JOURNAL
JOURNAL
WILD BLUE MOUNTAINS
Suboir Canyon 6 January 2024 This creek was first visited by the Sydney University Bushwalkers (SUBW) on 30 March 1962 and became known as Suboir Canyon in the 1990s. It also goes by the name of Dumbano Tunnels or Dumbano Dungeons. I last visited after the 2019-2020 fires and the area was burnt extensively. When the club put it on the program, I put my hand up. Getting there required a high-clearance 4WD… Soon we were on our way and […]
Tessellated Pavements 31 December 2023 It was a grey and drizzly morning! Plan A , a canyon, was out; Plan B, a bushwalk, was in. Six water-resistant souls set off to misty Mount Irvine. The track to Tesselate Hill (with one L) is well-defined suggesting that the area is getting popular!As we moved along the track, we soaked up the rainwater from the foliage and soon we were drenched.We climbed Tesselate Hill and were on the Tessellated Pavements (with two […]
A Nice Creek 30 December 2023 It was a grey day perfect for photography! Six brave souls set out along the bed of a creek. I dutifully gave a blood offering to the canyoning gods: I don’t think I can do a canyon without falling at least once!Everything was slippery: the leaves, the ground, the rocks… but it was nice being there. I had walked there before and had been stopped by a drop! So I was looking forward to […]
A WATERFALL 18 December 2023 Getting to the bottom of these falls was on my to-do list. I had been close three years earlier but had to retreat as rain was threatening. The vegetation was dense then and it still was! We set out on a muggy day and followed the creek upstream. After some huffing and a lot of puffing we eventually arrived to the bottom of the falls. We spent some time taking pictures and had morning tea. […]
Dug’s Canyon 6 December 2023 This slot canyon was advertised recently online although its location has not been revealed, for the time being! The background on the canyon can be found on Adventures with M. Three abseils in short succession, all with “challenging” starts. The second abseil is the “pièce de résistance”: a descent in a dark slot lined with a few ferns! This was quite a treat!
AVOIDING GETTING WET IN A CANYON 17 November 2023 This unpublished but well-known canyon had been on my to-do list for a long time but things got in the way! It has swims/deep wades and neither Kevin and I were keen on getting wet on a cool gray day or anytime for that matter.. but the decision was made! So we set off map in hand and soon enough we were in the headwaters of the creek. The first abseil […]
ABOVE GOVETTS CREEK 12 November 2023 A short walk to complement the one we did four days earlier. After admiring the handy work of National Parks, we followed the ridge that ends overlooking Arethusa Falls which were heard but not seen! The views were fantastic and we spent some time taking it in by having an early tea break! I suggested we followed the cliff line overlooking Rookery Nook but the vegetation looked appalling!We turned back and followed the spur […]
Climbing – TO DO 8 November 2023 I had wanted to take a rock climbing course for a while as I feel hopeless when confronted by a wall of sandstone. So I bit the bullet and registered with the Blue Mountains Climbing School in Blackheath (and no I am not paid to say that). After getting fitted out, our group relocated to Medlow Bath and down to the Sunbath climbing area. Our guide set up the rope and we took […]
HENSON GLEN AREA 8 November 2023 We were on our way to Walford Wall when we hit metaphorically the first hurdle: the gate was closed! Another group was similarly baffled by the closure! A quick look on the Parks website confirmed that indeed Mount Hay Road was closed to vehicles! Plan B was quickly devised: Henson Glen! I had wanted to check the 15m waterfall on the map for a long time! So off we went on Bruce’s Walk and […]
MARIJUANA CANYON CLEANUP 3 November 2023 Remote, yet accessible, the Blue Mountains have always been a place of choice for marginal agricultural endeavours – namely the cultivation of cannabis aka marijuana. The upper reaches of Marijuana Canyon is home to an abandoned cannabis plantation.The elaborate setup comprising terraces, irrigation system and a small dam suggest that this was a successful enterprise. I don’t think they were growing it for medicinal or scientific purposes! Marilyn had been wanting to clean up […]
