Dargans Creek and Dalpura Canyons

Whilst the previous few days of the Easter weekend had been sunny and mild, Sunday morning dawned gloomy and cold and I forced myself to get out of my warm bed and pack my bag for a few canyons. I picked up Felicia in the inner west and we headed off to Clarence. Arriving at the turn off for Dargans Creek on Bells Line of Rd, we saw Chee, Jonno and Lisa patiently waiting for us. For some…

Avalon to Narrabeen Beach

After a fantastic walk from Palm Beach south, towards the end of 2012, I decided it was now time to complete a little more of the Barrenjoey to Narrabeen Lakes Walk. I was this time joined by a great bunch of SUBW members meeting at Avalon Beach. We motored along at a reasonable speed soon arriving at Newport Beach. Rhiannon had…

Castle Head abseiling

Castle Head abseiling

Ulla, Mon and I were looking for a fun and easy trip and settled on Castle Head. It had been proposed as a potential night abseil, so it seemed prudent to do a daylight reconnaissance first. Out went the announcement and Elissa, James and Chee joined us. We’d heard a lot about Castle Head. Mainly that…

Arethusa and Alpheus Canyons

Arethusa and Alpheus Canyons

I’m not one for “ticking off canyons” — that sort of conquest mentality really rubs me the wrong way — but I am someone who notices lingering gaps on my maps; those places that I’ve wanted to go for a long time, but for whatever reason never quite made it to. Arethusa is…

Nude yoga on the banks of the Colo

Nude yoga on the banks of the Colo

With the sun baking down on our naked flesh, it was almost too hot, despite the dappled shade. So much for the ominous weather forecasts that has promised light showers and plenty of clouds. The sky was almost completely blue, the air still, and the autumn sun unseasonably warm as our yoga session progressed. We were…

Night canyoning: Empress Canyon

 Good canyoning weather has been in short supply recently. So when the forecast started offering a window of warmer sunny days I decided to grab hold of one, even if it was a work day. Mary had also been really keen to squeeze one last canyon in before her departure back to Italy, so she jumped at the idea of a night canyon. And despite…

A lion, a goat, and several leeches but NOT lunch on top of the Col

One day I will lead an SUBW walk where we actually take the route as advertised. Today was not that day. After my original plans for this weekend got rained out, I put up a very short notice walk, asking for volunteers to join me on a walk to descend Kedumba Valley Road from the Bonanza Gates on Kings Tableleand, cross Kedumba River, and climb up the Col to have lunch on Mt Solitary, and then return. I got…

A hidden lake in Wollemi National Park

A hidden lake in Wollemi National Park

Last Saturday was one of those days you wouldn’t get out of bed unless it was to lay on the couch with a warm blanket, a hot chocolate and a good book. It had been raining for the previous two days, with temperature dropping well below the 20’s, and the weather forecast was promising more of the same. Given the…