Date: 17/10/2026
Trip leader: Ilana B
Party: Adam H, Nicholas C, Terry S
I was really looking forward to this trip. Yileen has been on my radar for a long time. It’s a brilliant half-day canyon located on the south side of Bell’s Line of Road. The weather was looking a bit grey, with one or two misty millilitres of rain in the morning forecast. Not the perfect canyoning weather, but it would make for a comfortable approach and exit.
My excitement grew when a few days before, we found out two good friends from UTSOAC had planned a Yileen trip for the very same day – and they were starting out just a half-hour before us. Great! It was the perfect opportunity for some healthy competition. Around the same time, something even more exciting happened. A parcel arrived from Switzerland. 200m of brand-new, bright green club rope was now in our possession, and it was just begging for a creek-water christening!
Terry and I turned onto Pierces Pass Road at a tardy 9:10, scoffing down the last of the evidence that explained our delay (delicious pastries from the Grumpy Bakery). We pulled into the carpark shortly after and were greeted by Nic and, surprisingly, our friends from UTS who were supposed to be halfway down the entry track by now. Adam arrived as we were standing around catching up, and our party of 4 was complete. Monumental levels of faff were being detected, and it was decided that we couldn’t let the others get first dibs on the canyon. It was time to get competitive.
The race was on. Powered by a bakery breakfast and sheer determination to prove ourselves as the world’s most efficient canyoners, we leapt into action! Bags were grabbed, gear was thrown into the car, and only then was it announced that we were missing something quite crucial to our progression – the middle marks. On both our new ropes. They had been outlined but not coloured. To make matters worse, just as this came to light, someone else pulled into the carpark… A commercial guide bus. Now the pressure was really on! We had to make it in first, lest we be forced to wait more than 5 minutes at an anchor (a fate worse than death).
With absolutely no time to spare (from our entirely self-imposed deadline) we decided to rely on Terry’s personal 60m, and christen only one of the club’s 60’s. A marker was thrust into my hand and we all piled into the car. We waved to our UTS friends (read: rivals) who were also pulling out as we passed, and I spent the drive to the entry track unceremoniously doing the colouring in, struggling to breathe through the sharpie fumes.
‘Grab your gear and go’ was our attitude on arrival, and we roared down the entry track with blooming waratahs on either side of us and the guide group hot on our heels. The waratahs were exciting for me as I’m very fond of blue mountains flora and had never seen them in the wild before, however this was no time to stop and gawk.
We didn’t keep our killer pace the whole way down the spur, as Terry rightly pointed out that it wasn’t worth breaking an ankle over an imaginary feud.
There was a little bit of faff while we suited up, but soon we were ready to head down the gully. The guide group was briefing nearby, and the very first of the UTS crew were rounding the corner just as we set off downstream. We were able to shout a quick hello. Our competitiveness cooled down as we got further into Yileen gully, feeling chuffed over our sweet victory.
There had been a bit of rain in the days leading up to the trip, but it hadn’t affected the water levels much. It was crystal clear and quite brisk. I was feeling warm in my trusty 7mil bargain wetsuit from FB marketplace, and was astonished to see Nic waist deep in a pool, without having bothered to even put on the top half of his 3/2. “It’s not that cold” he says…
We made quick work of the first section, reaching P1 much faster than expected. Nic and I opted for the 2m downclimb, while Terry and Adam scrambled up the shelf on the left hand side to access the bolts, blitzing down the 5m abseil.
From there, the canyon opened up and we were subject to a bit of creek walking, made spectacular by even more waratahs scattered along the banks.
When we reached P2, Nic told us about a 5m jump that was possible from the rocks. 3/4 of our party were keen to give it a try, so Terry abseiled down to do the obligatory depth check. The optimal landing zone was determined, and we all leapt in!
We carried on, with the canyon scenery becoming more and more beautiful as we progressed.
P3 was a fun 10m abseil down into the slot, which was followed by a short scramble to Yileen’s Magnum Opus… the 50m waterfall, and the magnificent view of the Grose Valley cliff walls. Of course, an obligatory selfie was taken at the top before we joined our ropes and rigged the wet line.
Adam went down first, getting over the edge before finding the amputated tail of another party’s rope, jammed deep in a crevice. A double fisherman’s knot was to blame, as they tend to be. Yileen is already known for stuck ropes, so this didn’t fill us with confidence for what our own pulldown might entail. After cleaning it up and stowing it in his pack, Adam zipped down, followed by Nic, Terry and myself. It was spectacular!
At the bottom, Adam grabbed the pull strand, expecting some resistance. I was ready to jump in if needed but, miraculously, it slid down smoothly. Thank you, new club rope!
We had a quick snack break on the rocks as we coiled the ropes, sharing a perfectly ripe mango that had managed to make it down the canyon and come out of Nic’s pack unscathed. Delicious!
It was on the largest rock that Adam caught sight of something gold and shiny. A $2 coin! While it was our lucky day, it seemed the group before us had fared quite poorly, losing first the end of their rope, and then their pocket money. My thoughts went out to them.
As lunch drew to a close, we all came to a consensus: our thirst for canyoning had not yet been quenched. To go home satisfied we needed another, and Empress was a prime candidate.
Our exit walk was less enthusiastic than our entry had been. Our primary objective was contacting the UTS canyoners and inviting them to the Empress Afterparty. We reached the cars with no word back. They were probably still having fun in the canyon. It was decided that we would wait for their response and kill some time browsing gear in Katoomba. 30 minutes and one mandatory (read: impulsive) purchase later, we were off to the conservation hut. Unfortunately, the UTS crew were not able to join us this time.
Nic and I (still in the mood from the morning’s competitive antics) decided there was no time to spare and ran down the stairs. I was a little scared I’d faceplant, but we both reached the start intact. Terry and Adam weren’t far behind. Putting on my wet wetsuit proved to be miserable and challenging. Nic avoided this bother by once again implementing his pant-only neoprene strategy and neglected to use the top half of his wetsuit altogether. Mad, considering the canyon was colder and wetter than Yileen.
Empress was as fun as always. We reached the anchor in record time, saying hi to another commercial group who were using the dry line. After rigging and sending Terry down, disaster struck. I discovered a horrible knot had formed in the middle of the pull strand. The new club rope had turned against us! It was an unfortunate situation to be in, made worse by the audience. I twisted and pulled, loosened and tightened, but it only did so much. Nic came over to help, and we got the awful gnarl loose enough to start passing my Rodcle (which had the rope end tied in) back and forth through the loops. Thankfully this was the right move, and at last the tangle came undone!
We made quick work of the abseil, and four happy SUBW canyoners reached the pool at the bottom. Finally, feeling the satisfaction of a day well canyoned, and ready to head home.
Photos by Terry, Adam and myself
