[SUBW-A] Trip Report, canyoning 21-22 Feb 2004

[Ashley Burke]

Trip : Canyoning, 21-22 Feb 2004
Party : Saturday - Dimitri, Ashley Burke
        Sunday   - Rick Deveridge, Rob Hynes, Dave Noble, Robert, James,
Ashley Burke

It was a very hot Saturday when Dimitri and I arrived with our mountain
bikes and canyoning gear at Barcoo Swamps. We rode off from the cars and
after a few kilometres, found ourselves on an old fire trail strewn with
fallen logs. A few kilometres later even this road petered out and it was
time to abandon our mountain bikes, their role for the moment fulfilled.
Navigating our way through burnt forest we at last came to our canyon and
gladly abseiled an overhung cliff into the shady coachwood forest below.
Soon after this we arrived at a sequence of short abseils, accompanied by
the sputtering of tiny waterfalls and the occasional inky pool of water. The
high standstone walls of the canyon provided welcome shelter from the sun.
At the end of the canyon we delayed our re-entry into the oven outside by
having lunch.

After lunch we found ourselves in a larger creek and waded our way upstream,
Dimitri frustrated bt the amount of sand that managed to clog his shoes.
Then we had to find a pass through the cliffs to the west of the creek, and
after doing this we were so hot that we just had to do another canyon. This
we soon did, and like the other one, it involved a sequence of abseils and
the shelter of cool sandstone walls. There was more water in this one and we
enjoyed getting in it. Then it was back up the same pass as before and back
to our bikes on the hot ridge.

It was about 7pm by the time we got back to Barcoo Swamps. Dimitri headed
back to Sydney while I setup camp to await arrival of the Sunday canyoners
the next morning.

The Sunday team arrived next morning, as did a cool change and welcome
relief from the heat. Another two canyons were on our itinerary for today.
We set off on mountain bikes again, this time along a longer and faster fire
trail. We stashed bikes and after only a few hundred metres of walking there
were whoops of delight as the tiny creek disappeared into the bedrock - yes,
another canyon. This was a previously unknown tributary of a tributary of a
tributary, but after only one abseil opened up to a known creek junction.
Then we zipped up a pass and down another trib and yet another snippet of
canyon.

There was more serious canyon downstream though, and recent fires had
cluttered it up with a chaos of unstable fallen logs. Even more recent
thunderstorms had added unstable rubble to the top of some of the drops. We
had two ropes and two abesils, so rigged both, but the rope jammed in the
first abseil. Dave had to prussik up the first abseil to rig the rope from
an entirely different belay before we could all be on our way.

Notwithstanding the technical difficulties we all eventually got through the
canyon and the deep lower corridor before entering a larger creek system.
After lunch here we explored upstream to a deep, long and beautiful canyon.
Finally we had to find a pass out and did so by exploring another tributary,
and after some awkward grovelling and rock scrambling, finally emerged on
the ridge. We regained our bikes and made our way back along the fire trail.

A great weekend of canyoning.

Ashley Burke
Phone: +61 2 9476 3531
Mobile : 0414 633 315
E-Mail: aburke@ozemail.com.au