Millie, Kylie, Jason, Vince, Russ, Libby, Russ, Brooke and meeeeeeee
Any one canyoning on Sunday. Asks Brooke
Not Sunday but we’ll be doing something Saturday says I
W’re taking Millie to the Glowworm Tunnel says Russ, We might stop by the Dry canyon but if you are doing anything in the afternoon we’d be keen.
So we pretty much invited ourselves on their trip.
First stop the Dry Canyon, AKA Wolgan View or Nobles Canyon.
Ans then we head off to find some honeycomb.
The facilities at the Glowworm tunnel has undergone an upgrade and the road it the best I’ve ever seen it so it was to be expected that the car park would be chokas on a long week immediately after reopenning.
But we found a park, grabbed the packs and skipped up the hill
Millies new bed room. She is quite impressed with it
Post 2019 fire scrub has grown back hard!
So much so we couldn’t see the canyon until we were right on it
Honeycomb is a pretty little pagoda canyon. Adventurous, with trick abseil starts but nothing overly awesome
Another trip to this short but pretty dryish canyon out the back of Clarence, and a stop at Goochs Crater on the way back
This is an awesome sheltered cave. The creek, when it’s running flows through the back of it.
Venturing up the stuning side canyon. First recorded exploration of this slot by a bushwalking club was a group from Sydney Uni Bush Walking club in 1962, though I suspect Col Oloman would have visited previously either on one of his solo trips or with friends as they explored the areas through here across to the Bungleboori and beyond. Neither bothered to name it.
I keep forgetting how short this slot is. You get caught up in the light and ambience and time ceases to have meaning
the large cave in a 180 bend in the canyon.It’s like another world. Ciaus and Ed desided when society falls apart this might be a good place to live
Ed in one of the more open twists and turns in the very narrow upper section of canyon
tight and twisting canyon formation
Ed on the peak, the canyon carves around either side of him. The cave at the bend can be seen in the cliff line, though the scale of it is hiddne by the trees
We seem to be climbing out to look down on the top of canyons a lot lately
Ciaus and Jake as the canyon opens out slightly near the cave
So after our trip through River Caves Mandy had to be back in town early but the rest of us decided to take the drive out to the dry canyon which is always a great one for showing newbies
It’s a bit pongy today, says I. Probably that dead dingo, says Catherin. Don’t know how I missed it. Poor thing looks to have taken a few wounds and sort refuge up in a little alcove but didn’t make it through.
Standard dry canyon shots to come
And with plenty of time in the day we decided to slip over the tops to bask in some sunlight and take in the views
The pagodas that from the Dry canyon with Donkey Mt in the back ground
At least here we can look down on the rich bastards in the Emerites resort
Its a long way down into that dark cervice to where we just were
It doesn’t feel like it arcs so much when you walk through it
“the great French climber called it ‘The conquistadors of the useless.’ Yeah, the end result is absolutely useless, but every time I travel, I learn something new and hopefully I get to be a better person.” – Yvon Chouinard, 180 Degrees South”
Acoustic/SunnySide/Wombat(WTF?) is a great little canyon to visit in Winter as it has a nice constriction, some awesome erision caves and with a little bit of care it’s possible to get through it in normal conditions without getting you feet wet.
It’s fairly short so it’s usually conbined with other trips out that way but we had some other stuff to do and living close it’s an easy half day.
Pulling into the car park I handed the map and compass to Tal. Navigation is as straight forward as it gets in trackless terrain so it’s not a bad one to practice on. I gave him a bearing and he lead off following the path of least resistance through the scrub while staying on course. A decent effort delivered us to the dry water course about 100m upstream of where the pogodas sprout out the the ground and the creek canyons up.
Just before the jaws of the canyon Mandy decided to have a lie down when she stepped in a hole and twisted her ankle. After a bit of drama queen stuff she got up and said she’d be fine to keep going.
We left her to walk out the sprain a little as I lead Tallis up an easy scramble to check out the Acoustic chambers from above. The ridge above the western wall is easy to negotiate and gives a great perspective on the canyon.
One of the “smaller” chambers near the start of the canyon
Looking down the canyon towards 2 of the larger chambers
Looking down into the canyon
Tal checking the views from pogoda tops
The large chamber from the western ridge
Looking back up along the canyon
After quickly checking it out from above we make our way back to Mandy and head on in.
The canyon starts with a little twist and then a nice little tunnel scramble
Mandy following tal into the gateway
There’s a few spots where it looks like you are sure to get your socks (and more) wet but with a bit of route finding and care you don’t even get the soles of your shoes wet
Tal balancing of thin ledges to avoid getting wet. It might look like a mirror of liquid mercury in the harsh noon sun in the photo but its crystal clear
Mandy reflecting on how we got past here with out getting wet. There are ways… We may or may not have shared our secret
and after a little bit of fun the eastern wall opens in to the large chamber…..
Mandy an Tal eating lunch by the ferns while I check out the TARDIS effect, it’s bigger on the inside
You soon have to tranverse across the base of another chamber. In any other canyon this one would blow you away but it is eclipsed a bit by the previous one.
Mandy traversing the balcony while Tal heads downinto the next section
Once again it’s bigger from the inside
Canyon formation
It’s advisable to traverse the right hand ledge above the last 100m of canyon. this avoids a little scrub as well as some delicate vegetation in the final slot which ends in a boulder choke. It also gives better views out into the Wolgan as the canyon opens up.
The view down into the final slot is also pretty cool
There are a few ways to exit. On my first visit we climbed an easy spot on the west wall and went back along the tops. It is also possible to scrmble out the exit portal and scramble around into Bushranger creek or to simply reverse the canyon but most parties now seem to use a hidden slot in the east wall. There a bit of a step up to access it so those short of leg may need a boost but once on the ledge it’s an easy ramp all the way to the top of the cliffs.
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Once up there are vista’s applenty and it’s worth having a good look around.
Then Tal was back on map and compass to lead up up the ridge to the old fire trail and hence back to the car
Party size: 3 all experienced
Time. 1.5hr car to car even with the photo phaffing
Video to come if I can work out why my external drive with the go pro file and editted video on it decided to go RAW…
“many believe that the nature of the universe is to hide itself from mortal eyes. That we must search and meditate upon all around us to see and grasp the simple truth that
is enlightenment. However, perhaps the answers are being told to us all the time and we have just forgotten how to hear them.”
Pleasant View canyon is a canyon which leads a view over the Carne crk which is pleasant… Actually the views from the end of the fire trail are better as are those from the cliffs above the canyon.
But anyhoo…
The canyon itself has some nice features (Some of the erosion caves are, IMO, on par with those found in Acoustic/Sunnyside canyon) and the tree ferns are awesome, but the canyon sections tend to be short and there is a bit of scrub, stripped bark and dead fall to negotiate.
All in all it’s worth a look if you are in the area doing other stuff
We followed a little gully down through a short canyonette but a 4-5m drop barred our way in this fantastic chamber
Luckily it was easy to slip over the top of the pagodas and scramble down then approach the chamber from below.
With the big wind swept over hangs in the upper cliff and the blanket of ferns commanding my eyes I would have missed this cave altogether if it wasn’t for Mandy disappearing into it
Sure the canyon sections were short but a couple of them gave promise of a deep, narrow passage.
Did I mention tree ferns?
Felt fern covered the walls, leaf litter and bark carpeted the floor.
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The dry creek bed followed the big over handing wall around almost 180°
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Scrambling out of the canyon gave this awesome view over the Carne
The pleasant view at the end of pleasant view canyon
Xanthorrhoea spears back droped by towering cliff lines.
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Another cave
Heading back up into the canyon
Another cave
An even more pleasant view from the end of the fire trail above
So if you listened to the weather forecasters you’d expect to see a guy building a baot and collecting animals two by two or something.
Still I was keen to get out and was origanlly thinking one of the drier canyons out around Sunnyside might be nice with some rain.
Julie was keen and expressed an interest in doing Alcatraz instead.
Leaf posted on the Ozcanyons facebook group looking for trip she could join inon and we invited her along.
After a bit of discussion we settled on Alcatraz and a small double(or is it triple) canyon system out near the glowworm tunnel that I wanted to check out.
The forecaste went from gloomy to dire. There was some discussion on canceling the trip but thankfully we decided to roll with it.
Friday was ment to be the worse day. It was fine but the rain rolled in Friday night and belted down.
Saturday dawned sunny. A prefect day for a bit of exploring.
We met up and navigated the maze of roads into Alcatraz. The view down into the canyon from the cliff above showed the waterlevel well up but we suited up and carefully made our way into the anchor point.
Looking down into the slot, had me a bit concerned. I’d done it in high water with Ed and others a while ago and it was fine but this was up even more and without being able to see the exit I wasn’t comfortable dropping in.
We opted to descend the cliff beside it and make up way up from below. In hindsight it was likely doable but te canyons are always there for next time and I’m happy to play it safe.
Looking across into the spout
Julie setting the camera up while LEaf makes her way into the chamber
The chamber and exit were fine
Julie and Leaf in the chamber
Inside the chamber
Inside the chamber
The exit slot
So a bit disappoint we didn’t abseil in but as I said there is always next time.
We made our way back to the cars and then continued out toward the glowworm tunnels for our next points off interest.
I had done the first little slot with Mandy from below and after checking the satelite imagry realised there was another system close by. This time we headed down the dry canyon (not so dry today) and then explored as far up the other system as we could get before retracingour steps.
Not far off the Glowworm tunnel road a sleep little creekbed begins to canyon up
Dark sandstone gives way to walls the clour of honeycombe
Leaf poses next to a temporary waterfall
The canyon is only short and opens up into the hidden valley, hanging between clifflines.
Julie and Leaf make their way through a cave like section into the North branch of a Twin canyon system
This one is straight and narrow
Without loosing a lot of weight this is as far as I can go
sleepwhenwearedead 