and shittier the higher we go.
We decide to bail and Kris heads back upstream to double check for a cairn we may have missed.
He finds it so eventually we start up the trail.
It goes
It goes
It just goes and goes and goes.
Up. traverse a bit. Haul up a handline. descend a gully. Up again etcetera etcetera etcetera.
The views at the top match the feels of getting out though
Type 2 Fun.
Crystal Brook is a big undertaking even at low flow, but a solid team brings the dream.
I think I made a better boy than I do a man, I admitted ruefully to the wolf. R Hobb.
It’s been a spell since I’d done a big scrub bash on a djinn’s whim of finding a questionable canyon and, TBH I had a tip off that we would find canyons in our chosen creeks
But you never know until you go.
We use to drive out here for a picnic over looking the Wolgan. Even a few years ago it was a reasonable (if legally questionable ) ride on the mountain bikes. Post 2019 fires regrowth is hectic.
Even since we did surefire late last year the scrub has engulfed more of the trail.
Anyhoo that was not going to deter us and we head out in good spirits.
There was a bit of debate about where to set up camp. Closer to our destination would give quicker access to the canyons in the morning but that meant lugging the camp gear further
Deadset this seems as good a place as any to set a rough camp.
Not wanting to carry a full tent we banked on it not raining and spread out under the stars.
Magical
I didn’t even feel the factor 3 earth quake that was conjured up and rumbled through the Bluies sometime that evening
Did you feel it? Asks Vince the next morning.
Nope, says I. I was dead to the world
We leave the camp gear and make our way further along the ridge before dropping into our first target.
We weren’t expecting much. unpublished “wilderness” canyons along this part of the Wolgan can be hit and miss but generally aren’t renown for high quality. (The high quality ones mostly found their way into the guidebook)
My good self and Vince making our way into a promising looking creek
We descend the upper cliffs without it really. Canyoning up and then it opens out again
Have we missed it? Asks Gadget. We’re not that far from the junction.
We are expecting the junction to be where the canyon ends.
We continue down.
And then
Hmmm that looks smelly I wonder how deep it is ?
Kylie summons up the courage. Turns out it was smelly and deep enough.
The creek finally canyons up and begins to plummet through the lower cliff line
The abseils all have tricky starts. getting over the edge without getting jammed is a bit of a black art but we all got through.
Gadget below abseil 3 looking for an anchor amid the dead fall
Another tricky start and a long abseil over several ledges with no options to rebelay
It keeps going. like the army of the undead
It was an interesting little canyon dropping steeply through several ledges of various widths.
Despite the ledges the only anchor options is about 35m above me at this point
Ok first goal achievements . A quick look about and now to break a pass back up through the cliff and check out its neighbour.
Getting back up through the lower cliff was surprisingly easy.
We knew the adjoining creek also had a canyon in it and seeing as all the interesting bits of the first one were in the lower cliff line we traversed around and dropped into our next one.
It started with a bit of promise
But just didn’t deliver.
After the second scrubby abseil we realise we are 1 short abseil above the junction where our first canyon finished.
Disappointment
We ascend up the previous drop then scramble out a convenient side gully.
There was chatter about checking the upper section out as it is rumoured to hold cool abseils.
But open scrubby creek greets us as we make our way up stream. We gain the ridge and continue up, keeping an eye on our gully just in case it drops through a slot but there’s nothing of note below the top cliff line.
Another easy pass yields us the ridge top
And thus back to camp and homeward bound.
It was a longish walk out for 2 short canyons. But I still get a kick out of exploring little canyons few others bother wit h. These ones would be doable in a day with a fit, efficient group but camping out was half the appeal. Plus there is other stuff out here that’s worth a look
This was suppose to happen before Christmas but a big rain event had NP jumping at shadows and closing things down.
Even though it stayed dry for the next 4days the parks were still closed and we had to postpone.
Until now.
Yeah baby
First up pizza and beerios at Evans lookout.
Oh, and as a 70s child a 70s theme seemed to make sense.
These lads
They really are a legendary bunch of humans
After posing and yakking and general shenanigans we make our way down the Grand Canyon trail under a setting sun and drop into the slot to say g’day to the glowworms.
I always forget the walkin/walkout to canyon ratio for Grand blows but it is a pretty little slot in any light
Night canyoning is a different experience
Space girl
Traversing under worms.
Dick glows as much as any worm
I really am lucky to be surrounded by amazing people and it was a great night.
And backing it up the next morning with a trip through Twister and Rocky Creek was a great idea
Entering the maw
It’s hard to describe just how much I love rocky creek.
How could the weekend get any better?
I’m glad you asked
Fill what’s empty. Empty what’s full. And scratch where it itches. A Roosevelt Longworth
BACK oh and once again I’m raising money fir the Westpak Rescue Helicopter so please consider a donation
In the spirit of cruisey we push that start time 30min later..
That might have been a mistake. As I role up the mountain it seems like every second car in NSW is trying to get a car park at the trail head.
Are you with them? Asks old mate pointing at a large group as I step out of my car.
Not me.
Come on boys let’s get going. Says he. Oh which way is it?
I point old mate and his 2 sons(?) in the general direction.
I notice Leo T marshalling the aforementioned group. That’s a relief. A commercially guided group that all bought their own cars making it seem like it’s a bigger group than it is. I know Leo is efficient and quick with his groups so not too fussed there .
Another group jumps out of their car and heads off to beat the rush.
Madie and Leo arrive and introduce another two of the people milling around. Achi and Toni are with us. Excellent.
Everyone ready to go? let’s get going before anyone else shows up. Says they
Um we aren’t due to meet for another 10 mins and Brook’s not here yet. Says I
Bugger say they.
Another group of 4 arrive. Leo knows them from rescue they banter about getting the jump on us and head off.
Brook arrives. Ok let’s go.
A quick walk becomes a slow jog becomes “keep up!”
Oi! I was promised a cruisey social trip.
By the time we get to the wetsuit change spot we’ve over taken all the groups who started before us.
As I always say, it’s not a competition. Unless you are winning, and right now we are now winning.
Winning
Ok get changed and get into it. We’ll slow down when we get to the abseils.
Thank fugg for that.
The “black hole”
Overcast day meant sunbeams were unlikely but oh the ohm-bi-aunce
Despite the three thousand two hundred and forty eight cars at the car park we haven’t seen any one in the canyon since one of the groups got to the top of the first abseil just as our last member was roping up.
We figure most of them would have leapfrogged us while we were in Thunder but we catch back up to the group of 4 at the exit and have a chat while we dry off and have a bite to eat and it appears no one else is in front of them.
then it’s up, up and up.
There’s still a gazillion cars at the car park
And while winning is the winning my legs don’t work anymore.
we farewell Achi and Toni then head for a well earned beerio
After delaying for a day to allow water levels to drop a bit we were keen as mustard to get into this little gem.
Dove Canyon is the quintessential Cradle Mountain canyon and the awesome folk at Cradle Mountain Canyons have done a great job at opening the canyon up and maintaining the entry/exit track as well as the anchors so it’s well worth booking a tour with them if you are in the area but don’t have gear or white water experience.
The canyon has several aquatic hazards to be wary of so most people would be best to book a tour, especially if you aren’t up on how to recognise, navigate and rescue out of that stuff.
Anyhoo. We got going early to get in front of the guide groups and after one of the easiest and prettiest walk-ins ever we reach the get in point.
A gorgeous little creek greet us. The water was cold but not Bowen creek middle of winter cold so the seland 5mm jacket and John’s were prefect.
We make our way down stream. Already the water is more pushy than anything in the Blue Mountains at normal to high levels so we take our time with the down climbs and assess the eddies at each little jump.
One of the first little pools
Then we come to the first the first of the major obstacles
The Laundry Chute at the exit of the dark tunnel like “Pit” section. Such an awesome feature. Legend has it this is the funnest canyon slide in Australia.
The plan was to do Dove today but big dump of rain had spiked the water levels and our local contacts suggested we wait a day for the levels to drop a bit. We were pretty sure they were being cautious with a couple of randoms asking questions but we were happy to take the advice and opted to do Machinery creek instead.
After parking at the bottom it took me a bit to work out the big obvious bridge wasn’t our bridge. The amount water flowing at speed under the big bridge had me a bit 😳
But the correct creek was a lot more enticing. The water was about 15mm off what we were told was the high level (interesting by the time we got back here it had dropped at least 70mm)
Our advice was if we didn’t have a second car to hitch a ride up the hill but there didn’t seem to be too many cars heading our way so we hoofed it up. While there wasn’t much verge at times the we had plenty of warning to get out of the way of the few cars that did pass us.
40 or 50min (or forever ) later we reach the Round Hill Cafe at the top of the hill. Surprisingly there was a little camp area there. Talking to the care taker we discover it had shower, toilet and kitchen area and was only $25 for a powered site! I know where we are staying tonight. Winning!!!
Anyhoo we follow the trail down past some old mine Adits to the start of the canyon.
Enticing. Not.
And soon we were suiting up in a little gorge.
After the slipfest in Urumbilum it took us a bit to trust our footing but the rocks here offered heaps of grip. And soon we were making reasonable time
It threaten to but never really canyoned up.
Still there were some very cool abseils in flow. It reminded me of the better of the Bungonia canyons with good water in it, though the abseils tended to be shorter .
The second abseil is the crux. It lands in an enclosed pool that in high water forms a powerful hydraulic with strainers in the outflow
It might sound like a tacky German porno from the 80s but Bangalore is a fun canyon/wet abseil trip.
TBH I wasn’t sure what to expect as I had heard it described as more creek than canyon and after yesterdays slip’n’slidefest in Urumbilum we were a little battered.
Once again the forecasts was for rain and severe afternoon storms but the river gauge was still sitting at around a modest 30Ml range and we knew it was more open terrain.
With Jason and Vince carrying the ropes and sharing anchor duties I got to play tourist and take a metric crap load of (mostly bad) photos.
I’m not sure where the creek walking rep came from as you are pretty much straight into it after hitting the creek.
Despite the creek being more open the abseils are in some nice flow. And at these water flows they were pretty chill.
And once again the sunshine defied the forecasts
Kylie in the froth
I always thought the blessed by good luck saying was “hit up the bum by a rainbow” but apparently smacked in the face by a waterfallbow works too.
Or maybe “whacked on the todger“
For an “open creek” it had some nice canyony bits.
The stench at the out flow of this one was spew worthy. Something very dead but yet not dead enough was caught in the log jam.
Then we come to the one that contains the log you can squeeze behind but poses a big risk in high flow.
There’s a line of traverse bolts we decide to check out. Vince has never set a traverse before so of course we send him first (we did talk him through it)
Jason is shaking his head.
We normally just sling off that tree over there. Says he
And he has a fair point. The traverse is a bit of dicking around when the tree is far easier and safer to get to and (looking back from the bottom of the drop) gives a far better line anyway.
Moral to the story: Don’t just blindly follow the bolts kids. Sometimes there are better options.
Anyhoo it gave us a bit of practice on a traverse in a non threatening environment.
Vince and Jason at the anchor at the end of the kinda pointless traverse. The low flow line goes behind the log. The tree anchor comes down a much nice line just out of shot to the left (canyon right) and you can walk to it out of the flow easily
There’s an option to exit here. We opt to keep going as it’s a bit of fun
A short creek walk gets us to the next bit
Another odd traverse bolt to get out to a weirdly placed anchor. Jason bemoans the original bolt placement on the other side of the creek had been removed.
The new anchor appears to be for better pulldown but Jason says the other had no issues and was a funner line. 🤷🏻
And still the wet abseils keep coming.
So much fun
And just like that we are at the Jade Pool and our exit. There is 1 more optional drop we could do but as you just go down to come back up we decide to skip it and head out.
The track up is steep but a hell of a lot easier than falling over 2.5km of slippery river rocks.
If Rosewood is the Empress of the north. Bangalore is their Dione Dell (minus dry line options.)
Mr. Burns : You must find the Jade Monkey before the next full moon.
Smithers : Actually, sir, we found the Jade Monkey. It was in your glove compartment.
sleepwhenwearedead 