Carrabeanga
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| | Raps:20, max ↨197ft
Red Tape:No permit required Shuttle:None Vehicle:Passenger Rock type:Quartzite | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Best season: | Nov-Mar
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-33.9347, 150.1322
-33.9451, 150.0651
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Introduction[edit]
Note: These notes are updated from a trip in October 2025. Any previous notes and reports are out of date. The route now follows the river and does not deviate into the trees around the main falls.
Carrabeanga is a remote wilderness trip requiring good navigational and ropework skills, along with a sense of adventure. All of the party should have previous experience in Kanangra canyons. Travel light and fast. For the full canyon it is usually an overnight trip, not a one-day car-to-car trip. If doing it as a one-day, use the RR exit that cuts off the bottom of the canyon, and also consider camping somewhere on the tops (fetching water from Carrabeanga for the camp). It is not recommended as a winter trip as the abseils are in the flow and into pools, and long daylight hours are desirable.
On an overnight trip, it is sensible to drop water and food on the way in for the return trip.
Approach[edit]
The GPX for Carrabeanga is included in the GPX for Thurat Rift canyon. (Direct link for Thurat Rift GPX)
Park at the King Pin Firetrail on the Kanangra Walls road. Follow the King Pin Firetrail to Mount Thurat. Follow the ridge along Thurat Tops (use the GPX, follow it exactly) to the intersection of Thurat Ridge and Burra Gunama Ridge. Drop water here for the return trip. Follow Burra Gunama Ridge to Burra Gunama Hill. Walk down to Carrabeanga Brook, then downstream to the first anchor. Allow 2h30m for the walk in.
Descent[edit]
When looking for bolted anchors, they are over the edge. First person stay on rope while finding them as there are very few access bolts. Abseil List:
| Rap | M | L/R | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| R1 | 20 | RR | Sling rope around a tree RR. |
| R2 | 15 | RC | Bolts, create 5m access line from tree RL |
| R3 | 45 | RR | Bolts |
| R4 | 8 | RC | Blue tape (?) around tree in centre of creek, abseil very much over to RL (abseilers right). Do not aim for the next set of tape!! |
| Main Carrabeanga waterfall | |||
| R5 | 38 | RL | Bolts, decent ledge. Look RL to find this anchor. |
| R6 | 26 | RL | Bolts, good ledge |
| R7 | 37 | RR | Bolts well right |
| R8 | 55 | RR | Bolts. Beware sharp rocks about 15m down. Bleed rope actively, last person double rope (may need to bolt a redirect). |
| R9 | 25 | RR | Bolts to the left of the platform. Wide platform ledge |
| Back in creek below the main Carrabeanga waterfall. | |||
| R10 | 20 | RC | Bolts |
| R11 | 10 | RL | Bolts |
| R12 | 12 | RR | Tree with rope sling |
| R13 | 10 | RR | Tree up high |
| R14 | 20 | RL | Bolts |
| R15 | 20 | RC | Bolts |
| R16 | 59 | RR | Long sloping abseil into pool. Single access bolt RL to bolts RR. To reach the pool is 65m. There is a ledge at 59m RL from where can scramble RL down. |
| R17 | 40 | RL | Bolts. Wet abseil into pool |
| R18 | 10 | RL | Single bolt |
| R19 | 5 | RL | Single bolt |
| R20 | 15 | RC | Single bolt |
Exit[edit]
Two possible exits:
- The usual is to exit out the canyon on RR, walk to Kanangra Creek, and camp overnight.
After the last abseil, look for a substantial full size tree in the river bed. Scramble up RR through scrub about 10m to a cliff line. Contour around (don't go up further) on grassy, treed slopes to gain a ridge. Walk down the ridge to the confluence. Follow the GPX accurately, do not go over the ridge to Kanangra Creek as there are cliffs above Kanangra Creek. Now look for a campsite. Two are marked RR (Halfway between Carrabeanga Creek and Cyclops Gully; Opposite Cyclops Gully). There is also a (possibly better) campsite just after the Carrabeanga stream comes in RL at -33.93076, 150.14558. From the RL campsite there is direct access to the exit ridge (without wet feet in the morning).
Now exit up via the ridge to the south of Cyclops Gully as per the GPX, about 860m altitude gain. The path shown on OSM maps does not exist. The ridge is bushy at the bottom, then becomes a clear rocky ridge. At the top angle left to the saddle to bypass Mt Cyclops (unless you want to go up). Follow the ridge tops back to your water drop; occasional vague path.
Note that as of 2025 the route on the east side of Kanangra Creek up Mt Berry is far more bushy than the above west side route.
- RR as per GPX. Ridge is steep and occasional 1-2m scramble, overall good going. Return to entry path.
Red tape[edit]
Beta sites[edit]
The below track notes are an excerpt from Canyons Near Sydney 5th edition guidebook by Rick Jamieson which is no longer in print. It is important to note that the Canyons Near Sydney track notes refer to the "classic" route through the canyon that relies heavily on tree based anchors. It is not the same as the route the main ropeiwki track notes refer to. Anyone aiming to replicate this classic route will need to bring enough webbing and maillons to replace 17+ sling based anchors.
Grade: 6 (very difficult). Time: 2 days. No swims. About 17 abseils depending on where you go. 2 x 55 m ropes needed. This trip is an epic, due to its remoteness, problems of loose rocks, and the exposure of some abseils. Consequently it should not be undertaken lightly. An early start is needed to get down the steep bit before camping.
Also, a smallish party is needed, and it is best done in summer when the days are longer. Leave a car at Kanangra Walls. Drive back past Boyd River and then after another 3 km turn right towards Mt. Thurat. Walk to Mt. Thurat and then another 2 km along the ridge (map-reading carefully) then down into the headwaters of Carra Beanga Creek.
There are several possible routes down the abseils. Experience and judgement are needed to find a suitable route. Some ledges are exposed. Slings should be taken to replace any that are not in good order. Some prussiking ability is required in case a rope gets stuck. (It is possible to chicken out of the main drop by skirting around to the left.) The gorge below the main falls also has some abseils. Walk up Kanangra Creek to the junction of the gully that comes down from Gabes Gap, thence up Mt. Berry and follow the track to Kanangra.
Trip reports and media[edit]
Note that the below reports and movie predate the rebolting of the canyon in 2025 and are no longer a source of route information, or current conditions. In particular, the waterfall is now bolted in the flow, and there is no longer the need to bypass the falls through the bush and with tree abseils.
Read this report from a summer 23/24 descent.
This report from 2017 characterises the trip.
YouTube.com : Richard Pattison, Carra Beanga Brook movie, 2011.
Read this report on the deaths in Carrabeanga. The current route down the falls eliminates the possible natural hazards that could have lead to this incident.
Background[edit]
David Noble says: named by Myles Dunphy. First descended by Rona Butler and Aart Vervoon, 1963/4 (KBC Walks Secretary report - 1964)