Firefly Canyon
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| | Difficulty:3B (v2a2) Raps:
Red Tape: Shuttle: Rock type:Sandstone | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Best season: | Oct-Apr (avg for this region)
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-33.1795, 150.2764
-33.1776, 150.2362
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Introduction[edit]
From TDMSKP 2008: Firefly Canyon is accessed from the Wolgan Valley near Newnes. Drive just past the Historic Hotel at Newnes and cross the Wolgan River at a ford then continue heading north then east along the road until you reach the Industrial Ruins car park. Walk the 2+ km past the industrial ruins until you reach a gully which breaks the cliff line at two points. Follow the left fork of the gully until you reach the very top cliff line, go to the right a short distance and climb up through a narrow chimney section. Once at the very top of the ridge, continue straight over the other side over the ridge, then down another gully in a South-Easterly direction which takes you to the main creek heading North-East. Follow this creek to the canyon which has some rock scrambles, 5 abseils of up to 15m and a couple of extra abseils which can be avoided if you want by walking around them.
The canyon ends at a large open waterfall (~30m?) which is an optional abseil, where a short track drops down the true left hand side of the canyon. The track is indistinct most of the way, but simply follow the hill straight down to the Wolgan River Trail and then head back to the car park.
Approach[edit]
From TDMSKP 2008: From the car park, walk for more than 2km past the industrial ruins. You pass the Coke Ovens, then walk above the rest of the ruins (keep to the right at all forks, staying up the ridge). The road eventually reaches a gully (GR447259 Second Edition Mount Morgan map) which clearly breaks the cliff line up above you - a very short distance past this gully is an entry to the old Oil Slate Mine. Head up the gully, keeping to the left of it the whole time. You need to follow the left fork up to the top of the gully - about half way up you reach the first cliff line (which makes you feel like you are almost there - you aren't) where you have to start doing some reasonable boulder-rock climbing. This continues on for most of the rest of the way, and you need to keep looking for new routes through the twisting cliffs and boulders.
Once you reach the very top of the gully you will find yourself at a very solid looking cliff line. Walk to the right of the gully where you will find some large boulders up against the cliff that do not look at all promising. Climb up them, around them and across the narrow bit to a narrow crack between the cliff and large slab of stone. Climb up this crack (a stick and a couple of chock stones makes this much easier than straight chimney climbing it) - not sure if large people will be able to fit in this crack, average sized people scrape front and back while shimmying through it. Of course, once one person is up, it might be possible to rig a top belay and rock climb up around the crack for those who can't use the crack.
Once atop the narrow crack you then have to jump across the crack up a small wall onto a pagoda rock section, which you then have to continue climbing up, eventually reaching the top of the ridge where there is a small cairn (around GR250450).
From the top of the ridge, it is 'simply' a matter of finding a way down the gully immediately on the other side of the ridge. The gully heads in a South-Easterly direction and is a network of small water runs where your job is to find the easiest one to climb down. A hand line comes in very handy here as there are numerous small drops which would just be safer with a short rope to help out. The whole section down to the Firefly creek can be done without abseiling, but don't exclude the option if you find yourself at the top of a steep cliff and can't find a way down.
The gully eventually meets up with the main creek (GR452247) heading in a North-East direction. Follow the main creek North East for quite a long time through a scrubby section and over several boulder strewn sections before reaching the main canyon at the first abseil.
Descent[edit]
From TDMSKP 2008: The first abseil (~5m) shortly follows a rough boulder section with large logs which are handy to assist in the climb down through the boulders. The first abseil is from some tapes and ropes around a rock in the stream - this could be hard to see in high water - and ends in a small pool. The second abseil (~6m) shortly follows and is from some tapes around a small tree on the left side of the canyon. The third abseil (~9m) is from some long tapes and ropes wrapped around a large boulder just before a deep round pool which is in front of the abseil. The fourth abseil (~5m) is from tapes around a small tree into a small pool. Shortly after this you need to climb up to the right and walk along a ledge to the end where a large tree with tapes around it is the anchor for the fifth abseil (~10m). This abseil is over an overhang and down to solid ground.
A short rock scramble later and you will find another large tree with tapes around it at the top of a large (25-30m(?)) waterfall. This abseil is entirely optional, and a track can be easily found leading off to the left past the tree, then down the left side of the gully . This waterfall is the end of the main canyon.
Exit[edit]
From TDMSKP 2008: Removing wetsuits is best done above the large waterfall, and exit from the canyon can be done fastest by simply walking down the track that exits true left from the top of the large waterfall and following the left hand side of the gully down to the Wolgan River Track (even though the path is easily lost as you descend). Abseiling over the large waterfall is possible, and staying inside the gully requires even more abseils as you continue to descend within it.
Once at the Wolgan River Track (around GR464263), turn left (head west) and head back past the Industrial Ruins, than back to the car park.
Red tape[edit]
The canyon is in Wollemi National Park, you can view alerts here: https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/visit-a-park/parks/wollemi-national-park/local-alerts
Beta sites[edit]
OzUltimate.com : Firefly Canyon
Trip reports and media[edit]
- Adventure.org.au : Firefly Canyon, a poem by Alan Ellis, 2000
- OzUltimate.com : 31/12/2009 photos
- OzUltimate.com : 05/04/2014 photos
Background[edit]
David Noble says: visited by a SUBW/Springwood B.C. party (Tom Williams, Lyall Closs, Dave Noble and others) late in 1979. They camped upstream of the canyon and noticed many fireflies in the area. Photos of that descent can be seen here: https://www.david-noble.net/canyoning/wolgan/wolgancanyons2.html
David Noble says: However, that was not the first visit. Clearly, residents/workers of Newnes during the shale mine visited too. David Noble says "what about the old spikes and ladders going up into the creek from below?"
