Wayper Canyon
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| | Raps:12-13, max ↨98ft
Red Tape: Shuttle:Optional 40 min | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Condition Reports: | 10 Apr 2025
"Orara gauge at 400 ML/Day.. Creek walking section quite slow in these conditions.. Walked / downed climbed (easy) to avoid R5. Siphon would h |
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| Best season: | Oct-Apr (avg for this region)
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-30.2570, 152.9157
-30.2747, 152.9180
-30.2609, 152.9557
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Weather forecast
Waterflow
Introduction[edit]
Water levels[edit]
River Gauge ML/day: Orara @ Orange Grove 204068 - WaterNSW WaterInsights
400 ML/d : A4 (current in slots), walkaround P8
We encourage anyone doing Wayper to report river gauge data so more guidance can be formed.
Note: The catchment for Orara @ Orange Grove 204068 river gauge is approximately 126 square kilometres according to Water NSW. The catchment for Wayper Canyon is approximately 9 square kilometres. As a result it is possible for Orara @ Orange Grove river gauge to not accurately represent the conditions in Wayper. The Orara @ Orange Grove river gauge is located at -30.25779, 153.01140, approximately 12km downstream of the start of Wayper Canyon start.
Approach[edit]
- Park the top car at intersection of Corfes Road and Range Road (where there is a gate blocking access to the rest of Corfes Road).
- It is possible to do a car shuffle. Note that this includes walking across private land. Please respect this privilege. To drive to the end point requires driving Pine Road, which has huge water bars and requires high clearance vehicles. Note that two other roads shown on the NSW topo in the National Park, Wayper Creek Road (National Park section) and Jersey Bull Road are impassable. Drive to the gates at -30.2609, 152.9557 (marked on Google Maps as "Christ in You Fellowship"), leaving the bottom car outside the gates.
- Walking entry: Walk past gate along Corfes Road fire trail. Take left-hand turn down an unnamed firetrail and then left again (these trails are shown on Open Street Map apps but not the NSW Government topos).
- Follow the trail past the abandoned tent camp at -30.2590, 152.9174. The fire trail becomes a disused timber-getters track that can be followed down to a side tributary of the creek at -30.2570, 152.9157. Don canyon gear here and creek-walk to P1.
- There are three (or four) longish creek walks which add up to a long day. It is possible to avoid the first by going down a broad ridge direct to P1 (-30.25661, 152.92081) from the abandoned campsite, suit up on a nice beach above the jump. Stay on the ridge to arrive above P1, don't drop into the gully which cliffs out below P1
Descent[edit]
- Single bolts all the way, or slings
- creekwalking & swimming
- P1 - 8m - RL. Good jump
- P2 - 20m - RL. Bolt would not really be accessible in high flow as you have to walk down through the flow to get to it (in which case climb up into trees and abseil onto bolt)
- P3 - 30m - RR on rocks, slightly hidden behind small rock outcrop
- P4 - 6m - RL
- creekwalking & swimming
- P5 - 25m - RL on rocks. Beware of rope pinch on the pull-down, thread correctly.
- P6 - 20m - RR on wall - descend down to just below the falls
- P7 - 5m - RR on wall - immediately after R4. Can do a technical jump out right, better to abseil down a bit and then jump because it’s difficult to get a good angle
- P8 - 20m - RL high-up - have to scramble up to top of rock to get to anchor. Siphon in the pool at the bottom in high flow. Abseil is pretty slotty - would be pretty munchy in high-flow - however you can just walk around the abseil on CR - but that’s not very fun. Rope can get stuck in logs and rocks at the bottom of the abseil on the pull-down - we had to climb up to free the rope - so be careful
- creekwalking
- P9 - 25m - creek centre sling around big log. Watch sharp edge - should bleed the rope
- P10 - 5m - immediately after previous abseil. Technical jump, beware depth. (9 Apr 2023: No permanent anchor here. If necessary extend the rope from previous abseil, check the pool, then rest of party can jump. Do not attempt to combine the rope pull for the two abseils.)
- P11 - 25m - Two anchors: Tree RR, or lower down RR on big boulder (have to lean out to get to bolt - protect first person.) For boulder anchor abseil down through hole and out into pool (fun). Last person should go from tree anchor, as rope pull from boulder anchor will get stuck in the roof).
- P12 -20m-RR. Could be a bit spicy in high flow
- P13 - 15m - creek left-ish on rock in the middle
Exit[edit]
There are two possible return-walk-to-start exits:
- Ascend an obvious rocky gully river right just after the last abseil. Climb a short way up this and then either side up very steep slopes to get onto a ridge, contour to the end of a logging track.
- Creek walk downstream until it is possible to exit river right then walk up onto the ridge. (Note: As of 8 Apr 2023 no known exits this way)
Note that following Wayper Creek Road from the bottom involves extensive crossing of private property, and the road is near-impenetrably overgrown. (Note: As of 8 Apr 2023 no known exits this way)
The fire trail marked on the map that is used for the gully exit is accurate. It doesn’t go any further (bad luck!).
Car shuffle exit: Walk down the creek (easy going, less than 1km) until buildings can be seen river right. Climb the stream bank into the lawned area. Please be respectful to the land owners, this is private property. Walk along the road to the gates. Contact friendly landowner to park on lawned area
Red tape[edit]
Private property on exit
Beta sites[edit]
Trip reports and media[edit]
YouTube.com : Craving Karst, Wayper Canyon, May 2023