Newnes Canyons

Newnes Canyons

This trip had it all. Sweltering heat, thunder, rain, cool mist, snakes, an allergic reaction, great canyons, campfires and lots of abseiling. But first and foremost, the risks and dangers of what we do was slammed home as soon as we got back to mobile phone coverage after the trip  because there came the shock news that on this same weekend on another SUBW trip, Helen Smith, a long time SUBW member, fell while en route to a canyon and was badly injured. All our…

Katoomba-Ruined Castle via Furber’s Steps

Some more good weather luck on this walk. Although rain had been forecast for the morning, in fact it had past over overnight so we had a clear day for the walk. Maddie and I arrived at Central, got the train there and collected Tony and his niece and nephew David and Suan. When we…

Valley of the Waters to Vera Falls

Valley of the Waters to Vera Falls

The weather forecast wasn’t looking too good in the days leading up to the walk, and the predicted conditions of ‘consistent rain all day’ turned out to be highly accurate. Two people dropped out, leaving four adventurous souls to join me at Wentworth Falls, unperturbed by my early morning SMS-warning to them that they should ‘expect to get wet’. As the…