Conditions:Bungonia Main-20241122101226

Latest:	3 Nov 2024 (7 mos ago)

Reported by:	Endless Summer Photography (1 reports)
Quality:	Good
Waterflow:	Deep pools
Wetsuit:	Thin wetsuit
Water temperature:	19C deg C
Difficulty:	Normal
Time: ":30" is not declared as a valid unit of measurement for this property.	8 hours

Team: 2 people with experience level Intermediate

Trip report URL:

Comments: Will and I hadn’t been canyoning for almost twelve months, and we wanted to get back into the swing of things. We decided to do Bungonia Main again since we were both familiar with the canyon, and this trip would serve as a shakeout. An additional benefit was the canyon's location, which was convenient for both of us, with Will coming from Canberra and me from Sydney.

We arrived at Bungonia National Park early in the morning, greeted by a large sign informing us that the park would close at 3 PM. At the ranger station, where the sign-in book was located, a ranger approached me and informed me that the park was closed due to aerial shooting for vermin control. I assured him that I should be out by 3 o’clock, as I was doing Bungonia’s Main Canyon. I asked for his thoughts on finishing by that time, but he responded that I had no idea about the canyoning in Bungonia and left me to continue. It’s important to note that while park rangers may be working in the area, they may not be able to assist you if you get stuck in the canyon, as this falls outside the scope of their responsibilities.

Since Will and I were driving in separate cars, we decided to meet up and park one car at the exit, which would allow us to shuttle to the start. This saved us some time at the end of the day. Keep in mind that phone reception in the area is limited and patchy, so having a detailed plan of timings and locations is essential before exiting the highway. Two-way radios can be very helpful for communication throughout the park.

We were prepared with two 9mm, 100m ropes—one as our primary rope and the other as a backup. Instead of walking down the river as we usually did, we opted to take the shortcut track. The approach was easy to find using the GPX file from Rope Wiki and advice from Nam, who had firsthand knowledge of the track. While checking the first anchor, I noticed that the left-hand bolt had a loose nut. This was a good reminder to carry the right tools to fix anchors instead of relying on others.

During the first descent, we encountered many loose rocks, particularly one at the top that could easily dislodge. After kicking it slightly, it fell from the cliff and could have caused serious injury if someone had been below. It was the size of a football and tumbled all the way down to the river. This descent contained several rocky areas, which made it the most concerning for falling objects.

We wore wetsuits, and upon hitting the water, it felt chilly enough to necessitate them. This was in contrast to our previous visit in December two years ago when we merely wore clothes and dried off quickly. Will and I both wore 2 to 3mm wetsuits, with the water temperature hovering around 19 degrees.

At the second descent, we approached the right side of the waterfall and made our way down without any issues. However, while trying to retrieve a rope, we encountered our first difficulty; the rope was stuck and challenging to dislodge. After some time and experimenting with different pulling techniques, we finally retrieved the rope. This served as another reminder to always have a backup system in case of loss or damage.

The rest of the canyon went smoothly, with enough water to allow for some small jumps into the river instead of rappelling. A noticeable difference was the lack of water at the bottom of the canyon where, during our last visit, the creek was flowing. This time, there was little water available to collect before starting the walk out.

The walk out was exhausting. We left the last rappel at 12:40 and returned to the car at 3:30 PM. The heat intensified, with a dry wind pushing temperatures to around 30 degrees, forcing me to stop three times for short breaks just to gather enough energy to finish the day.

Overall, it was a great day with no major issues—a perfect way to test our endurance before the start of a big canyoning season.

All condition reports

Date	Quality	Waterflow	Wetsuit	Difficulty	Time	Team	Reported by
3 Nov 2024	Good	Deep pools	Thin wetsuit	Normal	8 hours	2 people Intermediate	Endless Summer Photography (1 reports)
Comment: Will and I hadn’t been canyoning for almost twelve months, and we wanted to get back into the swing of things. We decided to do Bungonia Main again since we were both familiar with the canyon, and this trip would serve as a shakeout. An additional benefit was the canyon's location, which was convenient for both of us, with Will coming from Canberra and me from Sydney. We arrived at Bungonia National Park early in the morning, greeted by a large sign informing us that the park would close at 3 PM. At the ranger station, where the sign-in book was located, a ranger approached me and informed me that the park was closed due to aerial shooting for vermin control. I assured him that I should be out by 3 o’clock, as I was doing Bungonia’s Main Canyon. I asked for his thoughts on finishing by that time, but he responded that I had no idea about the canyoning in Bungonia and left me to continue. It’s important to note that while park rangers may be working in the area, they may not be able to assist you if you get stuck in the canyon, as this falls outside the scope of their responsibilities. Since Will and I were driving in separate cars, we decided to meet up and park one car at the exit, which would allow us to shuttle to the start. This saved us some time at the end of the day. Keep in mind that phone reception in the area is limited and patchy, so having a detailed plan of timings and locations is essential before exiting the highway. Two-way radios can be very helpful for communication throughout the park. We were prepared with two 9mm, 100m ropes—one as our primary rope and the other as a backup. Instead of walking down the river as we usually did, we opted to take the shortcut track. The approach was easy to find using the GPX file from Rope Wiki and advice from Nam, who had firsthand knowledge of the track. While checking the first anchor, I noticed that the left-hand bolt had a loose nut. This was a good reminder to carry the right tools to fix anchors instead of relying on others. During the first descent, we encountered many loose rocks, particularly one at the top that could easily dislodge. After kicking it slightly, it fell from the cliff and could have caused serious injury if someone had been below. It was the size of a football and tumbled all the way down to the river. This descent contained several rocky areas, which made it the most concerning for falling objects. We wore wetsuits, and upon hitting the water, it felt chilly enough to necessitate them. This was in contrast to our previous visit in December two years ago when we merely wore clothes and dried off quickly. Will and I both wore 2 to 3mm wetsuits, with the water temperature hovering around 19 degrees. At the second descent, we approached the right side of the waterfall and made our way down without any issues. However, while trying to retrieve a rope, we encountered our first difficulty; the rope was stuck and challenging to dislodge. After some time and experimenting with different pulling techniques, we finally retrieved the rope. This served as another reminder to always have a backup system in case of loss or damage. The rest of the canyon went smoothly, with enough water to allow for some small jumps into the river instead of rappelling. A noticeable difference was the lack of water at the bottom of the canyon where, during our last visit, the creek was flowing. This time, there was little water available to collect before starting the walk out. The walk out was exhausting. We left the last rappel at 12:40 and returned to the car at 3:30 PM. The heat intensified, with a dry wind pushing temperatures to around 30 degrees, forcing me to stop three times for short breaks just to gather enough energy to finish the day. Overall, it was a great day with no major issues—a perfect way to test our endurance before the start of a big canyoning season.