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.
Cripps Lookout
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.. 🙂
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?
My humble abode for the night.
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.
The path to Hat Hill creek
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.
Hat Hill CreekHat Hill CanyonHat Hill CanyonHat Hill CanyonA sprinkle of water from aboveHat Hill Canyon
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.
Approaching the fallsThe water drops away
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.
The Grand Canyon walk in the Blue Mountains is a very popular 3-4 hour walk. What fewer people know are the little side trips deep into the gorge, away from the hoards and into the bosom of nature.
The start of the trip is a short cycle from Blackheath station in the Blue Mountains.
Start: Blackheath Station
End: Blackheath Station
Total distance: 20km Strava link
At the start of the Grand Canyon walk
The main path drops down into the valley. At two points, rather than following the sign to the canyon walk, go in the opposite direction upstream. It is beautiful.
Upstream in the Grand Canyon
The light penetrates into the Grand Canyon
A bit of scrambling over logs
You can only get so far going upstream until a swim is required. Being a bloody cold day, I made this the end of my little foray.
A second in the series of Bikes and Canyons, this time, a pleasant cycle from Lithgow towards the Glowworm Tunnel and down a dry, dark canyon to burst out to a beautiful place with an amazing view over the Wolgan Valley.
Start: Lithgow Station
End: Lithgow Station
Total distance: 70km Strava link
Canyoning usually involves abseiling down cliffs and waterfalls, scrambling over slippery rocks and logs and wading and swimming in narrow, beautiful canyons surrounded by tall walls of rock on either side. As much as all of this is very appealing, I chose Dry Canyon on this cold day as a winter trip one I could do without getting too cold and wet, and one I could safely navigate by myself.
The trip to the canyon is a 35km jaunt along a beautiful dirt track from Lithgow over the Newnes Plateau.
Newnes Plateau
Newnes Plateau
Newnes Plateau
The path from the car park to the canyon and through the canyon is flat with no challenges at all. You are just left to concentrate on the beauty of your surroundings.
The path to the canyon
Dry Canyon
Dry Canyon
Dry Canyon
Dry Canyon
Dry Canyon
The canyon ends and a quick scramble brings you to a rock sitting over an amazing view over the Wolgan Valley, staring at the beautiful Donkey Mountain.
Wolgan Valley
Seeing this canyon should be classified as bushwalking rather than canyoning. It remains beautiful!
With winter approaching, there are not enough hours of daylight to fit in a long cycle in and it’s time for something different. In 1997 I went canyoning with my university friend Hamish. This is a return to that really cool activity in the same really cool place – in the Wollangambe Canyon.
Start: Bell Station
End: Mt Victoria Station
Total distance: 55km Strava link
Today I lay on my lilo inflatable air mattress and floated down a beautiful canyon deep in the Blue Mountains near Sydney. It was offseason and borderline cold, and so I was the only one. A short walk to the canyon from Mt Wilson town saw me inflating my lilo on the lonely beach surrounded by high cliffs on the edge of the beautiful clear-watered river.
At the starting beach
At the starting beach
With estimates of 6-8 hours for the trip, with upper estimates of 10 hours, I wanted to get back before dark and so hurried down the deep parts of the canyon. I should have stopped to jump off the cliffs into the cool, clear water. It is an amazing part of the canyon.
The deep canyon
On the lilo
There were some rocky scrambles. At times they were a bit tricky.
Boulder dash
Boulder dash
There were also lots of shallow bits which were very relaxing. I could walk along side the lilo and didn’t need to scramble over rocks.
Shallow bit
Shallow bit
Shallow bit
There was even a little side canyon.
Side canyon
The trip back to civilisation saw me cycle 7.5km along the Bells Line of Road. With the Easter traffic trying to leave Sydney, some people found my presence on the road unbearable, informing me that I was a f*ing w*nker and that I should get off the f*ing road. I’ve been living in Australia long enough now to be used to this. Shame though.
My day was, however, a big success. Canyoning is awesome!
arctic-cycler.com 