Kelly’s Birthday Weekend - 2023 | Blue Mountains | Canyoning
Intro
Due to only creating this website and blog recently, we have gone on a few adventures that we would like to re-visit and share on the blog. With Kelly’s birthday weekend coming up, I thought it would be a good idea to re-visit and share her birthday weekend from last year (2023).
Katoomba | Leura
After work on a Friday afternoon, Kelly and I headed to Katoomba. She had booked an AirBNB at Leura. The driveway was a little hard to find due to some trees, plants and bushes that lined the fences. But once we found it, we drive along a short pebbly driveway up to a two story garage. It was completely separate from the main house. We walked in and the ground floor had a table tennis setup along with some board games. There were battery powered candles that lit up the stair case to the first floor. The first floor consisted of a big queen bed and an ensuite. There was a cute window bed that overlooked the big green backyard. It was so quiet and serene. It was bird themed and they had a sign ‘The Birdhouse’ at the front of the accommodation. We didn’t have long to get acquainted as I had booked a special birthday dinner for her. However, due to being so close to the Three Sisters, we headed there first to take some pictures
The Carrington Hotel
“Australia’s oldest remaining resort-style hotel, the heritage listed Carrington hotel celebrates a bygone era”. This amazing picturesque, rustic hotel looks stunning both inside and out. The only downside was very limited parking in front of the hotel, so you have to find street parking on the main street and walk up the driveway. Once we entered it was like stepping back in time to see the old columns, furnishings and finishes that give it an arcadian, back-country look and feel. We ate at the Grand Dining Room and there was pianist there to serenade the customers. We did dress up a little bit, although some of the older folk took a more casual approach. We don’t quite remember the dinner or the desert, but we do remember it being pretty good and not overly expensive. It was a good experience and would recommend it for a meal, you just have to be willing to spends some money.
Canyoning | High & Wild
I have done a few canyoning trips with High and Wild and loved them. I can’t remember how or why, but somehow Kelly liked my suggestion of going canyoning for her birthday. The most popular adventure is the Empress Canyon. I hadn’t done that one before so we chose that. Their office is located in the YHA hostel in Katoomba. We had to be there before 8. Because Because we weren’t staying at the YHA, we don’t have access cards to get in. From what I remember there is a doorbell you can ring to be let in. The front door is glass so people can see you waiting outside too. The High & Wild crew are aware of this and they periodically check the front door and let people in. Once inside, we were met with our guides. One of the guide’s name was Zoltan. All my previous canyoning adventures have been with him. Of course with the amount of people he meets he didn’t quite remember me, but he did say I looked familiar! As others who were joining us arrived, we filled out forms and introduced ourselves. We then went to get our gear. They provided socks (which was a first for me) a backpack, harness, helmet and wetsuit. Putting on a wetsuit is never easy, but it is entertaining to see everyone struggle. We didn’t stay in our wetsuits, we just made sure that it fit. We then put everything in our backpacks and climbed into the van.
Abseiling
The first half of the day is basically an introduction/familiarisation to abseiling. They went through all the safety and basics of it. Also something to note, some people also book just a half day of abseiling and are a part of our group for the abseiling part of the day. Even if you have abseiled before it is good to get a feel for it again. They start off with a very short abseil, something like a few metres. Then they get longer and longer with the last one about 30m. After this we head off in the van again to the start of the Empress canyon.
But first, lunch. When booking the adventure, they will give provide a menu to choose your sandwich. There are quite a few options to choose from including a few vegetarian options too. The sandwiches are very good. A few people also save one half for later as they do find it a bit big. During this break it’s a good time to go to the toilet and fill up your water bottle as you’ll spend the rest of the day in the canyon.
Canyoning
From the carpark you do have to walk down into the canyon. There are a few stairs and you do walk for a bit. We got to the bottom and there was a creek. We found a dry area to change into our wetsuits and put on our harness and helmets. The guides give a bit of information and the tip about stepping on rocks is very important! Due to the water and moss, some rocks can be VERY slippery. So you have to be careful choosing where to tread. Some times it can be unavoidable but as long as you’re aware, you can prepare for it.
We got our feet wet straight away walking into the creek. The water is quite cold despite it being November and hot outside. The scenery is amazing, a very lush green surrounds you with high trees towering over you while the sun manages to find it’s way through the canopy and shine on the water providing a glistening over the surface.
Then we reached our first jump into the water. Our guides gave us the choice on how to jump in. They did manager to persuade a few people to jump in backwards. The water was very cold once you were in. Definitely wakes you up and makes you alert which is good for what’s to come. As we journeyed through the canyon we came across some other jumps where we had to use the guides as a sort of leaning block to stand up straight to be able to jump in. It is a bit hard to explain but the video should clarify what I mean.
After wading through water, climbing over branches and rocks and sliding down slippery rocks, we got to the top of Empress Canyon. There was another tour company there with people abseiling down already. There was enough space and the guides do know, talk and co-ordinate with each other so they were able to setup. There was a bit of a wait at this part. Only 2 people can go down at a time in staggered intervals. And only when they reach the bottom can the next person go. Because it is a high 30m abseil it does take a bit of time and for the people who are new to abseiling, they can also be a bit slower than others. Because we had just slid down some rocks into the water we were wet and even with the wetsuit on, we were getting a bit cold waiting there for our turn.
Finally it was my turn to go and Kelly would be going down after me. It was a bit slippery, being a waterfall and all. I was told to go towards the right away from the water then after a certain part, I’d go back into the middle. This part is where you are under the waterfall trying to abseil. I had done this before so I knew what to expect knew not to look up just to have a waterfall splashing down on your face. I got to the bottom and Kelly wasn’t too far behind. Once she reached the bottom we both got out of the water and got changed back into our normal clothes. There were still a few people coming down including the guides so we were able to watch them from the ground. You can access that area from a trail so there were quite a few people there watching.
Once everyone had changed we had to make our way back to the car park. The hike back up is a bit steep. The guides do ask for volunteers to carry rope up as they have to carry other gear plus rope themselves. There was a girl who volunteered for the first bit. But I offered to take the rope from her a bit after. Due to the steepness of the climb up, I needed to go my own pace which meant leaving Kelly behind. She didn’t mind though. So yes, a warning that the climb back up can be a bit challenging. I found it a bit hard especially having to carry rope as well. Once everyone made it back to the car park we jumped in the van and headed back to the office. Once there we washed our wetsuits, handed back our gear, thanked the guides and headed back to the accommodation for a much needed shower and rest.
Cahill’s Lookout
After a shower and a bit of rest, we headed to Cahill’s lookout to watch the sunset before dinner. There is parking there but a bit limited. It wasn’t full though which was good. It’s a short walk to the lookout from the car park. It was quiet once we got to the lookout. So quiet, I had time to setup my tripod and get a few photos. There were more people who found a way down to some rocks where they had setup to watch the sunset.
Minehaha Falls
We still had some of Sunday to do a bit of exploring. Kelly had suggested Minehaha Falls. I hadn’t been there before so I was keen to see it. Since we checked out of our accommodation a bit later, we got to Minehaha late morning. This meant that the car park was full and we had to join people parking on the side of the road. It is a bit of a walk down to the falls. Nothing too strenuous, can probably even get away with wearing thongs if you’re game.
Once there, there are a few places to setup. Of course the earlier you are the better pick of the places. It’s a really nice spot. There were a few people around but it didn’t feel crowded. We dropped our stuff and headed into the water. It was freezing. We were brave enough to get in and swim a bit. But we didn’t stay in too long. Some kids found a way up to the top of a cliff and were jumping in. It seems pretty safe as the cliff overhangs so you don’t have to do a big jump to clear any rocks at the bottom. But of course, I’d make sure of the depth first as you never know. Be very careful with the rocks. When I was getting into the water, I was of course barefoot and slipped. Luckily it wasn’t bad. However when we were packed up and headed back to the car we did see a girl who had slipped and had blood coming down from her knee. She was looked after.
Conclusion
It was a great weekend! A lot of fun, the weather was great, a bit hot but the scenery and the whole adventures was amazing. Would definitely recommend High and Wild for your canyoning adventures. But as stated, be warned as even with other canyon’s I’ve done with them, the climb back up out of them can be a bit strenuous. Worth it though. It’s an experience you’ll remember for a lifetime.
Minehaha falls is also highly recommended even just for a short trip. The walk wasn’t too long or too hard. Better to go in the morning when it’s quieter but the water is usually freezing at that time. There’s still plenty of things to do and see around the Blue Mountains and we are more than excited to explore more of it.
