Urumbilum Canyon
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| | Raps:9, max ↨171ft
Red Tape: Shuttle:Optional 30 min Vehicle:Passenger | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Condition Reports: | 2 Jan 2025
"All anchors are in good condition. 3 snakes and platypus spotted on creek walk down to bottom car. |
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| Best season: | Oct-Apr (avg for this region)
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-30.3205, 152.9353
-30.2824, 152.9490
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Introduction
This is one of the more popular canyons in the area due to its beautiful scenery and challenging abseils. It is quite constricted and can be demanding in high water.
Water levels
River Gauge ML/day: Orara @ Orange Grove 204068 - WaterNSW WaterInsights
- <150 (174 m3/s) = a3, easy
- 150 to 300 (3.47 m3/s) = a4
- >300 = a4+, solid!
Note: The catchment for Orara @ Orange Grove 204068 river gauge is approximately 126 square kilometres according to Water NSW. The catchment above and along Urumbilum Canyon is approximately 5 square kilometres. As a result it is possible for Orara @ Orange Grove river gauge to not accurately represent the conditions in Urumbilum. The Orara @ Orange Grove river gauge is located at -30.25779, 153.01140, approximately 16km downstream of the start of Urumbilum Canyon start.
Approach
Optional car shuffle: from the intersection of Range Road and Pine Road, turn onto Pine Road and follow this all the way to the bottom. Pine Road has huge water bars and requires high clearance vehicles. Note that two other roads shown on the NSW topo in the National Park, Jersey Bull Road and Wayper Creek Road are impassable. Bottom car gets parked where Pine Road intersects with Jersey Bull Road - there is a nice grassy patch and a sign. Then drive back up Pine Road, onto Range Road and down Urumbilum Creek Road to where the ford is. This is where the top car goes.
Descent
Get changed into wetsuits at top car
| Rap | M | L/R | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Easy, flat creek walking until the drops begin | |||
| 12 | CL | Down climb followed by some more creek walking | |
| R0 | 20 | CL | XX (bolts). Or 5m handline CR then scramble down more on CR and do 5m jump into pool |
| R1 | 18 | CL. | Abseil down through flow onto rocks. |
| R2 | 52 | CR | Schlitz slot. Abseil down slot through flow. Watch for spillover in pool at the bottom - there is a shallow ledge in pool on CL. |
| R3 | 10 | CR | Log / strainer in pool. |
| CL | Immediately after R3, use ledges on CL to down climb into pool. | ||
| R4 | 25 | CL | Anchor is a bit back from the edge - bolts are on rock across pool from where waterfall begins. Pool at the bottom of drop is very deep - can do >10m jump from ledge on CL of waterfall - still need to abseil down to ledge though. |
| Creek walking section which includes multiple small jumps and a few downclimbs | |||
| R5 | 18 | CL | Anchor is high up near a small tree. If you’re at the small pool just before the waterfall drops off then you’ve gone too far down - look up. |
| R6 | 40 | CL. | XX Accessed using R5 - bolts are part way down waterfall on rock on CL. |
| Another creek walking section with more small jumps and down climbs | |||
| R7 | 25 | CL | log sling. Abseil through flow - pool at the bottom has eddy CR. |
| Immediately after R7 there is a log jam down climb into big pool after which there is R8. | |||
| R8/9, two options: R8a 15m and R9 30m; or R8b 50m | |||
| R8a | 15 | CR | XX |
| R9 | 30 | CR | XX Waterfall in R9 is pretty spicy and slotty - you should be comfortable abseiling in high flow to do this option. |
| R8b | 50 | CL | Sling around tree. Dry abseil into deep |
Exit
Walk-out with car shuffle: Creek walk along Urumbilum River. When you get to the intersection of Bangalore and Urumbilum rivers - do not try to down climb in the river (this section should be bolted) - instead bash through the bush on TR to get around vertical section. Then creek walk all the way down the river - watch out for snakes. You will eventually get to a picnic area (marked as a ford on the map) and then can follow Jersey Bull Road back to the bottom car.
One-car trip returning to top: After exiting the large, deep pool of the final abseil, the creekwalk turns sharply left before continuing straight for 100m. Exit on the ridgeline CL at a grove of palm trees, shortly before the creek makes a second left-hand turn. Walk directly uphill until meeting a snig track on top of the ridge. Follow this to the top of the hill (marked "475m" on the map), occasionally exiting the snig track to avoid dead trees or debris. From the top of the hill, follow the overgrown Bangalore Rd Firetrail for approximately 1.6km. Shortly after passing a massive tree blocking the path, the road takes a sharp right turn. Walk left up the embankment, skirting to the left side of a large smooth slab visible from the road. Follow the saddle uphill - several snig trails make passage easier. Locate the small, unmarked rocky creek flowing down the gully on the other side of the saddle, and follow this to where it crosses Urumbilum Creek Rd. Ensure you choose the correct direction - left or right - on Urumbilum Creek Rd to locate your parked car.
Another option is to go up the steep ridge at the junction of Bangalore and Urumbilum creeks.
Red tape
Beta sites
Trip reports and media
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YouTube.com : Craving Karst, Urumbilum Canyon, December 2022
