17/01/2009 - report - photos - Waterfall of Moss Canyon track notes

Participants: Tom Brennan, Rachel Grindlay, James Yorston

Another attempt at Dumbano, another cold wet day. I had camped up near the Zig Zag turnoff and Rachel and James had driven up to meet me. We spent the first hour deciding that Dumbano was off the agenda (quick) and then working out what to do (slow). After variously discussing Ashcroft Ravine, Squeeze and Juggler and Grand we ended up on Waterfall of Moss.

The campground at Cathedral Reserve was as packed as I have seen it, and a surprising number of parties were heading off to do one of the lilo trips. We headed down the pleasant but wet track down to the Big Bend, and I scrambled dodgily around to the gully on the opposite side while Rachel and James stripped down for a swim. At the main cliff line I went left for a bit of an explore, and thought we might be able to get around and up without going all the way up the ridge. How little I remembered my own track notes or trip from six years ago!! As with then, we ended up at the top of the fourth abseil and had to backtrack.

We finally got to the canyon and did a couple of short abseils and then the longer one through the arch back to where we had been not that long before. From there we made our way down to the Wollangambe with plenty of shortish overhung abseils off long anchors. The sun tried its best to emerge, but could only muster the odd ray.

There seem to be an increasing number of rusty quicklinks. Annoying, as unlike a worn sling, you can't remove the quicklinks without also cutting the (perfectly good) slings. Unless you are someone that canyons with bolt cutters.

We heard some voices as we approached the Wollangambe, presumably liloers, but they weren't there when we arrived. I tried to stay dry by scrambling the ledges along the Wollangambe but they eventually ran out and I was forced to swim the one short section.

Then it was a nice climb back out to the cars. We tried to go for afternoon tea at a cafe in Mt Wilson, but it was just closing. Instead James headed for Sydney, while Rachel and I got milkshakes in Blackheath on our way to Sacha's at Warrimoo. A nice day's canyoning.