| The canyon log is my chronological account of the various canyon
trips that I have been fortunate enough to partake, and in some cases,
lead.
Sydney is blessed with an abundance of rugged bush land less than two
hours drive away, and in this bush land lie some of the most pristine and
delicate environments that can be found.
These trips are 'canyon' trips which involves starting high in the range and following a creek or stream as it carves it's way down to the river valley. The Kanangra canyons are generally fairly open and following these is an exercise in abseiling and scrambling. The beauty of this area is the panoramic views along the Kanangra Walls and valleys. The incredible ruggedness of the area. Blue Mountains canyons like Claustral, cut deep into the sandstone below them and over time have worn channels and gutters, deep enough that direct sunlight never reaches the bottom. Walking and swimming through these is a magical tour through a ferny green wonderland. A visit to the lost planet. I have kept these notes as a reminder to myself of the individual trips, as well as to provide 'some' useful information for following excursions, or to supply to others planning similar outings. Earlier trips are documented on my original canyons page, and other trips are indexed on my main canyoning page |
As I have been hap-hazardly adding pictures lately, these pages are best viewed at a screen resolution of 1024 x 768 pixels !
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Twister and Rocky Ck, Newnes December 2006 Vert. Elev: ___ (approx.) Distance : ___ (approx.) Time : 5 hrs (aprox.) Comments: A great pair ! Good weather. Excellent company ! Crew: Wit 'I'll jump from up there !' 'Sparkster' Black Terry the 'Terrier' Linda 'Leg's' Min Ropes: Zip, Zilch, None and Nada (although you may wish to use one on the climb out !!) All photos courtesy of Wit Cieslik. |
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The Description
Twister and Rocky Ck make for a great day out, especially on a hot summer day.
It surprises me that Twister (or Sheep Dip as it is sometimes reffered to) did not come to prominance much earlier !
Twister.
From the Rocky Ck car park you head off down the right hand track for about 100m looking for a noticable footpad on the
right. Dive off into this, and the track almost immediatley drops steeply into the gully to the right of the fire trail.
Once at the base of the gully there is a nice ferny walk criss crossing the creek.
As you approach start of the canyon, the walls close in on both sides and suddenly you are met by the sight of the 1st pool.
Wetsuits on and hatch's battened from here !
From here on, Twister (or even Sheep Dip) lives up to it's name and you jump and slide from pool to pool to the end. All the jumps are straight forward, but it might pay to have someone check for obstacles first.
Some of the deeper jumps can be made higher and more exciting by climbing up higer, out of the creek and stepping off the convinient ledges.
The last jump is a curiouse one. About 2m high, just pin-drop into a bowl shaped pool and then hand over hand down the far side.
From here, pleasant walking ensues to the junction with the Rocky Ck.
The track drops down the gully and eventually crosses a creek to join a much more prominant path in the base of a broad gully.
This is the traditional path into Rocky Ck. I must admit, I've never done this ! Twister is a much more fun alternative !
If you wished, you could simply follow this path back the the left and head out to the car park again.
Rocy Ck.
Rocky Ck is a famed canyon ! Although it is not long, nor does it require ropes, it is narrow and dark and mysterious through
the constriction.
To start with, you can enter by jumping (with caution) into the pool below, or climb down through a hole on the right.
Slip and slide your way into the next section and wade or swim from "room" to "room".
A final swim takes you to the last of the dark sections and you emerge into a wide bend were daylight abounds.
So do you. You abound again, from about 1m high into the water once again, and wade around the bend to begin your walk down stream. I think there may be one more 'slot' section before the narrow part peters out. Many groups turn arouns at this point and reverse their way out, but I think you get better value in the 'round trip.
Once beyond the narrow section, some beatuifull creek walking ensues as you walk down what is arguable one of the most scenic canyons the 'Bluies has to offer.!
On your way downstream, see if you can spot the exit from Coachwood Canyon high on your left !
The creek winds it way through lush ferny vegitation, meandering below and sometimes undercutting, blank sandstone cliffs. Small waterfalls trickle in from above at numerous points. Several sections have had huge trees come down recently and these make for interseting obstacles. Some stumps are enourmous! It's difficult to see exactly what is holding them upright !
Keep a wary eye out for the point at which the creek takes an obvious right hand bend. The steep gully on the left is the way out from here.
The steep scrambling up a faint path leads you first up the left, then the right, then back to the left, etc as you gain height through the soft undergrowth . Eventually the track breaks left and up onto a steeply sloping rock face. Easy climbing gets you to the top and the track from this point is quite obviouse. If you follow the track to it's end you will emerge on the Galah Mtn road behind Galah Mtn. (From an old trail now closed to vehicles). Just follow the road back to the car park and enjoy the afternoon light on the trees.
Navigation
See the guide(s) ...
Gear
See the guide(s) ...
A 50m is more than adequate to belay the climb out if you exit up the big bend.
Wetsuits are recommended as you do spend much time in the water. (Not much point racing through it now, is there ?)
Images :
Other useful resources, for more information on this canyon :
