Thunder

April 24, 2026April 24, 2026 | flynny101

17/04/2026

wild_elly, dw3lla, freedom_runs, mshbee, estonian_pirate and meeeeeeeeeeee

Most people visit Thunder Canyon from the bottom, wandering up from the junction after absieling in from Claustral or Ranon.

After all you get to visit the best bit while also doing another of the Classic 3. The tops not worth it. Said they.

By they are all worth doing once say I.

We’d actually planned this several times. Once we canned it because Gadget and H couldn’t make it.

Then they canned it because I couldn’t make it.

Then we canned it because Jason couldn’t make it.

And we all but canned it this time because Kris and Muz were going to a running race.

But the race fell through so at the last minute Thunder was back in business. Baby!

We head out along the ridge with a couple of options of where we might drop in.

Stupidly I ignored my own advice about wearing long pants in favour of lighter weight and more room in the keg. This meant by the end of the walk in I’d have a bit less skin to carry out too…

About mid ridge we gain a rocky outcrop. The views were stunning and the walking a lot less cutty.

We have more scrub to push through but it’s not as bad from here out.

Finally we get to a spot we think we should drop in so as not to miss a short uppersection of canyon. We follow a minor tributary down hoping it offers an easy break but it cliffs out much too high for our ropes.

We push back out and gain a small nose that leads down, down, down, cliff out.

At least there are ledges below us that have decent trees to reanchor from. Still we seem to be a long way up.

We set a rope and I absiel down and spend a stupidily long time looking for options to get us into the creek. Problem is I can see another ledge below but still can’t tell how far down the creek is. It sounds like a fair cascade or water all below. I have the irrational thought that we are directly above Westaway Falls. Map shows them a fair bit down stream but I’m second guessing.

I call Jason down for back up. He shares concern about the water echoing belong and whether we are missing a good bit of canyon. I show him a couple of options including one a little up stream.

I can see the creek bed there. Says he. He has better eye sight than me but I make out the rocky creek bed amid the dark shadows.

Come on down we call.

We get everyone down to the ledge and Kristo leads the abseil to the Canyon.

Oh Wow this looks like the start of Empress. he calls.

We’d gotten our entry spot on at the start of a short but pretty section, that as Kristo said, had the start of Empress Canyon vibes.

We make our way down, some tricky ledge walking and spidermaning keeps us dry for the time being.

The canyon opens a bit and we make our way down a pretty gorge. There’s some scrambling, wading and downclimbs. Basic good fun.

I have the anchor, calls Kris from down canyon right.

But there is an awesome looking slot up here. Calls Jason from back abit canyon right. We check out the slot. It looks great and jason is super keen to drop in but Kris has already set rope. Wait til you see this abseil thou, He calls.

We head down. He is right this abseil looks amazeballs.

Of course this means we’ll need to do a second trip to do the slot option.

once down…

While I have visited this sedction many times from below it always blows me away and coming in fromt he top was just a bit exraspecial.

And beofre long we come to the Claustral Junction. From here down the canyon is well know to all of us.

Remember just like it takes 7 wipes to know for sure you only needed 6, you need to do the canyon yourself to know whether it’s worth it. They are all worth doing once and I’d definately repeat this one.

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Devils Pinch And Starlight Canyons

April 9, 2026April 14, 2026 | flynny101

04/04/2026

Gadget, Brooke, Wisie, Jess and meeeeeee

Some of my earliest memories are of 4wding and camping with my dad in the Wolgan Valley.

The valley has a Genius loci.

A sense of place.

An allure.

It’s history of occupation, both Aboriginal and European, hangs in the air and hides in the undergrowth.

It’s special.

I remember times when it was less known, camping far down the river on unexpected flats.

I remember the hight of popularity when you had to get there early (On the Thursday or even Wednesday prior) to get a good spot on a long weekend.

And I remember more recent trips, where the restricted access returned a feeling of being almost alone in the valley.

So when an old footy mate offered to let me camp on his block of land hidden deep up a gully rarely travelled by the masses I jumped at the chance.

It’s Easter weekend, we wont be alone in the valley. Many campers were utelising Thomas’s shuttle, cabins and camp facitlities at Newnes Cabins. A few more walked in and set up in the NP camp ground (Why they still require bookings and charge fees when it’s walk in only is beyond me).

The road up to our campsite was rough and overgrown in parts but passable. The old hut was no longer there, another casualty of the Gospers Mountain fires, but the block itself every bit as beautiful as always.

We could have been a million miles from anyone, anywhere, and anywhen.

We are up and on the trail early. The pass up via the Pipeline trail is straightforward and Kylie leads us out along the ridge top that separate Newnes from Glen Davis. There’s a good trail for much of the way but as we near the top of Devils pinch creek we veer off, taking a short cut over a knoll and down into the creek.

H leads us down the creek to the first drop, there’s nothing really indicating the deep chasm to come.

We bypass the first few scrambling drops, favouring the longer drop off the ledge to the right.

I set the rope and Kylie leads the way in.

I’d forgotten how spectacular the top section of Devils Pinch is.

Gagdet remarks it’s second to Crikey in feel of depth and narrowness.

The second abseil comes straightway and has a very tricky start but Gadget is on anchor duty and guides us down no dramas.

Brooke regales us with a song.

Just around the corner the deep channel is filled with light

The canyon walls open out and we make our way down to the lower constriction.

Some scrambling and careful bridging keeps us out of the manky water, mostly.

And soon we come to the 20m abseil into the drier lower hallway.

As the canyon opens out we pause for lunch, then dump our canyon gear and make our way along the base of the cliff for a couple of hundred meters to the bottom of Starlight Canyon.

While worth doing on it’s own from the top I think combining it with Devils Pinch in this way makes it a great day out.

We reverse up the canyon, there’s a couple of scrambles but nothing overly tricky, unless you decide to try an alternative squeeze up a chute rather than the easy climb up and along the tree roots like I did…

The bottom of Starlight is like a hidden world and you half expect triceratops to be grazing on the fernery.

And then the canyon closes in.

I get the camera gear out and send the others ahead.

A young eastern brown snake. Pseudonnaja (meaning “Fake cobra”) Textilis ( meaning “scales like my wife’s stockings”).

And soon the walls close in futher and all light is lost

Your description of a tunnel section severely under sold this. They say when the meet up halfway through as they were coming back down. “Cavern” would be more appropriate.

Over head bats chittered and fluttered.

But we need to head back to the light.

We follow the cliffs back around to the bags then make our way down to the river and back to camp.

“Because when you stop and look around, this life is pretty amazing.” — Dr. Seuss

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Claustral Photo journey

March 24, 2026March 24, 2026 | flynny101

22-03-2026

Brooke, Jason, Gadget and me.

When Brooke invited us on a Claustral trip we thought why not.

Whe she said she’d like to take her time and enjoy the ambiance I thought it a perfect excuse to take the camera and phaff about.

Of course thta meant I became the slow one. but I’m good with that.

After the more challenging nature of the classic Haast Pass canyons we visited last month the simplicity of Claustral was surprisingly pleasant.

Just being able to switch off and enjoy being immersed in it beauty.

Plus I had a break for rope duties, winning.

But enough words this was a photo trip

Sometimes I wonder why I bother with a camera when Jasons Samsung phone gets shots like this. I know my camera has HDR and I can exposure bracket and stuff that gives more control but the phone does all that automatically ©Jason

relight, relight and relight again

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The following photos are ©Jason

The next lot are ©Kylie

Endiandra

February 5, 2026February 5, 2026 | flynny101

28/01/2026

Vince, Hywaida, Kris, Kylie and meeee

We had this one ear marked in case water levels were up. They weren’t up too much but we thought what the heck let’s do it anyway. None of us had done it before.

Making it more appealing was it was just a 15min drive from camp meaning a sleep in and trio to the cafe for coffee and stuff.

Notes say to park on next to the bridge and get in the creek.

We do our best billy goat gruff impressions. We are not trolls, honest.

A short walk down the creek brings us to the first abseil

TBH this one is a bit of a nothing abseil, but it does shortcut the top part of the tourist trail.

We get back onto the tourist trail and make our way down. There is a spot where it crosses to the left, now we are not sure if we were just a bit excited but it wasn’t over clear you needed to cross straight over and where we do cross doesn’t seem to be a trail. We make our way down stream a bit and I think I see a bit of flagging tape up the hill on the right.

The Kris and Vince see it too, or at least they think they do. we angle up to where we think the trail is.

No trail. We angle “down stream” a bit before deciding to drop back into the creak.

I put down stream in quotation marks because as we hit the creek and start “down” before Vince says

Isn’t the water flowing the wrong way?

We must have struck up the hill just before as a tributary came in and the main stream swung away.

anyhoo

We pop over the small ridge back into the right creek and pick the tourist trail up again and follow it down as the creek drops below us.

We take a guess at where the second drop might be and descend back down. Spot on.

From here down the drops come with just short walks between.

It’s a pretty creek and more canyony than I thought it would be.

The abseils are varied too, from easy slabs beside the flow, to stepped ledges through it.

Abseils 7, 8 , 9, and 10 were definitely the highlights though R8 has to be the slipperiest slab I’ve ever slipped slab down.

The infinity pool at the base of R8 is without a doubt the prettiest, most awesome natural cliff top pool I’ve been in.

And Absolutely none of us got a photo of it. we have to be fairly well gobsmacked not to get a photo.

Saying that I can see how it would be problematic in high flow.

R9 is the big one. 50m from an exposed, semi hanging anchor.

But it’s an easy run down a gentle slab

Can’t believe I took photos of this but missed the pool up top.

R10 is the most technical of the trip. It has a couple of over hung ledges right in the flow with some foot entrapment hazards to keep you on your game.

Kylie negotiating the second ledge. There a deep grooves here that just feel like they want to grab your boots.

Hywaida is in there somewhere as Kylie watches on

From here there is a long creek walk down to R11, then a longer creek walk down to the bottom exit. We choose just to forgo all that and just exit from the base of R10..

It’s a steep narrow, not quite knife edge ridge, full of wait-a-while and leeches but it goes easy enough. and gets us back into the upper section from where we pick up the tourist trail back to the cars.

“The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team.” — Phil Jackson

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Bangalore again

February 5, 2026 | flynny101

27-01-2026

Hywaida, Kris, Vince, Kylie and meeeeeeeeeeeee

Kylie and I had done this one before and really enjoyed it.

It’s a fun little waterfall style canyon and the water was up a little today compared to last time so we were keen to see what it would bring.

We suit up on the open slabs and then make our way down to the first abseil

There are 2 choices here, You can scramble over and say out of the flow or you can get frothed

There’s a short drop on to a knub, From here there is the option to drop down through a hole behind the chockstone but with the water a bit bumpy we opt to go in front.

it was at that moment Gadget realised she was going first

the creek is beautiful and the water warm.

Next up is the abseil through another hole. This time we go through.

we get to the infamous drop that goes down through a massive log, last time we have avoided the hazard using the bolted traverse. this time we followed Jasons advice and cross to creek right and abseils off a tree. Much simpler

And before long we are at the jade pool and exit stage left up a steep Ridgeline back to where we had dropped a car.

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polblue

February 5, 2026February 19, 2026 | flynny101

25/01/2026

Kylie, Jason, David, Wisey, Rakesh, Tanya and meeeee

We had been tossing around what canyon to do today before settling on 1 none of us had done before.

We all pile into Jason’s ute and head across the range.

Ah shit, I meant to reach out to Tanya and Rakesh, Says Kylie. They are up here somewhere.

We pull into the car park.

Hey that’s Tanya and Rakesh…

5 become 7 and we waste no time suiting up and making our way down the creek to the first abseil.

I set up rope and everyone by passes it and scrambles down beside it.

I pull the rope up and follow.

The next couple of drops are a little lame. I’m starting to feel bad.

We had convinced Jason to do this one rather than one of his favourite, high adrenaline, high flow trips and this wasn’t really shaping up. but then we came to the first of the “Spicy Slots”

Kylie and H opt to take the less spicy line ©Kylie

And the rest of use follow.

It’s a tricky start into the white noise.

Just as you are able to see again you realise you are about to drop behind a chock stone and you most defilately don’t want to drop down behind the chock stone.

It’s a battle to resist the push and swing yourself over.

You emerge back into the light then drop off the chockstone into the noise once more.

It’s a fantastic abseil

Everyone one is grinning.

there’s an 800m creek walk to get to the next bit. lets just go back up here and do that again. someone suggests

hmmmm we are here now let;s at least check out the bottom section.

Lucky we did.

The 800m creek walk isn’t too bad and goes quick and the bottom section is the best bit.

The creek has spit into 2 channels. A sloping abseil (New anchor has since been installed closer to the lip) brings you to the edge in between them

You step over the edge and both streams recombine.

On your head.

Hello Spicy Slot 2

Jason helping to retrieve a stuck rope for the party in front ©Dave

The next 2 abseils come in quick succession

I scramble down the next one but signal up to the others that it isn’t worth it as there looked to be a nice exit from the ledge they are on.

The exit began on a steep loose scree slope but soon got steeper and looser before getting looser and steeper….

Other than the steepness and the looseness it was fairly easy going. The notes said to get to a certain elevation and then traverse around. While that would cut off some elevation gain it looked long and convoluted so we just went straight up and over a minor nose then dropped down onto the road not to far from the car park.

I nodded, pretending to be a hundred times more courageous than I felt. Lisa Tawn Bergren.

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GLOUCESTER

February 2, 2026February 5, 2026 | flynny101

24/01/2026

Jason, Dave, Wisey, Kylie and Me

Dr Forster went to Gloucester in a shower of rain.

He stepped in a puddle right up to his middle

and never went there again.

Ah English, where Forster rhymes with Gloucester and neither sounds like how they are spelt.

Anyhoo

What better way to pop my Barrington cherry than with a run through the upper section of Gloucester canyon.

Jason and Kylie had done it numerous times before at much higher water levels so today was shaping up to be fairy chill.

We had met Jason and Dave at camp the night before.

H had rolled in sometime through the night and we were all up early and eager.

It’s a short walk in and in high spirits we suit up and make our way down to the first abseil.

Kylie sets the rope and H leads the first drop

Jasons declares ropes are for the vanquished and jumps from a slippery stance

The next one is fairly basic down beside a smaller fall

A short hop skip and a jump down stream and we arrive at what we are here for.

The Famous chock stone abseil.

But to get there requires a short abseil and traverse

On their previous trips the water levels had been too high to attempt this one and there is the option to scramble out and do a dry line from high up just down stream of the chock stones.

Conditions today however are perfect so Jason sets a line and I traverse out and set the main drop

Jason follows me out and leads the big one

There are two redirects in place on this drop. The first gets you out, away from a sloping ledge that forms just as the water funnels into a ferocious torrent, the second keeps you out of the hydraulic that forms in high flow at the base. Jason sets them both for us to follow

it’s a stunningly beautiful waterfall.

And the view back up to it from just downstream is iconic

It was still early in the day. We were tossing up the idea of continuing downstream and completing the lower section. Jason had done it before and thought it was interesting.

The other option was to play around here.

It would be cool to get on top of the chock stone say Wisey.

There is the dry line option, said some one.

We scrmble up the start of the exit track and find our way across to the dry line.

It’s a bit down stream of the chock stones but I manage to swing across to the upper stone to help the following party with a stuck rope (Notes say to throw the pull cord over the chockstone. This lead to the stuck rope. If the flow isn’t too high just bring the pull strand down with you. it pulls fine.)

then drop in.

Jas, Wisey and Dave follow me. It’s a surprisingly fun abseil and we opt to run repeat son it for funzies.

Then we head on out and enjoy a relaxing afternoon at Camp

Horse sense is the thing a horse has which keeps it from betting on people: WC Fields

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sawn Rocks

January 22, 2026 | flynny101

After spending the night at the Glacial Rocks camp we get up early hoping to catch sunrise light up the cliff face.

Sunset would potentially cast a better light onto the rocks at this time of year but it’s a spectacular feature at any time of the day and a short, wheel chair friendly, walk from the car park.

Like a pile of chopped and neatly packed logs you can see where it gets it’s name.

As is our usual we push beyond the formed tourist trail on a rough but well used foot pad to explore the creek beyond.

And more of the amazing shapes

The cliff lines soon peter out and the creek snakes it’s way cross the plateau so we retrace out steps and head into Narrabri for coffee and a bite to eat before deciding to drive up to Mt Kaputar for a look.

We decide it’s way to hot to do any of the walks in the middle of the day but the road up is outstanding and well worth the drive.

The road itself is an adventure and the views with in a 5min walk from the car just keep coming

But the temperature is pushing into the high 30s again so we make track down to Coonabarabran where we decide to splurge on a motel room with air conditioning.

Waa Gorge

January 18, 2026January 28, 2026 | flynny101

Over the years I’ve had a quiet giggle at the poor tourists hopelessly out of their way asking “is this the way to the campground at, um, New Ness.” their GPS’s having them very confused.

Today I gained a deeper understanding for those poor souls.

It’s pronounced “War” Gorge, said the amused cowcockie we waved down to ask where the hell are we. Turn left here and you’ll see the signs. he says but where did you come from?

I get ahead of myself. That came later.

We were doing a less than direct route from Cranky Rock to Waa Gorge as we wanted to use a free camp ground at Glacial Rocks to give us access to both Waa Gorge and Sawn Rocks without too much back tracking.

The road in to the Gorge from this end was touted as 4wd and fair weather only so we wanted to swing by the camp to see if it was suitable and make sure the road between was doable.

The camp looked great and we continued on. GSP signal was lost.

We get a couple of bars of signal just down the road and it screams to turn right.

Veering onto Terrergee road the signs matched what we were expect, other than not mentioning the Gorge, “Road Suitable in dry weather only.”

But the road was a lot better than expected.

Must have been recently graded, said we, if this is the rough road people whine about on trip advisor…. We should have shut up.

The road takes us across the top of some beautiful county and then down steeply into the valleys. It did get a bit slippy on the descents and you could see why it would be problematic in the wet.

So far so good.

Take the second left onto “Berrigal road” Says the nice lady in the GPS.

But the second road is signposted “Haven Home road” or sumfink and it’s the only road sign we’ve seen all day and the road looks like a goat track.

We pass it.

Go back says the GPS lady.

We go back have another look. Doesn’t look right. We try the other option.

Go back says the GPS lady.

I get out my phone and check the GPS topo app. I could see where the roads go but Waa Gorge isn’t marked and I’m not 100% sure where it is.

We take the goat track. It gets rougher and rougher.

There’s some dry creek crossing we need to engage 4wd for.

This is why we bought the ute. Says I

but it gets wilder.

Eventually GPS lady says, Turn left 100m ahead.

The left was even more over grown. I check the app again.

It opens out just through there but I’m 100% sure it’s private property.

Straight will skirt around the property boundary but add 18min to the drive.

Oh well we skirt around.

We are now in 4wd more than not.

It was a fun drive.

the road links us back onto Terrergee road, about a 5min drive further on from where the GPs insisted we turn off it earlier and still no signs for Waa Gorge.

We flag down a landcruiser coming the other way, the first car we’d see all day.

Um is this the way to “Wah” Gorge, say I sheepishly.

With a wry grin the afore mentioned conversation takes place.

The GPS took us down that road back there.

That bloody goat track!, it would have tried to take you across old mates property too.

I sense this isn’t his first of such encounters.

Anyhoo we are on the right track now. If the final little bit of bumpy road into the car park is what Tripadvisor folk are complaining about they don’t know what they are missing.

It’s 38°c as we pull into the car park.

By the way, it’s pronounced “War” gorge. 🙂

Sunscrees, hats, water, electrolytes, deep breath

Ok let’s head up. drink lots and if it gets too much say early and we’ll head back.

having suffered heat stroke and dehydration before I’m extra cautious in hot weather so we have a lot of water between us.

It’s a short walk up to the Mill-bullah water holes.

There is water in them but it has been in there a long time with no flush through to clean it out.

The top waterhole looks a little nicer but still stagnant.

The constructed tourist trail ends here but a well used ad hoc trail leads up through the cliff line.

The track skirts above what looks like would be a fun little canyonette full of jumps and slides, in the right water flow

Unfortunately we are here in the middle of one of the driest summers we’ve had since 2019.

Above the canyonette the gorge is shaded but the heat still oppressive

we find a clear pool to splash some water over us in an effort to cool off

We continue up, disturbing this lace monitor with his mouth full of a water dragon sandwich

Finally we get to the junction. Left takes us to the big wall .

I head up, Kylie waits in the shade. The heat blasting off the stone is next level

We had a permit to fly the drone for 30min here so I get it out and try my hand at flying again

We slip back down to the junction, have a bite to eat and a big drink in the shade then explore up the other branch

another dry waterfall into a stagnant plunge pool greets us. It looks like there are some interesting levels above too. Definitely worth some exploration when things are cooler and wetter

We make our way back down to the car. And head back to the camp

the Ancient Glacial Rocks site on Rocky creek is interesting. Superficially it looks like another granite lined gorge. A closer look and the rocks are different. You can see how they have been churned up, smashed together and dumped out.

Once again the river is running through agricultural land and wild goat are everywhere but once again it’s too hot to be picky so we cool off in the rapids and then settle in for the night.

The camp site is basic but has bins and toilets. It’s worth checking out the toilet signs for a giggle.

There a 2 other campers set up. Flat spots are at a premium but we manage to jag a flat spot in shade

Winning

We eat diner with the goats. Tomorrow we head to Sawn Rocks.

	Thunder – slee… on Ranon Brook
	Thunder – slee… on Claustral Photo journey
	flynny101 on Wolgan Falls
	Jiankai Yin on Wolgan Falls
	Pipeline again… on Pipeline Canyon

sleepwhenwearedead

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

nsw

Thunder

Devils Pinch And Starlight Canyons

Claustral Photo journey

Endiandra

Bangalore again

polblue

GLOUCESTER

sawn Rocks

Waa Gorge