Serendipity Canyon, Blue Mountains, NSW
A relatively short canyon, with a limited walk in and out and relatively easy navigation. However, the abseils are often tricky and not suitable for beginners.
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| Serendipity Canyon, Blue Mountains, NSW |
Yesterday I had the pleasure of doing this canyon again. It had been quite a few years since I'd done it, and the water levels were quite different last time, so much of it felt completely different - like a whole new canyon!
Relatively easy, and one of the popular Wollangambe canyons, Serendipity starts and finishes near the fire station at Mt Wilson. Even with a group of 8 this time (yes, too big a group - canyon groups as a rule should be no more than 6), and a few relative novices in the sport of canyoning, we were back at the car five hours later, despite a long and luxurious lunch stop at a cracking great waterhole at the end of the canyon, and having an age range in our group of 14 to over 60. A smaller, more experienced group would usually do it much quicker, however you may find other groups in there which will slow your progress.
I think its alternate name, "Why don't we do it in the road", is because the walk in is comparatively short and easy.
The start
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| Abseiling in off the overhang start |
You can park at the fire station, or at the campground a couple of kilometres further up the road, but this time we parked about 200m past the fire station (room for a couple of cars), which saved a bit of walking. You can walk straight down the fire trail here, turn right at the intersection, and then after a while turn left at the distinct exit track for Wollangambe one. Veer right after a while at the termite mound, and then right again to get to the start of the canyon.
The start of the canyon has two optional abseils from a tree across the creek. My recommendation is NOT to do these abseils, unless you really want the extra experience for less-experienced abseilers in your group. The two abseils are time-consuming, unnecessary and don't really add anything.
Instead, I'd recommend not crossing the creek, but taking the winding track down to the start of the next abseil.
There are two possible abseil points here - one slightly easier one down the slope (the first you come to) or about 10m further on is an overhang abseil.
The middle
From here there is a fair bit of walking, wading, and pleasant creek walking through ferns and bracken until you get to the next abseil. This is where the canyon proper begins.
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| The start of the canyon proper. A slightly awkward beginning to the abseil. |
This abseil has an awkward start and half way down may involve a bit of a swing. Helmets are recommended. But it's a beautiful slot, with the usual polished stone and other sculpted features.
There's a bit of a swim and a few scrambles then to the next abseils.
The second-last abseil is also quite tricky, with a nasty little slot that makes the start inconvenient, and again a slippery overhang that can be quite challenging to get everyone down without injury. We found it helpful to have an experienced canyoner at the top talking beginners down it.
The end
Unlike some canyons, it's quite obvious when you get to the end of Serendipity, making navigation relatively easy. You'll reach the Wollangambe River. You can either go all the way down to the river, or about 60m before it, head high along a ledge to the left. This small ledge may involve a bit of crawling along, which is quite inconvenient if you have a large pack, and a slip off the edge wouldn't be pretty. But it's an extra fun element that you don't get if you go right down to the river.
Either way, a couple of hundred metres to the left you'll see the exit track going up a steep ravine. Just below it, on the river, is a gorgeous flat-rock area, with an even better deep waterhole below it, perfect for jumping into and being refreshed before the walk out.
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| The end of Serendipity, with a jump rock off the lunch ledge. |
An alternative (which I haven't done) if you want a much longer day out, is to take the Wollangambe River to the right, and complete all of Wollangambe 2 canyon. A flotation device is recommended for this.
