Empress Canyon

Empress Canyon

A great fun, short canyon, not far from Sydney

Empress Canyon

Whenever I pop up to the Blue Mountains for a morning or a day, so many Sydneysiders I chat to seem surprised. "All that way just for a morning?" I don't know where that perception of huge distance has come from. The freeway is quick and easy outside peak hours, and I can get to this canyon in Wentworth Falls, from my house in the centre of Sydney, in less than 1.5 hours. Heck people, this is a World Heritage Area right on our doorstep.
Empress Canyon is one of the most popular canyons for commercial groups. It is short, easily accessible, lots of fun, relatively easy and safe, and finishes with a cracker of an abseil: 30m down a gorgeous waterfall (Empress Falls) into a deep pool at the bottom. What's better (for commercial groups anyway) is that there is nearly always an audience on the walking track beside the waterfall, providing a great promotional opportunity.
As anyone who has my book Top Walks in NSW knows, one of the walks I will recommend to almost anyone new to the area is the gorgeous National Pass walk, which comes down Wentworth Falls, half way along the cliffline underneath a series of waterfalls, then up Valley of the Waters past Empress Falls. If some of your party isn't into abseiling down waterfalls, I recommend you go and do this walk, and then wait for them down the bottom of Empress Falls.

Upper and lower section

Steep track to the upper section of Empress Canyon

For some reason, this canyon is usually described without the "upper section". Yet it's such a short canyon I think you'd be crazy not to do the upper section as well – partly because it adds a really fun 4m jump into a sandy pool.
From the Conservation Hut (Fletcher St, Wentworth Falls) car park (toilets and cafe), take the Nature Track from near the toilets for 20–30 minutes. Just keep following signs to Edinburgh Castle Rock. It provides a nice view. Keep following the track for another 4 minutes down underneath Castle Rock, and you'll see a definite secondary track heading off to the right, steeply downhill. At the moment it is marked with a pole marker saying "8". This steep track is quite slippery and sloshy as you head down through a hanging swamp. Stick to the track despite the mud to reduce impact on the swamp.

Canyon

When you reach the creek, turn left and wade and splash your way along for 15 minutes or so, taking care on the slippery rocks. Keep your eyes out for yabbies, big and small. They're not dangerous, although the big ones will take a nasty nip at you if you try to pick them up for a photo or a closer look.
When you get to a climb down (small rope currently attached), put on wetsuits. (A large party may have to backtrack a little to find enough room to do the wetsuit wriggle.) Don't jump this first drop, but you can lower yourself most of the way with the rope and then slide in carefully.
The canyon then has a mix of small pools, walks, and gentle drops. Be careful on nearly every drop, as you would be unwise to jump most of them the full height, because of underlying rocks and logs. All too soon you'll get to the lovely 4m jump into a sandy pool. You can slide it, but it's a great fun jump.
Immediately after you'll hit the track again, but keep following the creek along to the sign-in register (with a tiny diversion to check out a lovely waterfall coming in from the left). This is the "lower" section. It is quite similar, with climb-downs, slides, walks, wades and short swims. If water levels are suitable, one lovely bit involves climbing through a hole through which the water is pouring. There are some dark sections, although none completely light-free. After a large chamber with log jams, you'll slide down into a pool that is just before the final abseil. If you know there are large numbers of people ahead in two groups or more, you may be wise to just wait a little.

Abseil

Top of the 30m abseil

Thankfully (because of the possible build up of people), there are two very secure abseil chains. A 60m rope will reach the water with about 2m to spare, so don't try a single 50m. You will probably have to take whichever of the abseil chains is available, but the right abseil is the most fun (directly under the power of the water) if your group is experienced. Water pounds on your noggin, and the sunshine after the canyon makes the water droplets sparkle as they fly around you. The start has a tricky overhang, so just lean right out, letting out rope.
After the abseil, the pool at the bottom is deep enough to encourage you to climb up on the side up to about 6m or so and jump in a few times. Great fun.
Walking out is short and steep: straight up the populated track, following the signs to Conservation Hut.

Jump in at the bottom of Empress Falls

Tips

Do the upper and lower section.
Wear wetsuits: you'll be more comfortable
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