JOURNAL
JOURNAL
WILD BLUE MOUNTAINS
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AVOIDING GETTING WET IN A CANYON 17 November 2023 This unpublished but well-known canyon had been on my to-do list for a long time but things got in the way!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 […]
BANANA AND LONG ROOTS CANYONS 19 October 2023 I joined the group of usual suspects I canyon occasionally with for two unpublished canyons/creeks in the Blue Mountains. After setting the anchor around a boulder and taking pains to manage the edge, we were off the first abseil, a 60’ish m affair with a bend. While waiting at the bottom. I decided to eat the banana that was stored in my backpack. What followed was a discussion on the merits of […]
CONFUSING CREEK 6 October 2023 We wanted to explore the area south of Dry Canyon but when we arrived at the gate, we became confused by the National Parks sign: the website had stated the area was open but the signage showed that walkers were not allowed! So change of plan! Harold suggested a tributary of the Bungleboori Creek and off we went. The waratahs were flowering early this year and the spring flowers had started to bloom… After admiring […]
BASIC FIREFIGHTING ASSESSMENT 24 September 2023 Three of our members are getting assessed today! I will assessing the candidates except those from my brigade! This is an all-day practical assessment consisting of several tasks and an exercise. We established several stations: hose rolling and bowling (my station), portable pumps, simple fire response, urban navigation (route planning), tool identification, trail cutting and radio communications. All the candidates also have to participate into a firefighting scenario incorporating an overrun drill and a […]
VR TRAINING 9 September 2023 A day out in Lawson for some vertical mobility training with the Blue Mountains SES team…
