Canyoning and Rock Climbing in the Blue Mountains.

The Blue Mountains in NSW has some of the best canyoning and climbing in Australia.  The plan for this trip is spend around 10 days at a base camp in Blue Mountains and hitting various crags and canyons in the area.

This trip is intended to allow a flexible schedule for all.  The departure and return dates are flexible along with choices of what canyons we do and what crags we climb at.  The exact structure and schedule of the trip will depend on the participants.

This trip is intended for members with some climbing and/or canyoning experience.  (Belaying and abseiling experience.)  However all are welcome subject to discussion with the trip leaders.

Don't know what canyoning is?  Have a look at some pictures.  Essentially it is walking, scrambling and rappelling through remote wet cayons.  In other words loads of fun!

Gear hire will be around $10 a day.

DETAILS:

CANYONS

I want to do some cool canyons that is why this trip is being run.  You generally do one canyon per day.  Climbing can occur on rest days.  With a good crew I'd love to be able to do Kanangra Main.  This is one of the biggest, longest and most impressive canyons in the Blue Mountains.  Before this can be attempted everybody in the group needs at least a couple of canyons under their belt and be an experience rappeller. (For this sort of cayon I'd be wanting 3-5 people in a group.)

Have a look at these trip reports and get excited!

http://fatcanyoners.org/2012/12/16/kanangra-main-slot/

(The fourth photo in the link above looks scary!  We'll be roping up if we have to do anything like that!)

http://fatcanyoners.org/2013/12/07/kalang-kanangra-main/

Of course we'll do some wet and wild slot canyons too:

http://fatcanyoners.org/2010/05/02/claustral/

http://fatcanyoners.org/2013/07/20/twister-rocky/

CLIMBING

If you want to go climbing then great!  Blue Mountains has plenty of good climbs.  Do you own research and convince a partner or the group to go to X, Y or Z crag for a day.  Piddington has the best trad.  Sport can be had everywhere and Bunny Bucket Butress is an amazing bolt clipping adventure for those who are leading less that 20.

NUMBERS

Other Blue Mountain Trips have been 10+ people.  There is no limit to the numbers on the trip but when there is higher numbers you split up into diferent canyons or climbing crags each day.  Smaller groups move faster, which is important especially for long and advanced canyons.  Currently we only have 3 definates but about another 4 maybes.  Minimimum group size for the trip to occur is three.

GETTING THERE

Flying or driving works.  Flying is a little bit more expensive but not by much.  I flew up last time and it was great.  If the trip has lots of people then a least one car will drive up.

'ACCOMODATION'

We'll be camping.  There are two free campsites which are quite pleasant.  We'll base ourselves at one of them and drive to a new canyon/crag each day.

TIMING

Leave Melbourne on the 26th.  Return Melbourne on the 5th or by popular demand.