Fairy Bower Canyon
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| | Raps:11, max ↨115ft
Red Tape:No permit required Shuttle:Optional 5min Vehicle:Passenger Rock type:Sandstone | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Best season: | Spring to Autumn
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-34.6781, 150.3067
-34.6673, 150.2967
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Introduction[edit]
This is an infrequently visited canyon in the Bundanoon area. Like many canyons in southern NSW, it is relatively open abseiling down waterfalls. Unlike most canyons in southern NSW, Fairy Bower Canyon also has several short sections that are inescapable.
The canyon is normally fairly dry aside from one unavoidable swim at the base of the final pitch, so is a good option for colder seasons or higher flow conditions.
Note- it is strongly suggested that parties strongly consider ghosting P1 of this canyon; see Descent section for further comments.
Continued low levels of visitation are desired to limit the risk of NPWS enforcing closure of this canyon. To this end, limited information is given below. This should be sufficient for parties to visit the canyon. It is encouraged that any further updates here (or other publication of this canyon) keeps this minimal-information approach in mind, otherwise there is a high chance of permanent closure of this canyon.
Approach[edit]
Access off Bundanoon Loop Road, walking to the top of Fairy Bower Falls.
Descent[edit]
This is an undeveloped canyon, take tape and maillons, and be prepared to place all anchors. Slings noted on the topo are indicative of a place a sling could be placed, not presence of a built anchor, although some of them likely will have anchors. Most of the abseils are optional, and can be walked around with greater or lesser degrees of ease. But what would be the point of doing a canyon then?
The most significant warnings are:
- The top of P1 (Fairy Bower Falls) is extremely easy to access following completion of this canyon. Please remove the tape used to abseil P1 after completing the canyon, or otherwise ghost the pitch. It is also suggested that parties keep a small group size, and choose non-popular times of day to do this abseil. These recommendations are made to reduce obtrusiveness at P1, which is a potential friction point with other park users and NPWS.
- P2 likewise intersects with the walking track. It is recommended to abseil both P1 and P2 as a single drop from the P1 anchor (dry line tree TL or wetter line tree TR), or walk around P2 using the track, or walk around both drops if necessary.
- P7 anchor is on the far TR away from the flow, above a dry sandstone overhang.
- P10a on the topo lands in a pool that is not easily escapable, and requires a difficult roofsniff to continue downstream. Use of P10b instead is strongly recommended.
- P11 on the topo can have significant vertical flow in wet conditions. This can be mostly avoided abseiling with care on the TL of the flow, through the hole/slot directly under the anchor tree.
Exit[edit]
At the end of Fairy Bower Creek, cross Bundanoon Creek, bush-bash approximately 150 m downstream, and cross back to the TR of Bundanoon Creek. Exit up Tooths Walking Track to Bundanoon Loop Road.
Red tape[edit]
A park access fee ($8/vehicle/day) is required to drive into the Bundanoon NPWS precinct. To avoid this, either purchase a NSW NPWS Parks Pass (a Country Parks Pass is sufficient), or park outside of the park boundaries and walk in (or car shuffle).
Canyoning is regulated in Morton NP under the bucket of "Rock sports" in the 2001 Plan of Management. This states: "Rock climbing, abseiling, hang gliding and similar adventure activities are undertaken at a number of locations in both parks. They are appropriate uses if undertaken in a safe manner with minimal impact practices. Rock sports will not be permitted in high visitor use areas such as lookouts because of the potential risk for other visitors. Dangerous activities such as BASE jumping will not be permitted."
It is uncertain what local NSW NPWS management considers to be a "high visitor use area". It is possible that the entirety of the Morton NP Bundanoon Precinct would be classified as such, due to the requirement of a park access fee. It is also uncertain if the viewpoint at the top of Fairy Bower Falls is classified as a "lookout"; there is NPWS infrastructure present, but it is not described as a lookout in the Morton NP Plan of Management, the 1:25000 government topographic maps (which include many nearby lookouts), or the current NSW NPWS website (May 2024).
Therefore, it is cautiously suggested that this canyon be considered open to canyoners, with the caveat that canyoning parties should maintain a low profile to avoid the risk of causing NPWS to designate this canyon as off-limits. This has happened at many other Morton NP locations, so caution is very, very strongly recommended. If NPWS asks you to move on, please do so- consider skipping the Fairy Bower Falls abseil, and going directly to P3 on the topo.
Beta sites[edit]
Trip reports and media[edit]
Background[edit]
To available knowledge, the first party to treat this as a canyon descended it in 2022. There had clearly been previous visits to P11 on the topo, but it is unlikely these parties descended the upper sections of the canyon.