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Day 3. 89km. Sunnyside Canyon (Acoustic Canyon)

Posted: April 22, 2026 in Australia, Canyoning, Cycling, NSW
Tags: Acoustic Canyon, Australia, Cycling, Lithgow, Newnes, NSW, Sunnyside Canyon

I try to start a post with a catchy sentence. Today I don’t know what to choose. An amazing cave and canyon – an adult playground. News of a new hiking trail from Lithgow to Mudgee. And some less pleasant – bed bugs and the steps to not bring them home. Road closures that found me cycling with trucks crawling down the slopes and churning up the dust. They all happened today.

I woke today with a few spots – on my cheek and a couple I noticed on my hand. Later, when it started to itch, I discovered the extent of the feast. Lines of bites up my arms. When I got back to the hotel, I told them about the bed bugs and changed rooms. When I returned my old key, the guy at the reception said, ‘yeah – we have had a lot of bed bugs all through the hotel.’ Wonderful. Well, after some research, I now know all about bed bugs and have a plan in place to ensure I don’t bring them home. Sealed garbage bags, uncontaminated new clothes stored in sealed bags until the time is right. Use of the clothes dryer on high heat. All part of the plan.

Then we had the road closures. The main road from Mt Victoria to Lithgow is closed for road works. This is the main road into Sydney from the west. All traffic, including the big trucks, are diverted to the other road from Lithgow – the Bells Line of Road. This should all be uninteresting for me, as I always take a little side dirt track up to the Newnes Plateau – State Mine Gully Road. Well, that road is closed for road works too. And, they are also doing some maintenance on the one remaining road out of Lithgow to the east. So, I found myself climbing out of Lithgow with all the slow trucks, and returning in the evening, crawling down the steep descent behind the trucks, at the end of a line of cars. I had to take a different dirt track onto the Newnes Plateau past the quarries, and the trucks churning up the sand.

Having said all of that, the quarries can be beautiful, and were especially so in the evening light.

Sunnyside Canyon was on the menu for today, on recommendation from Walk my World. The Sunnyside Ridge Road has been recently opened, and signs all point to Bird Rock. On speaking to a park ranger who took my photo in front of a Bird Rock sign, I found that this is all part of a big scheme to create a multiday walk from Lithgow all the way to Mudgee – the Wollemi Great Walk. It will be an amazing walk when it is ready. Bird Rock is a stopping point of the walk.

The Sunnyside Ridge Road is a 4WD track that gets bumpier and sandier after the turnoff to Bird Rock. Firetrail number 8 that leads out to the canyon finally peters out, to become not even detectable as a path at all (unless you know there is meant to be one there). Some cycling, walking and bush bashing later, I found myself in the most awe inspiring canyon with towering pagodas and a big drop into the depths below.

Walk my World describes it as an adult playground, and I agree. It is a lot of fun scrambling up and down rocks, crawling through narrow gaps, straddling the canyon to avoid a dip. And the beautiful acoustic cave – it made me break out into song. And the view into the canyon from there is stunning.

The end of the canyon has a nice view (if interrupted by trees) out over the Wolgan Valley. To exit the canyon you climb up an amazing slot before bush bashing back to the almost disappeared path. All in all, a very enjoyable day (if it weren’t for the bed bugs).

Day 2. 34km. Grand Canyon

Posted: April 21, 2026 in Australia, Canyoning, Cycling
Tags: Australia, Blackheath, Cycling, Grand Canyon, NSW

Hyperventilating from the cold, I swam on my back between the canyon walls, my backpack with drypack floating on my stomach. I wanted to get to the towering walls of green – my favourite place in my canyon repertoire.

This is the side track from the main Grand Canyon walker highway (described by Walk my World). I found myself here after cycling to Evans Lookout from Blackheath and taking the endless stairs down. Turning off the path into the canyon I was suddenly transported into solitude with nature. A few scrambles over logs and mossy boulders, and I made it to the swim. This is the barrier that stops people following. Drypack and determination were my friends.

I didn’t sleep well last night – too tired from yesterday’s Hat Hill Falls adventure, and I found myself getting up at 5:30 to go for a walk around Govett’s Leap. Better than lying in bed not being able to sleep.

The early start and big Grand Canyon walk meant that I decided not to cycle to Lithgow. Instead, I caught the train. I am getting slack in my old age.. 🙂

Day 1. 22km. Hat Hill Falls

Posted: April 20, 2026 in Australia, Canyoning, Cycling, NSW
Tags: adventure, Australia, Blackheath, Canyon, Cycling, Fantasia, Hat Hill Falls, nature, travel

Called Fantasia by lostmtns, this waterfall has been on my radar for some time. It was a bit of a scramble, but well worth it – an amazing place to bask in the sun.

Transition periods are wonderful. A life chapter ends and the next one is locked in. I think back to the summer of 1992-93 when I finished university in Adelaide, Australia, and was waiting to start the next exciting chapter – a PhD in the Netherlands. It was a summer of carefree fun with my uni friends, and excitement for what was to come. This time, I have finished my last job, and have a week to kill before the new one starts. What better way to spend the week than to enjoy the last rays of summer in the Blue Mountains before the winter chill sets in?

I thought I had been everywhere in the Blue Mountains – been to every waterfall, swimming hole and lookout. Cycled every fire trail. Well, there are still some places I haven’t been as I discovered in the ‘Swim’ book by lostmtns. My week cycling in the backblocks of the Blue Mountains, to Kanangra Walls, towards Yerrendarie ticked off some of these spots. Today, visiting Hat Hill Falls (also known as Fantasia), was on the menu.

A short cycle from Blackheath to the start of a walk, crossing bare plains before a steep descent to the Hat Hill canyon.

I love canyons. Walls of green rising up to the heavens, big mossy boulders, little unexpected beaches and showers of waterfalls sprinkling down from above. And sometimes the sun shines in, twinkling in the water and spotlighting the moss and ferns on the rocky walls. This canyon involved a cold swim. And it took my breath away.

Before the falls, the canyon opened out. The layers of platforms were bathed in the late summer light. The water rushed along, plunging into holes, just to emerge at the next platform. I lay on the slab of rock and breathed in the view.

I couldn’t stay for long, though. I needed to get out of the canyon, and pass the icy swim, before it got dark and cold. But once out, and back on the plateau, I visited a little lookout and watched the sun set below the horizon, washed with smoke haze.

Day 7. 155km. Goulburn – Albion Park

Posted: January 12, 2026 in Australia, Cycling, NSW, Uncategorized
Tags: Albion Park, Australia, Cycling, Goulburn, NSW

“The tracks buckle in this heat,” he said. I was sharing one of my 6 icy poles with a guy who worked for the Sydney trains that I met at the supermarket. I cycled from Goulburn to Mittagong to avoid cancelled trains, and then to Albion Park for the same reason. I didn’t buckle in the heat, however.

Today where I was, it got to the high 30s. On the coast it hit 43C. No wonder the train tracks buckle. It didn’t feel too hot cycling however. I had a nice breeze, and a cute echidna to look at.

At Bundanoon I took a little detour to one of my favourite lookouts – Bonnie View lookout. I was the only one there – everyone else was in the cooler cafes in Bundanoon.

When I planned the whole trip, there were trains running from Goulburn – so Goulburn was going to be my end destination. When I got there, I saw that they had planned trackwork (which wasn’t planned when I was making my plans), and that I needed to cycle to at least Moss Vale. The afternoon trains from Moss Vale got cancelled – one after the other (with about an hour between each cancellation). I guess they realised that the repair work was going to take longer than expected. I rang the trains people to find out how I was going to get from Moss Vale or Mittagong (I had cycled a few stops further to Mittagong) back home. No luck. The trains were cancelled and there were no replacement busses. After much deliberation, I decided to continue on to Albion Park on the coast to catch a train that WAS running. Leaving at 5pm from Mittagong, the sting had left the sun, and it was a pleasant ride.

I am quite happy with today’s achievement of 155km (with the heat and mountainous landscape). In fact, I am happy with the whole week’s cycle. I have seen some beautiful places and pushed the limits of this 54 year-old body and 1 year-old bike (well – actually the bike’s brake pads). Sydney has some beautiful places to visit in its back yard.

This is the whole week’s cycling route.

Day 6. 77km. Wombeyan Caves – Goulburn

Posted: January 11, 2026 in Australia, Cycling, NSW, Uncategorized
Tags: Australia, Cycling, Goulburn, Wombeyan Caves

Living in the now, being in the flow, is about being totally engaged in what you are doing right now. No other thought enters, no other worry. You are engrossed in your activity – now.

Leaving at 7am before the temperature got to its maximum of 37C, I slalomed up the Wombeyan Caves Road, reducing the angle of incline. It was not too hot, and not so steep that I couldn’t cycle, and I was in the flow.

Then I met the same shape on the gravel road – corrugations. I continued my slalom cycling, avoiding the sine wave shaped undulations in the road. I was in the flow.

I rarely stopped to think of taking a photo, so in the flow I was. Here is a wombat sign.

I stopped for morning tea at Taralga, and filled up with a lot of water to make it through the 45km of undulating terrain in the scorching sun.

As it turned out, it was not that hard, and I didn’t feel that hot. I had a tailwind, and the road was more downhill than up.

The heat, however, had stopped the trains. They can’t handle it when it is so hot, apparently, so I am not on my way home today. I am happy with this. I will continue towards Sydney tomorrow by bike. I will connect up the lines on my Strava heatmap – a record of everywhere I have cycled since I started using Strava in 2018 or so. I have not connected my routes starting in Goulburn with routes around Mittagong. A worthy pursuit for tomorrow.

Day 5. 43km. Bummaroo Camping Ground – Wombeyan Caves

Posted: January 10, 2026 in Australia, Cycling, NSW
Tags: Australia, Bummeroo Camping Ground, Cycling, Wombeyan Caves

Caves, gorge swimming, corrugated roads, kangaroo guests for dinner, heat and steep climbs/drops out of and into valleys. All in the bright sun (except for the caves and gorge swimming).

From Bummaroo (love the name), it was a long slog out of the valley in the already hot sun. At the top, a kind gentleman stopped his car and gave me a cold bottle of water. He was impressed.. 🙂

The road undulated through the farmland countryside before turning off to the Wombeyan Caves.

I started getting worried about the brakes when the road turned into a corrugated gravel track (knowing there was a massive descent just before the caves).

It was avoid the corrugations game today

Luckily, the road reverted to bitumen before the final descent, and the brakes made it (with only one mild squeak).

I came to Wombeyan Caves in 2019, but only for a short stay as I had to get back to Mittagong the same day (a very long ride on a road that is now closed). This time I had time to check out some of the caves – the Fig Tree Cave.

Then, time for a swim in the Limestone Gorge. I had memories of crystal clear water and only me there. This time, I shared the gorge with lots of people and a pink flamingo floatie. It was refreshing, though, after the walk there in the hot sun.

I had to be very firm with a kangaroo this evening who was adamant he wanted to share my dinner. He let me pat him (which was nice), but it all became too intimate once he started pawing at and slobbering over my panniers. Even a light kick away from me didn’t deter him. I had to shout and run after him with arms waving. He left.

Day 4. 107km. Oberon – Bummaroo Camping Ground

Posted: January 9, 2026 in Australia, Cycling, NSW
Tags: Australia, Bummeroo Camping Ground, Cycling, Oberon

Well, this is not where I thought I’d be when I left Oberon this morning. Rather than Yerrenderie, I’m in a camping ground on the Abercrombie River. Let me explain.

I left at 6am with a fully loaded bike with gallons of water. The road was beautiful through the plantation forest, undulating up to 1300m.

Then, the dirt track started. A big sign warned people – 60km, 4WD only, take spare tyres, take water etc etc. The first 9km was moderately harmless to the Mt Werrong camping ground. I thought this would be a piece of cake. After a snack and filling my water bottles from the tank that I wasn’t expecting, I continued.

The road started to get steep, dusty and rocky. Often I pushed my bike up, and rode the brakes down, only to repeat around the corner.

While it was hard, I was enjoying it. Until the brakes started to squeak. The first sign of them wearing out. I was exactly half way between Mt Werrong and Yerrenderie -25km in both directions. Looking at the map, the road just got steeper. The brakes would not survive getting there, let alone getting back.

I couldn’t afford to be without brakes in the most remote part of this trip. I reluctantly turned around. I could walk up and down the steepest bits and make it back to Mt Werrong by sunset. From there, I could make it to the bitumen road tomorrow. I was confident the brakes would be fine on bitumen.

Then a car passed. And I caught a lift.

They dropped me off at a place I’d passed earlier, not far from the main bitumen road.

Once I hit the tar, the brakes were fine. I hardly used them as I flew down the descents with confidence.

Still 30km from Taralga and 44km from Wombeyan Caves, I decided to call it a day at a camping ground just off the road where it crossed the Abercrombie River.

Kangaroos galore, I had a swim to freshen up, had dinner, and went to bed. I’m exhausted.

Day 3. 50km. Boyd River Camping – Oberon

Posted: January 8, 2026 in Australia, NSW
Tags: Australia, Boyd River Camping Ground, Cycling, Oberon

The back roads to Oberon – through beautiful forest roads. A visit to the National Park office to check on road condition and water availability. It’ll be a challenging day tomorrow.

Today I saw some deer – together with lots of the standard kangaroos. No wild pig spottings like the last 2 days.

A major shopping spree in Oberon, including lots of water. There’s no water until I get to tomorrow’s destination of Yerranderie. I have been eating like there’s no tomorrow, so lots of food was bought too.

Day 2. 41km. Kanangra Walls – Boyd River Campground

Posted: January 7, 2026 in Australia, NSW
Tags: Australia, Boyd River Camping Ground, Cycling, Kanangra Walls

Today was a big day. Sunrise at the Kanangra Walls and waterfall hunting on the back roads. Like yesterday, it was a sunny morning with a thundery and rainy afternoon. The jam-packed day included a mad dash in the rain and hail to the camping ground.

The sunrise on the plateau at Kanangra Walls was spectacular. And I was the only one there.

After a late breakfast, it was waterfall spotting – checking off all the falls in the book from #lostmtns in the Kanangra region.

Kalang Falls was a disappointment. I guess the reason may be it is only a short walk from the carpark, and I was not alone. By the time I got there, the masses had arrived.

Then it was on the side roads down to Morong Falls I hadn’t realised how far it was off the main road. By the time I got there, the thunder was growling from all directions, and the rain fell intermittently. While I wanted to try out the natural bubble spa, and clamber down to the multiple pools below, I didn’t want to be caught in the thunderstorm on the (potentially slippery) rocks. It was a quick photo, a dip of the toes in the water, and off.

After a thigh-deep river crossing, it was time to try Box Hill waterfall. Following an unmarked route, sometimes in the rain and hail, I made it there.

I just missed capturing the many fingers of lightening seconds before I took this photo. While I wanted to stay, I was aware that the track back to the road is easy to miss, and I didn’t want to hang around for the next bout of rain. As it was, the last 10km to the camping ground was in the rain.

Back at the camping ground, it was time to warm up, have dinner and wait until the rain stops so I can set up my tent.

Day 1. 82km. Tarana – Kanangra Walls

Posted: January 6, 2026 in Australia, Cycling, NSW
Tags: Australia, Cycling, Kanangra Walls, Tarana

I’m sitting in the eating shelter at the Kanangra Walls carpark. Today was sunny and rainy with a few claps of thunder. I didn’t get wet.

With the office closed this week, I’m taking compulsory leave. A perfect opportunity to visit all the places in the back parts of the Blue Mountains that are too far to reach on weekend trips.

Kanangra Walls has always been on my list. Massive cliff faces dropping down to a spectacular valley.

The weather has been weird the last few days. Sunny and beautiful in the morning. Dark, imposing clouds roll over in the afternoon. Rolls of thunder from the heavens. The occasional bolt of lightning.

But first the beautiful sunny morning undulating through the farmland.

Oberon was my refueling stop.

The rain started just as I arrived at the camping ground. I had a chat with two nature enthusiasts, Paul and Rebecca. They gave me some tips for things to see in the coming days.

I just made it to and from the famous lookout before the rain set in. Let’s see where I set up my tent (once the rain stops).

Before the clouds rolled over.

After the rain, the impressive clouds and the constant growl of thunder, the sun shone through just as it dipped below the horizon. My tent could be set up (and remain dry) just behind the shelter. I’m all set for my early morning walk on the Kanangra plateau.

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Day 3. 89km. Sunnyside Canyon (Acoustic Canyon)

Day 2. 34km. Grand Canyon

Day 1. 22km. Hat Hill Falls

Day 7. 155km. Goulburn – Albion Park

Day 6. 77km. Wombeyan Caves – Goulburn

Day 5. 43km. Bummaroo Camping Ground – Wombeyan Caves

Day 4. 107km. Oberon – Bummaroo Camping Ground

Day 3. 50km. Boyd River Camping – Oberon

Day 2. 41km. Kanangra Walls – Boyd River Campground

Day 1. 82km. Tarana – Kanangra Walls

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