It was about 4am as we drove into Glen Davis, pulling up at the campground in town and throwing down our sleeping bags under the verandah for a few hours of much needed sleep before a big weekend of canyoning. About dawn we were joined by a healthy swarm of mosquitoes who seemed determined to drive us from our slumber.
This summer has been such a washout that I’ve pretty much resorted to planning day trips with just a couple days notice when the weather forecast looks promising enough. This trip actually took that to the extreme, with the decision just a day before, but it paid off wonderfully when we woke up to a stunning sunny day.
Like most of summer, the week before this had been packed full of rain. So much so that the Colo River — which drains most of the canyon country — had hit about six metres the day before our trip. Despite this we decided to press on, choosing Galah Canyon for its relatively small catchment, spurred on by the fact that this was the first fine day in more than a week and we were guaranteed some impressive water flows.
We all enjoyed a quick trip along the magnificent coastline of the Royal National Park. Highlights included swimming in the freshwater creek near eagle rock and gazing in awe at the power and beauty of the waves smashing into the shoreline. Cya James
But head up north, into the Wollemi, and there are even more spectacular slot canyons in a remote and rugged wilderness area where the fittest, keenest and most experienced canyoners are still making new discoveries and carrying out first descents.
On Sunday morning we all left the city on the L90 bus to Palm Beach. It was showering in Sydney, but a quick text to Bruce on the Central Coast confirmed reasonable weather and to continue with the walk. It turned out to be a beautiful warm day!
Often when you go bushwalking in amazing places, you’ll want to take photos that truly capture the beauty of the scenery. That’s where the idea of a photography walk came from. To bring together people who share an interest in bushwalking and/or photography. And to help people take better photos of their experiences in the bush.
We had one non-swimer-PFD member with us, so Lower Gambie was enough challenge for Saturday. We did WDWDIITR on Sunday, it rained on us mostly the whole weekend. Pretty chilly even with 3mm wet-suits and 1mm steamer. I took 2 of my friends to their first canyoning experience. We spent…
Despite the short notice and the fairly miserable forecast, two more intrepid girls decided to join the walk. It was 9am when Lisa, Lilian and I met up at Rosemead park to start the first long part of the walk, from Hornsby to ridgetop campsite near Berowra. Knowing that 22km would have kept us busy for a few hours, we didn’t waste a minute and set off for the fishpond where we joined the Great North Walk track. It is a beautiful track and we really enjoyed every single bit of it, even the steep ups&downs! Along the way we could admire plenty of wildlife: water dragons, goannas, cockatoos, bush turkeys, and even a chook (who knows where it came from!)
G’day folks, Thanks again to those who came along on this easy walk on Thursday. I had a great time. I’ve put together a short trip report, a few photos and a video of some of the spectacular water jumps into the amazing waterhole we walked to. http://fatcanyoners.org/2012/01/12/paradise-found/