[SUBW-A] trip report: Newnes (Starlight) Canyon 18 May

[Tim Vollmer]

Newnes (Starlight) Canyon - Monday 18 May

Party: Tim Vollmer and Joshua Hill

With a Monday free from work, we decided it was the perfect chance to
squeeze in a trip to Newnes Canyon on a day where we could pretty much
be guaranteed the place to ourselves, giving plenty of time to
investigate the wonderful tunnel section. We read that it was a decent
length day, which is a concern when the sun is setting so early, but
we figured it was perfect weather for a nice dry canyon.
Meeting at Lithgow Maccas early, we were on the road to Newnes by
8.15am. The drive out is great, with the magnificent craggy walls of
the Wolgan Valley slowing coming closer together as we approached our
destination.
It was nice and cool as we started up the Pipeline Track, enjoying the
wonderful views as we slowly climbed. Despite it being a rather easy
pass, poor fitness showed through and the sweat was flowing by the
time we got up to the lookout. The trip is just about worth it for the
views here of the magnificient river below without even going on to
the canyon. Sadly, with time against us we moved on, heading further
up the hill before turning off towards the canyon.
Most of the ridge top walk is in really open bush, the kind of easy
walking low scrub that you pray for when walking off track. We decided
against the left track, not wanting to have to do the whole length of
the creek, but half way along the ridge we decided to head off to make
sure we got to see the first small canyon section, so we bashed our
way north and scrambled down to the creek below. The creek here is
rather pleasant, a mix of easy rock hopping and sandy reaches with
beautiful trees towering on each side.
We made it down to the first small "canyon" section, walked as far as
the water but decided we would rather stay dry. A short back track, a
scurry up the southern side and a zig-zagging pass back down got us
into the creek just after the water obstacle. The next kilometer
wasn't so easy. The creak was increasingly chocked with fallen
coachwoods and all manner of saplings that forced you to duck, climb,
crawl, shimmy etc to get through. At this point it is hardly the best
canyon start, and we began to give the creek some rather nasty
nicknames. I can only imagine the first party who did this canyon
would have been questioning their sanity at this point. So on and on
we went, through the scunge, making poor time and getting very little
of natures beauty for our troubles. And then, out of nowhere, you're
there. A really nice 25m abseil into the slot. It is very much a drop
into another world.
In stark contrast to my usual "she'll be right" approach to safety I
decided to use a prusik self-belay on the way down, mainly to test out
its ease of use for future trips where the abseils are longer / more
dangerous. We left the rope in place (as per the advice, making sure
the tunnel is clear of water / debris before removing your only exit),
dropped our packs and started down the slot.
On the first pass we used one head torch intermittently, but didn't
want to obstruct our views of the glow worms. They started off fairly
sparse, but the further we went the more there were. The slot is nice
and tight, forcing you to squeeze through in places and winding a good
20m above you. A great collection of glow worms right at the top of
the tunnel make it look like you are walking at night with a mass of
stars peaking through the narrow crevice. There are a few obstacles to
avoid, but it is generally easy walking on nice soft sand (complete
with a smattering of guano from the friendly bats). Getting to the
end, and the stunning green glow of the moss covered walls, we decided
to do the return tunnel trip without light. You swear you can see the
end several times as large clumps of glow worms illuminate the area
ahead. There were a few bangs of heads, shins etc, but nothing serious
and well worth the experience. Back at the start we pulled down the
rope, grabbed our packs and decided to do the third and final tunnel
journey with lights on so we could better examine the amazing canyon
formations. The rock truly is stunning.
Soon after, while walking through the now wider but still pleasant
canyon, we spotted a juvenile black snake in our path (shouldn't they
all be hibernating by now?). Some slow, careful walking around the
outside and we were clear.
We grabbed lunch under a spectacular overhand where wind-weathered
rock towered above us, warming ourselves by a rather petit fire. From
here there is some nice creek walking. Tall walls on each side shelter
the valley and amazing tree ferns add to the prehistoric feel.
Eventually we started the bolder-hopping journey back to the Wolgan.
We did a second abseil, about 15m directly down a small waterfall
(rather than one of the dry and non-slippery abseils from either side
which looked pretty dull by comparison). Then more and more boulders
as we tested out clambering and bum-sliding. Once down it is a short
walk across the river and onto an old road. After about half an hour
of excited walking through the ruins of the old oil shale mine / oil
refinery we made it back to the car with about 15 minutes of light
left. Perfect timing.
It turned out to be quite a nice canyon, but next time I am going to
ridge walk directly to the start of the tunnel, abseil in and avoid
the fallen timber. It would probably knock an hour off the trip and
you really don't miss anything. Despite this, it was still a lovely
day in the bush, perfect weather and a wonderful canyon section /
tunnel that is as good as any you will see.



Tim Vollmer
Mob: 0404 273 313
Email: tim.vollmer at gmail.com