Skeleton Gorge
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| | Raps:16-25, max ↨180ft
Red Tape: Shuttle:Required 120 min Vehicle:Passenger Rock type:Granite | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Condition Reports: | 30 Mar 2024
"Couple of "ghost" abseils at the start. One of the bolts on R24 mid drop was coming out. Walk in was better than Descent Leger but still a fair few br |
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| Best season: | Dec-Mar
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-36.7565, 146.8293
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Introduction[edit]
Think Big!
This has immense exposure, infinity pools and an immense wow factor - and there is even phone reception to livestream to your insta followers.
There is one hanging abseil and one swim across a rockpool halfway down a 50m abseil.
Approach[edit]
Park at La Souf plateau carpark. The approach is unmarked and through rough terrain. Walk to the plateau, don't climb the surrounding summits. Instead walk to the outlet steam and use that to get through the granite tors. When it steepens, contour north to the open washout gully and follow that to the ENE down to Skeleton Gully.
Descent[edit]
Take 3x 60m of rope (to having everybody in the group at the hanging anchor at the 30m+60m double-pitch)
Abseil into skeleton gully and follow the stream down, past multiple downclimbs and abseils.
A side stream enters (little buffalo creek) and 200m later the second gorge is reached. this short gorge only has two abseils.
Another short walk and the massive Howells Gorge begins. Just above the first 50m abseil (where the gorge drops away into nothing) there is a rock bivy with room for about 2-3 people on the right.
There are two significant drops at Howells falls. 1. Approach via a 10m abseil on the right, with a short traverse and an anchor tucked around the right cliff edge. This is the abseil with a mid-waterfall pothole that needs to be swum across. (small 6m abseil between the two) 2. Double pitch waterfall with a semihanging anchor. The first pitch is a smidge longer than 25m, and the second is 55m. The last 40m are right in the waterfall.
Exit[edit]
Walk along the riverbanks until a small 4wd track is reached. Follow this track north until you can cross the buckland river and walk to the car. There a lot of freehold properties beside the track. Please avoid trespassing and scaring livestock.
Red tape[edit]
Don't go through private property. Look up the crown land and roads and stick to them.
Beta sites[edit]
Skeleton and Howells v5a4III** is described in comprehensive detail in Canyoning Around Victoria guidebook
