Saturday 15th Feb 2020 Abseil/canyoning Kinnanes Falls Carney Creek Main Range National Park

Participants: Gary W, Nigel A, Kaitlin A, Alan G and Leader Shane M

We started at 5:30 in Lismore and arrived at the bottom of the cliffs at 9:30. There was little fire damage in the lower slopes but the area we scrambled up to the verandah ledge and to the creek entry had all been burned severely. I could see on the approach that there was a large flow out of the top pool and down to the second pitch and debated whether it was safe to proceed. Decision made we went down to the fast following creek and donned our wetsuits and gear. There were new tree obstacles that took some getting around but we were at the 5m log drop soon enough. The 50m rope was deployed and I used it as a safety before the slipway unfortunately it was not long enough to reach either the bottom of the slipway or the top of the second pitch. The problem was that the four rope bags had to be secured lest they disappear, along with me down the falls. So I tied one of the 70m ropes to the end of the 50m and then watched as it disappeared around the corner leaving a trail of rope. I slid down the slipway and saw that the bag had disappear over the edge. Unable to completely pull up the bag due to the bag catching and all the waterflow. I managed to get enough up and do an Alpine Butterfly and secure the rope to the fixed anchor points, this relieved the tension on the 50m rope enabling Gary to come down to the top pool. The other bags were then sent down and secured. Then the 70m was released from the 50m which enabled it to be pulled down. A second 70m was then secured to the loose end above the butterfly, once that was done they were then thrown over the edge and the butterfly was released. We now had the middle pitch setup and I proceeded to do the middle pitch. The water flow was incredibly powerful putting a lot of pressure on the rope below the hydrobot requiring a two handed feeding of the device. Approaching the second shelf the force was even more intense as the water had accelerated down from 50m above. The other two rope bags were then flying foxed down. Unfortunately one of the bags split on impact and became disconnected from the rope from above. I managed to secure one of the ropes but watched helplessly as the split bag disappear below. We all came down and congregated at the pool on the second ledge. This was an anxious time waiting to see if we could pull those top ropes. We had one of the first pitch ropes over the edge and down on the bottom pitch and were unable to pull it back. I had placed a link on the pull side of the ropes and was super thankful that it was on the stuck rope. The ropes from above pulled down with a little effort and were rethreaded through the bottom fixed anchors. So we have now two surplus ropes, 50m and 70m which were sent down ahead. All that remained to do was the bottom pitch. It was a lot easier than the previous as it was possible to have a rest for a couple of times in or out of waterflow on the way down. We were all soon down safely after a most exhilarating and very challenging couple of drops. There were a lot of lessons learnt. From the top of the log pitch down the slipway and across the pool to the top of the middle pitch requires a 70m. There is no other exit possible from this point except ascending the rope back to the top. From the top of the bottom pitch it would be possible to exit using a 50m rope and reach a ridge line running to the gorge floor.. A week or two later after big storms would be much safer. For safety this abseil requires 4 x 70m ropes at least, preferably floating rope. At no time were we ever unable to proceed as there was always the option of using a single rope and leaving recovery of them for another day. This was the most challenging day that we have faced, and all thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Thanks to my very competent abseiling mates. Shane

Sunday 2020-02-09 Boogarem Falls Abseil Koonyum Range

Participants Nigel A, Gary G, Catherine T, Dave Adams, and leader Shane M.

We met at the corner of Koonyum Range Road and Wilsons Creek Road at 9:00 and pooled into two cars. We were soon parked next to a raging creek. Loaded up we headed, mostly by wading down, to the escarpment. The first job was to setup the recovery rope. The place is about 75m south of the creek before the next gully and stream and below a small bluff. We used a 50m rope in a deployment bag, endeavouring to get it down as low as possible. As it happened, I still had to abseil down a bit to ensure a good deployment. It was then back to the top of the falls. Two 100m ropes were deployed each as a single independent rope from the available anchor bolts. The reasoning for the two ropes being much safer and easier on the ropes. The abseil descent line was not quite right so we offset around a small tree to get us clear of the main flow. One of the two 100m ropes was in a deployment bag and the other a brand spanking new one was coiled. The bagged rope deployed well and the new one was flayed at the top twice before it was deployed. It was a surprise on going down to find that we really had not missed the main falls by much and were in for a bucketing. About 30m down the new rope had turned in an almighty knot and there was no way of pulling up the end of it which was caught in some minor tree debris. I believe it was at least twenty minutes of hanging in mid air untangling it before I could finally descent the remaining 60m. At the bottom the spray and breeze from the falls was wonderful for about the next two down and from then on it was getting a bit chilly waiting. Gary and Nigel headed off up the scramble independently and then the rest of us. It was an easy scramble up the south face to the base of a bluff where our return rope was perfectly positioned. There was at least 20m excess rope at the bottom so next time a 30m rope will suffice. Gary had already negotiated the rope by the time we reached it. Nigel was using a prusik with difficulty. Dave acquired a new skill with an ascender and his Hydrobot in reverse mode. Catherine followed and then myself. By the time we got back to the top of the falls the ropes had been pulled and returned to the cars. What an amazing day in our wonderful area, excellent company on what would have been a dreary wet day at home. Shane

Sunday 2nd February 2020 Hell Hole Mt Jerusalum NP

Participants: Gary W, Peter W, Nigel A Leader: Debbie G

Our group of 4 experienced abseilers gathered at 9am on Middle Ridge Road for a leisurely stroll down hill to the falls. The swimming hole at the top of the falls looked very inviting on arrival but with the heat building we set the rope instead. Gary, Nigel and I descended the first pitch while Peter stayed behind to watch the gear as a steady stream of visitors were turning up to swim. We set the rope for the second drop which has previously been accessible from a fallen tree, a solid easy place to descend into the overhang. The tree has since been washed away resulting in a tight rock squeeze before dropping clear. On the second shelf after discussing the alternatives it was decided to follow the water flow and abseil the overhang, a more challenging but fun drop. Safely at the base we proceeded to find the trail back to the top which had been covered by a number of fallen trees resulting in a wall of lawyer vine to negotiate. Back at the top as Peter descended there was time for a swim before packing the ropes in preparation for the uphill haul back to the cars. A totally enjoyable day as always. It should be noted that this is not a beginners abseil as both confidence and skill are needed to negotiate both the 2nd and 3rd pitch. Debbie

Friday 31 Jan 2020 Mackays #4 Abseil Rope Retrieval

Participants: Debbie G, Catherine T, Gary W, Nigel A, Brendan W, and Leader Shane M

9:00 at the Channon Tavern Carpark. Up that hill with all the gear and arrived at 11:30 at the creek. The water flow was considerably down on the previous weekend, but still a good steady flow. The scramble to the escarpment was easy as all the tangles had been consumed by the fires. The object was to find why the ropes on the second pitch had failed to pull down. The simplest of blockages, a small piece of wood had wedged itself in the shackle at the end of the anchor. It was decided to move the anchor point back to the previous position and add a little more chain to get the rope end over the edge away from the rocks. Unfortunately we were still about 300mm short of the desired location. Needs must, we put a rope tube protector on the 300mm and all did the pitch to the second shelf but before the last had left the top an attempt was made to pull the rope to ensure that it would come down. The length of excess rope from the second pitch was measured at 26mm. So that pitch was only 44m. That accomplished and with Brendan last man down, the First and Second pitch ropes were pulled bundelled and sent to the bottom. The last drop was completed and the rope pulled successfully. The First pitch was a 50m doubled with about 1m excess, so a 24m drop. On the previous visit the excess on the bottom ropes was measured at 26m and the top drop was 24m. So 70m + 70m + 24 - ( 24m + 26m) = 114m total. For the record 5 x 50m of rope are required for the venue. A good day with plenty of action and a good result. Shane

Sunday 26th January 2020 Mackay's #4 Abseil

Participants Catherine T, Rachael H, Nigel A, Gary W, Debbie G and Leader Shane M.

Started at the Channon Tavern Car Park at 8:30 and then off to Terania. We were all loaded up with 4 x 70m and 1 x 50m of 10.2mm Salamander canyoning rope which is quite a load on top of all our personal abseiling gear. We took an hour or so to reach the top of the hill and then a moment or two break next to the cascade next to the track. I had decided to avoid the sub 10m falls between the track and the escarpment to save time. I usually do them to judge the performance of participant before the real thing, there was no need on this occasion. So we went a further 100m up the track to the fork that leads along the ridge line. The creek powering on our right. There was a really good flow and would have been worth doing the smaller one. Before the end of the ridge we slipped down to the creek and waded along to the top of the big drops. Plenty of water more than I had seen on my many previous visits. The near vertical sides of the creek completely naked and burned to black must have been horrific when it happened. At the escarpment the 50m was deployed around the horizontal tree at the top and I went down to the first ledge. There was barely a metre or two left at the bottom of the rope so the 50m was the right choice. At the ledge a sling was retrieved from a previous expedition and a new easier anchor point was sort. This took some time. The next drop was done on two 70m to the next ledge while above the crew came down to the first ledge. Arriving at the second ledge I was mortified to find one of the anchors there had been hit by a large boulder and was deformed considerably. Testing it took some time but it did appear serviceable and there was a backup second anchor which was perfect. The second set of 70m were deployed to the valley floor and the abseil to the bottom was done. The use of rope deployment bags definitely made life easier for the first person down, no untangling of ropes at all. Debbie pulled the top 50m when all had reached at least the 2 ledge without incident and then Debbie and Catherine tried to pull the first set of 70m from the second ledge but unfortunately it was a no go, still not sure why. It was decided to leave them and retrieve from above at a later date. All down the bottom 70m set was pulled without incident. It was noted that there was 24m of excess rope on the last pitch so it could have been a 50m set. There was also a fair amount of excess on the second pitch although the excess was not measured, will have to check next time. All down and ropes packed we headed for the exit. Possibly one of the most beautiful creeks that I know of, especially on this day with all that water. A really great day a pity it was spoiled by leaving a set of ropes behind. On the other hand great because now we have an excuse to do it all over again. Thanks to the crew for a safe enjoyable day. Shane

Thursday 23rd January Goonengerry Abseil Training

Participants Catherine T , Peter W, and leader Shane

A low key day of doing rescues. Ascending using different methods and passing a knot in the rope. We also did a few transfers of an incapacitated abseiler from a rope and lowering to the ground. The number of participants on day definitely added to the productivity of the event. We will have to do this exercise much more often. Shane

Saturday Sunday 4th & 5th January 2020 Iron Pot Creek Abseil Camp

Participants Alan G, Isabel G, Gary W, Nigel A, Kaitlin A, Paul L, David H, Phil S, Yuliana H, Catherine T, Peter W, Rick K and Leader Shane M

With so many parks closed due to the fires it was surprising we found Toonumbar NP open, and it was decided to do something that had long been on the agenda. Some arrived on Friday afternoon and made themselves comfortable and the rest arrived Saturday morning before 9:00. The two days that followed were 38C, so it was hot!

Saturday: A 9:30 start at the overgrown Poor Bullock Road we loaded up with all the gear went for 2 km before we left the track and headed down the slope to above the top falls. That distance was only 1 km, we had about 500m of open forest before we met the vines, then it was a struggle. That 1km took us from 11:00 to 12:25. Then it was lunch and rigging the anchors. Deploying the rope there was much debate about how high the drop was. It is very deceptive from above. So with a little anxiety I went down the 70m rope hoping that I would not have to lengthen the rope on the fly with an additional rope. There were several ledges on the way down which afforded a respite and an untangling of the rope. It was pleasing reaching the end of the rope exactly at the bottom. The 2.5m stretch under my load being just enough to get me there. It was then everyone in turn which took the rest of the usable day. Leaving all in position we all climbed back up the right side wall arriving back at the anchors at the top at 5:00. We packed up our gear and headed back to the track by our route from a previous time, much easier. We were at the cars at 6:30 and the weary souls (and soles) were relaxing at camp at 7:00.

Sunday: We all decided on an early finish so we abbreviated the proposed Recce and just walked 1.1km along an unmarked track along the ridge line above Smith's Creek. Then it was an easy descent to the creek, 660m with a 145m descent arriving at 755-453, which was 300m upstream from where we found the waterfalls on the previous visit. There was a trickle and some water in pools. Morning tea and a walk up the creek looking for some desirable features. None were found after 1.7m of rock hopping. Then it was the ascent back to the ridge track, 227m with 80m ascent. We were in our cars at 12:00 and pleased to have finished.

Notes: For Eden Creek Upper. Required 25m ~ 30m for anchors and 80m for the descent both 11mm. One mat protector for the top ledge. Could end in water pool.

We had originally intended doing upper and lower. Time constraints caused a curtailing of the lower.

Thanks to the participants for a pleasant weekend doing what we love. Shane