21/03/2025
Kylie, Jason, Vince, Darcy, Rakesh,Tanya and me
Twister and Rocky Creek at night is pretty special
We are all but worms, but I believe I am a glowworm: W churchill
Rocky Creek Glow worms
slot
South Bowen, again
15/03/2025
Kent, Chardie, Louise, Scott, Geoff and Crew
I don’t usually like repeating these canyons that regularly but I’m still recovering from injury and have been meaning to catch up with these legends for ages so it seemed like to good an opportunity to miss.
How many worlds are in your world? Andy Anderson
A grand way to juggle back into it.
08/03/2025
Gadget, Darcy, Charity, Jess, and meeeeeee
Maddy A was organising an introductory canyon trip for her friends and a couple of the 9D staff were coming up for it.
And, missing her former work mates Kylie was super keen to catch up with them.
Do you think you’ll be up for it? Asks she.
I’d been recovering for collar bone surgery and was recently free from the sling.
What are they doing?
Juggler
Hmm. I reckon I could handle Grand.
She is equal parts excited and cautious for me.
We meet Darcy and head to the car park.
There is a girl parking a very nice looking car a bit of a walk out.
We offer her a lift. Turns out she is Jess, a friend of Maddy’s who ends up joining us.
There’s a big group assembling.
Maddy gathers us in. We are splitting into 2 groups. Beginners will be with her
More experienced or those wanting to do Grand as well are with Kylie.
That’s Darcy, Jess and Chasity.
At the last minute I decide to join them in juggler as well
We are through juggler fairly quick and head for Grand. Charity has to get back to the big smoke so bids us good bye. The rest of us skip on
We take our time descending the canyon and enjoying the company.
It was an awesome way to easy back into adventure life.
Grateful.
Waterdragon
04/01/2025
Mark and meeee
It had been a couple of years since I had the chance to catch up with this legend so when he messaged to say he was in the Blues I was keen to get in a canyon with him again.
Mark was one of the first Blue Mountains canyoners to head over to Europe and bring back whitewater skills and more advanced rope techniques and he had a fair impact on my canyoning trajectory.
Anyhoo, We decide on a smaller day and head off to check out water dragon canyon.
The ‘Gambie is a popular spot today and we pass several groups starting the lower section, and another on their way to Water Dragon as we cross the river and head up the other side.
We drop in at the usual spot and make our way down to the canyon
I tend to forget how dark and pretty the main constriction is. Perhaps because it is so hard to photograph
When we get to the exit there is a rescue in place just down stream. We enquire if any assistance is required but are waved off. they have it under control.
Lower North Bowen
16/11/2024
Kylie, Jason, Matt, Jamelia, and me.
The “Gobsmacker” section of the North branch of Bowen creek is fun and spectacular.
And as a smaller day it was just the ticket.
And a steady hike back up to the hill. About 5hr car to car
They say a little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing, but not one half as bad as a lot of ignorance.
Dargan Creek Photo trip
27-10-2024
Meeeeeeee
Got my hands on a reasonable camera so di a quick solo through Dargan Creek to learn the ropes… or buttons or surfing
I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be. D Adams
Wee Jasper Caving
05/10/2024
Gadget, Leo, Madie, Russ, Gibbo and Vince with cameos from Aleasha, Random Chris, Pippa and Oban.
To be honest caving hasn’t really been on my bucket list. I had worked as an underground miner so time off in the sunshine appealed more than spending my time off in another hole in the ground.
Sure I’d done the touristy ones and crawled into some Glowworm caves but that’s different.
I’ve since moved to an above ground role but being a little on the portly side full on caving made me a bit nervous.
Anyhoo, I asked the crew, do you have any plans for the long weekend?
Wanna come caving at Wee Jasper, they replied
why the hell not. I thunked. Time to push my comfort zone a notch or two.
The hills around Wee Jasper are riddled with limestone caves. Some, such as Carey’s are paid tourist caves. Some are wild and technical. We were aiming for somewhere in the middle. Well explored holes requiring rope work for access and optional squeezey sections.
First stop was the Dip series.
At the car park we run into Chris who shall forever more be known as Random Chris. He is heading into the Gong Cave, which is connected to the Dip series but the connections are too tight for human passage.
We chat briefly and go our separate ways.
Dip is a series of 5 parallel caves with interconnecting passages. 1 and 2 are usually walk throughs but some low life dumped asbestos at the mouth of 1 so it’s temporarily barricaded up.
4 and 2 have openings to the sky so we set ropes in them.
I absolutely do not bow to peer pressure and we drop into 4
we work our way over to explore 5
There are all sorts of mnemonics to remember the difference between stalactites and stalagmites but the best one for me is to think of a ballerina dancing on a termite ridden stage.
When the mites go up the tights come down.
Anyhoo
Back to 4 and more exploring.
Then rather than abseil into 3 and be committed to whatever squeeze is required to get from there to 2 I opt to jug back out and Kylie joins me.
We meet the others a short time later as they ascend out of “the day light chamber” of 2
Of course they regale us with tales of magical chambers, wide, crystal filled passageways and a super easy ascent and sparkling unicorns farting fairy floss…
A quick bite to eat and we head into the Gong
I’d heard this one was a lot more straight forward with less crawling so I take the good camera hoping to get some pretty stuff. I did, but then somehow formatted the memory card 🤦♂️
The others go off exploring while I snap away.
we head for the camp showers which were gloriously hot and clean.
Luckily we run into Random Chris and enquire about the blood. Seems he cut his finger on a shard and hadn’t realised it was bleeding so bad.
Day 2 and we go looking for the Devils Punchbowl and find it just as Random Chris arrives.
You might as well share our ropes if you want. We offer.
He has done the cave before and tells us the must do chambers. And we sort of just absorb him into the group.
Looking back I’m not 100% sure it was consensual.
I’m a little more comfortable after yesterday’s introduction but still not overly keen on the tighter stuff.
There are passageways heading off everywhere
We get to a squeezey bit.
I baulk.
Common! It’s a short squeeze then it opens out and keeps going.
I suck in my gut, think thin thoughts and shimmy on through. It’s actually not too bad. If you are a bean pole.
Back into a passage of sensible dimensions I round a corner.
Manic laugher erupts. The crew is hiding with lights out. It’s a dead end but they knew I’d be able to do the crawl. it’s their way of safely encouraging me to push my limits. I laugh with them.
They are laughing with me not at me. Maybe.
We explore more passages. Squeeze through gaps and clamber up and down ropes.
We are in a side circuit that’s quiet pretty
Um this is a bit tight says Russ
Um is it Flynny size asks Madie
Sure says Leo.
Hmm says Vince. Not sure if forward or backwards is best.
This is awkward says Gibbo
Hmm there use to be a wider passage up there says Random Chris. I don’t remember this.
Seeing them squeeze into a narrow hole. I’m out of here says Flynny. And I back out like Iggy Pop out of a shirt.
Gadget accompanies me back the way we came and we meet the others back at the start of the circuit.
Some more bats. More exploring and we head back for fresh air.
And with that me and Gadget bid the others fair well. They were going to visit Signature cave in the afternoon but we decide to hit the road.
Another fantastic adventure and over due catchup with these awesome peeps.
Surround yourself with awesome people. Experience awesome things.
mugii murum-ban
31-08-2024
Dick, Kylie and meeeeeeeee
A long, long time ago… Well, not that long ago!
Ok it’s nearly 40years ago which sounds like a long time when I think about it but I was and young whippersnapper out on a Jeep trip with dad and his mates. Day 2 we visited a bloke by the name of Col Ribaux.
As well as being a fellow connoisseur of ex-millitary vehicles, 4wd drive enthusiast and diamond miner, Col was an all around top bloke, legendary character and, the “Guardian of the Mountain.”
After admiring the assortment of old Jeeps, trucks and tracked personnel carriers he fired up one of the old tanks and we followed him up the steep pass through the cliff line of what we knew as Airly but is more properly Airly Turret (Confusingly there is Mount Airly slightly to the West, then Airly gap, then a small bump call Airly Mountain then Airy Turret on the way up to Mount Genowlan (Not to be confused with Jenolan, different spellings of the same aboriginal word for high point/place).
After the steep drive up and a look around the mine we camped the night out at Genowlan Trig.
Col has since passed and the area with it’s plethora of Aboriginal and European heritage sites and stunning natural beauty has been taken over by National Parks and named, Mugii Murum-Ban after local elder Uncle Charlie Riley. Mugii being a type of owl and Murum-Ban being eldest sone.
While always a favourite spot in 4wd circles it’s a bit further from Sydney so hadn’t attracted the bushwalking crowds of the Blue Mountains. That’s changing as walking clubs and fellow bloggers discover just how magical the place is.
Anyhoo, in the ensuing years I’ve driven passed it a lot and even driven up Mount Airly a time or two but it was time for a return to Genowlan.
Kylie and I had scoped it out a couple of weeks prior on a day when she also flew over it with Capertee Valley Helicopters. Remembering the steepness of the road and the old rock steps I opted to park part way up and walk. Finding the road recently graded and, while still steeeeeeeeep we thought it easily doable in the triton.
And so we came back and Dick joined us.
Plan for the day was to have a look around the old mines, enjoys the views and check out some of the slots the walkers had cottoned on to.
First stop Ultimate Slot.
From where we parked I was expecting a bit of a scrub bash but
There a bit of a trail here, called Kylie
We follow a well defined trail for about 2mins and… BAM
After phaffing about for ages we head back to where we parked and head in on the other side of the road. In less than 20 steps from where we parked we were in the “Grotto”
Back to the cars and we head back up past the main diamond mines. Our next stop was Gnomes pass, AKA Ladders Defile. This is another slot/micro canyon that Col had set a series of Ladders in to make it easier for his kids to get through. He also added a bit of a fairy tail touch.
The old ladders make it easy to negotiate the slot which soon opens out to a amphitheatre that would make a great spot for a picnic.
We scramble up onto the pagodas and admire the views
We then continue out to soak in the views from Point Hatteras
And to round out a relaxing but rewarding day we poke around the old mine site
All up a nice soulful day exploring some of the more easily accessible sites and barely scratching the surface of what Mugii Murum-Ban has to offer.
Rough diamonds might sometimes be mistaken for worthless pebbles. T Brown.
Marihuana Canyon
18-05-2024
Gadget and meeeeeeseeee
Go Go Gadget had been in a moon boot with a broken foot for the last six weeks and now she was out we thought we’d ease back into it.
Or sumfink
We’d thrown around a few options and settled on Serendipity canyon at Mt Wilson. But, um well, Unpopular opinion: I’ve never been a big fan of Serendipity. Just always thought it was overrated. Gadgets wasn’t a fan either.
So we changed plans last minute and headed to a little one off the Bells Line that neither of us had visited before.
Named after an elaborate pot plantation in the head waters that got busted in the 90s I had not given too much thought to Marihuana Canyon before and had low expectations but it was something new so why not.
Scrub bashing down we avoid the upper cliff lines but get to the lower cliff and decide to rope up.
And we shall never speak about the tiny shrubs we used for anchors ever again.
As I use to joke with my old mate Della, if it’s wider than your thumb it’s ok. We never did clarify if you held your thumb vertical or horizontal.
Anyhoo
We enter the creek a little high (see what I did there.)
And before long it drops into a stunning little canyon.
We work our way upstream through some very nice canyon section.
TBH it was hard work making our way upstream so we got to our exit and hauled out.
He felt that his whole life was some kind of dream and he sometimes wondered whose it was and whether they were enjoying it: D Adam’s
sleepwhenwearedead 