Long Day Canyoning
Experience Required
The
following canyons require Abseiling and Canyoning experience
You must be able to....
- Easiliy swim 100m
-Carry a 10kg backpack for up to 10hrs over rough tracks and creek/canyon beds
-Move safely up and down small cliffs as well as over smmoth slippery rocks and boulders
-Demonstrate a high level of fitness and endurance
Claustral Canyon
Grade: Moderate/Hard
6:00am - 6:00pm
A 45 minute bushwalk takes you to the start of the canyon, where wet suits are donned and
the adventure begins!
After a swim and down-climb we arrive at the famous abseil point into the vertical tunnels
of "the Black Hole of Calcutta". These are three very spectacular waterfall
abseils which follow one after the other, culminating in a narrow 20 metre swim. A truly
fantastic experience. Soon after the swim we reach the junction of Ranon Brook, and from
here it is another 1km or so of wonderful canyoning. Following a rest at Thunder Canyon
junction, there is more excitement: water jumps, slides, down climbs and swims before we
reach the Rainbow Ravine exit point and lunch. From here it is a solid 2 hr uphill walk
back to the car park, for a well-earned drink and snack.
Hole in
the Wall
Grade: Moderate/Hard 6:00am -
6:00pm
An exciting and stunningly beautiful canyon with good swims and abseils. There is a
dark, narrow section where you need a torch. You will squeeze through, just like caving,
as the cavern exit looks just like a "Hole in the Wall" The canyon finishes
where it meets the mighty Bungleboori Creek. You will swim upstream in the Bungleboori and
enjoy a magnificent bushwalk back to the vehicle
Grade: Hard Weekends: 7:00am - 6:00pm Weekdays: 7:30am - 6:00pm
This canyon is not for the faint-hearted. Three tricky abseils are negotiated before you reach the main creek, which starts with a bit of creek walking and scrambling (easy climbing) around big boulders. Soon the first highlight of the canyon is reached: the two main abseils which lead you down a vertical waterfall, with the stance between the abseils being a chock stone, wedged in an airy position half way down the waterfall. That is canyoning at its best! Another abseil and jump gets us to the end of the canyon. To walk out we sneak up through steepgullies between rock faces and walk along narrow ledges. The excitement continues at a (easy) 10 metre rock climb that's some 200 metres above the foot of the rock face. Easy walking takes us back to the car park
Grade: Moderate/Hard Weekends: 7:00am - 6:00pm Weekdays: 7:30am - 6:00pm
Chris Fortson reports: "It started with a bushwalk down a steep, secluded gully That walk was one of the prettiest I'd ever done. Ferns, mosses and even rare orchids grew tucked away in the cool rain forest, things that I normally onlysee on TV documentaries. It was not a stroll in the park, however, and the rope was used for some steep bits. Our guide Darren was a wealth of information with regard to bush food and rare plants.
Down at the creek we swapped dry clothes for wetsuits and wrapped all our dry stuff into dry bags. Some wading and swimming brought us to the first abseil down beside a waterfall. Down I went, about 3 metres into a deep, dark pool. A short swim brought us to the second abseil. It went right down a waterfall and the canyon was so narrow that you could touch both sides as you went down the rope. I was soon to be amazed by the most beautiful canyon gorge with mosses and ferns growing everywhere and sandstone formations sculpted by millions of years of water erosion. All too soon we reached the lunch spot, where the narrow canyon meets a bigger river.
After lunch we had the opportunity to do an eight metre water jump. Nobody had to do it, it was just next to the lunch spot from a big cliff into a deep pool. It took me a while to let go and rush towards the green mirror below me. Back at the car, I was glad to rest my tired body. The beer at the HIGH 'n WILD office tasted exceptionally refreshing. One of the best day's I've ever had in the bush!"