Adventure Time: Canyoning Wollongambe Two

Where: Wollongambe River near Mt Wilson

Distance: Bushwalking, Liloing and Swimming all up close to 20km

Duration: 7 hours

This was a bucket list trip for me. I'd always wanted to lilo down a river! When a kid-free weekend presented itself (thanks mum), Richie and I decided to take advantage of our free time and do a Wollongambe trip with the Blue Mountains Adventure Company. 

Richie has been canyoning multiple times with these guys and its always been a great experience. I've been with him once and loved it. We trusted that the guides would provide a fantastic experience that was safe as well as being totally EPIC.

And of course, we weren't disappointed! Fortuitously, the other people that were supposed to be joining the trip didn't turn up so we had a private guided tour. After a relatively easy walk in with BMAC guides Nick and Greg, we started to head downhill, ending up at a very busy junction that involved a bit of a scale down a hand line. 

We were suited and booted for safety but there were bunches of families with smallish kids down below that had likely just shimmied down on the rope slung from a tree. We'd actually decided to do this trip as a reccie to see if our 9 and 11 year olds could do it. By the end of the day it was a resounding no! We were EXHAUSTED and I think we'll have to wait a few years before they will have enough stamina to join us.  

Once down the crack, there were lots of people at the bottom so it didn't feel quite as 'wildernessy' and solitary as I'd expected but everyone was happy and polite. Although, later in the trip, an older lady in the group behind us was right on my tail and at a few points she leapfrogged me and was between me and the rest of our party... kinda bad manners, I certainly wasn't dawdling along. Anyway...

There were a few rock jumps which I was determined to try, however after the first one where I felt like I'd gotten a litre of water up my nose, I got gun-shy and didn't try any more after one more go. I think the weight of the pack combined with the inability to put my head in the right position because of the helmet meant my nose was destined to get waterlogged! There were options to climb down so I didn't feel obligated to jump any more. The shimmying and the climbing was fun anyway. 

About halfway along we were making good time so our guides took us off to the right to a rock shelf where an amazing sight awaited us. A short 2 or 3 metre climb down led to a grotto full of glow worms. I blundered down the rock as my legs were half shot by this time and I had the wobbles, and took Richie's hand as we entered the absolutely, dizzingly pitch black cave. I felt as though I was going to fall over and my spatial skills had gone out the window; I couldn't stop laughing at how clumsy I felt. Our eyes adjusted after a moment, and in the quiet, hundreds of tiny glow worms materialised. 

It was only a quick little detour, then we grabbed a few lollies before heading further down the river. Greg and I were fascinated by the small details; stuff like the 'canyon spiders' - huge banded huntsmen that hung out just above the waterline - and the shed skins of dragonfly nymphs that clung to the rocks.

We'd come to a slightly more open part of the river and actually got some floating and paddling in. It felt as though up until now the lilo was an awkward addition that needed to be hauled gently over rocks every ten metres or so, but now the river ran a little more swiftly and we could lie back and paddle for a while.

Another wonderful detour was on the cards too; a side trip into the bottom of Whungee Whungee canyon which was immediately dark, quiet and had an altogether different atmosphere. The frigid water was in stark contrast to the relatively warm waters of the 'Gambe: here in the near-permanent dark, the sun wasn't warming anything up so I was glad it was only knee deep here.

As we followed the constriction round to the right there was a beautiful open patch that let some light fall through the ferns onto the mossy wet floor.

It was the perfect spot for a couple of lovely-dovey photos. 

After this brief detour, it was back into the relatively warm waters of the Wollongambe, after parking ourselves on a rock for a hard-earned sandwich. On another note, I'd been keeping my eyes peeled all day for crayfish and had only come across one - this shy guy below who reversed quickly into a submerged log before I could get a proper photo. 

It seemed like the adventure had come to an abrupt halt when we rounded a bend in the river to find a bunch of people awkwardly changing out of wet suits at the tiny beach which served as an exit point.

After Richie took one last biiiiig jump into the water, we got changed and readied ourselves for what we assumed would be an uphill but relatively manageable hike out. Well. I very nearly couldn't get myself up the first 2 metre wall - it was eroded vertical dirt and sandstone scarred with protruding tree roots that served as a 'ladder'. The combination of being well on my way to tuckered out combined with the awkward and roly-poly barrel bag on my bag, which now contained who knows how many kilos of soggy wet suit, meant I just couldn't find my balance! That first little vertical bit was probably the hardest part of the day for me. But of course, I got there in the end, summoning some extra strength to hoist myself up, and then it was a very steep walk for a bit. Not long into it however, it tapered off to lovely misty Mt Wilson forest, as we quietly trudged out to the van together on a carpet of fallen leaves. 

It was a long, rewarding day out and I'd do it again in a heartbeat. Thanks BMAC for the memories!