Bangalore Canyon
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| | Raps:9, max ↨82ft
Red Tape: Shuttle:Optional 20 min | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Condition Reports: | 24 Dec 2024
"Great day out and a beautiful spot. Nice setups for anchors. Had a couple of rope jams, wouldn’t be a bad idea to feed out from a rope bag to avoid |
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| Best season: | "Oct-Apr"
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-30.2950, 152.9201
-30.2949, 152.9162
-30.2823, 152.9497
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Introduction
The upper canyon section of Bangalore is fairly short but varied and enjoyable with some quality whitewater abseils. The long lower section is a pleasant creek walk, and a great way to cool off in summer. Be mindful that exiting this canyon requires off-track navigation through dense scrub. Come prepared with a map, or even better, a GPS device with offline maps.
Water levels
River Gauge, ML per day: 204068 Orara @ Orange Grove - WaterNSW Real Time Data or 204068 Orara at Orange Grove - WaterNSW WaterInsights
- <150 = a3, easy
- 150 to 300 = a4
- 300 to 500 = a4+, may have to walk around R3, R5, R7
- >500 Go for a hike
Note: The catchment for Orara @ Orange Grove gauge is 126 square kilometres as stated by WaterNSW. While the catchment above Bangalore Canyon is much smaller (only a few square kilometres) history has shown it to be a somewhat good proxy for water levels. Having said this depending on the weather patterns, where rain has fallen and how water moves through the water table it can be an unreliable measure. Unfortunately it is the best indicator we have.
Acknowledgement to Sid Tinney for the topos, map, and most of the text descriptions. Reproduced here with permission.
Equipped by Andy Robb 2007 (?)
Approach
Drive to the Bangalore Picnic Area (in Google maps "Bangalore Day Area Road"). Note that if your navigator routes via "Pine Road" just to the north, this road requires high clearance due to severe water bars ("speed bumps" to divert rainwater off the road). Alternate routing is via Corfes Rd (sealed), then Range Road (dirt). Note that Jersey Bull Road is impassable to vehicles as it has locked gates top and bottom.
There are two options for the canyon return to the picnic area from the end of the canyon:
Option A, no car shuffle: Follow Exit #1 or #2 as per the topo and map image, described below, and walk. See Descent description below.
Option B, car shuffle. Requires a high clearance vehicles to negotiate Pine Road, and a long creek walk: Park a vehicle at the bottom of Pine Road, at the intersection with Dairyville Road (see coordinates in summary box above).
Walking in: Follow the tourist track from the picnic area down to the falls viewing platform. Veer right at the platform, crossing beneath it to access the slippery slab beneath Bangalore Falls. Walk downhill to the first abseil.
Descent
Note: R5 Sheep Dip Falls is now bolted to avoid the logs, TL with a traverse out. This bypasses the log where an injury has occurred.
Exit
There are 3 viable exits from Bangalore Ck. Escape is also possible from most sections of the canyon. Although the car shuffle option may appeal "on paper", the creek walking is long and tedious. Exit 2 is the preferred option.
- Exit 1: After "Sheep Dip Falls", continue 100m downstream. Exit left up the ridgeline. There are faint footpads and snig tracks, but most of the route is bushbashing. As you near the top of the ridge, with a 2m high embankment, bushbash left and uphill towards the powerlines. Turn left/North and walk along Jersey Bull Rd for 700m, eventually reaching a locked gate and a second set of powerlines. Turn left/West and follow the powerline access track until meeting the junction with Range Rd. Leave bags at the Junction, and walk the final 800m to the top car at Bangalore Falls Carpark.
- Exit 2: Immediately after the "Jade Pool" abseil, exit left up the ridgeline. Do not proceed further down the canyon, enticing as it may appear, it's just down climbs and creek walking, and the canyon walls get steeper. Bushbash up loose vegetation until you join the obvious spur of exit 1. Note that if you proceed directly up the ridge line from Jade Pool rather than joining the spur of exit 1 you will reach the fire road, however you will have to pass through very difficult terrain and vegetation where the trees have been trimmed for the powerlines passing overhead.
- Creek Walking, with Car shuffle (Option B): Walk for 3km down the creek until you reach your bottom car at the base of Pine Rd. Drive back up Pine Rd (high clearance) to reach the top car - or take the 2WD option, driving via Ulong.
Red tape
Beta sites
Trip reports and media
- Bangalore 31/12/23 from SLEEPWHENWEAREDEAD
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YouTube.com : Craving Karst, An Incident in Bangalore Canyon
- YouTube.com : ArdenE, Bangalore Canyon, Short run on a stinking hot summer day!
