Twister Canyon - track notes

Entry

See Newnes Plateau & South Wolgan Fire Trails for information on how to drive to the starting point.

From the Rocky Creek carpark, continue down the main fire trail to the SE. After about 100m, turn off to the right on a track which heads down the hill into the creek. Turn left and follow the track downstream along the creek for about 10mins until you reach the canyon.

Notes

Twister is basically a series of jumps and slides into cold pools. Check the depth of the water before doing the jumps. All but the last can be climbed down without too much difficulty. The last jump is a couple of metres into a small pool - but the pool is very deep. For many of the jumps, you can climb up higher on tree roots if you are so inclined. After the last jump, there is a hand over hand down a 5m waterfall that usually has a fixed line on it. Take a 10m rope or length of tape just in case the fixed line is not there.

Exit

Continue down the creek to the next creek junction. Cross on a log, and turn left (this is the Rocky Creek entry track). Follow the track up the creek until it climbs out and joins the fire trail, which you can follow back to the car.

Much better, however, is to turn right at the creek junction and continue downstream to Rocky Creek.

Comments

Twister is a lot of fun and a good canyon for beginners. It is not very spectacular, but definitely enjoyable. Wetsuits are a good idea unless you have a small fast-moving party, as the water is cold. While it can be done on its own, it is a very short trip (can be done in an hour from car to car) so is best combined with Rocky Creek.

Twister is referred to in the Jamieson guide as "Sheep Dip Canyon". However, this is incorrect. Sheep Dip is further up Rocky Creek, has a 20m abseil, and is definitely a different canyon.

Rating: 4/5

Time

Left the cars at 7pm, back at 8pm. Two people, both fit and experienced.

Tom Brennan : website@ozultimate.com: updated 20050107