I was up on the Corker today and met a couple heading up to do this. Didn’t even realise this was possible up there. Hope they have seen your vid. Looks awesome.
We just did this canyon and as previous comments have mentioned the length of this trip is not to be underestimated. We were a very experienced group and although our over cautious approach did cost us time by using slings and ropes as hand lines to inspect all the jumps and slides it ensures we knew we were safe. Starting your day at Lagoon Pinch and finishing in daylight is just not possible as the river walking is very slow due to the almost non-existent traffic and the buildup of algae on the rocks making it 6km or walking by braille. When staying at Selby Alley Hut you should aim to start walking at first light (5am) and expect the Kungie Gully to take you up to 5 hours depending on conditions such as tree falls and wash outs. We used a rope once for safety in this section and had to get around two fresh tree falls that brought down a lot of the canopy that made the creek itself impassable, so bush bashing around was the only option. Getting to the top of Williams Falls is a short distance (15 mins) from the junction with Kungie Gully, however getting to anchors and the subsequent abseil can be described as committing, but sketchy seemed to be the common word for us, with one "bold" move on slippery rocks in wet shoes to move between two safe spots. The abseil is through scrub, but not all that bad, we did however encounter a lot of loose rock that needed to be dislodged after clearing the rope out of the way as these would have easily cut a rope and would be guaranteed to kill anyone underneath in a belay position. Two 50m ropes is a minimum!! I also can't see how the falls are avoided without back tracking a few hundred meters upstream and making a very large detour, and this would still require rope as the walls of the canyon still require an abseil to enter after the falls. It too us an hour and a half for 5 of us to clear the falls. The main canyon from then on is as described with innumerable smaller slides, climbs and scrambles in addition to the main obstacles. Again you progress may be slowed with multiple log jams and fresh tree falls either in existing pools or creating new ones. The slow speed of progress in this canyon makes it hard to judge distances by time compared to the more common Blue Mountains style canyons we're used to. All up from the base of the falls to the exit took us 7 hours, so doing the maths you can tell we spent the night, which we were prepared for, and half expecting, but not excited about. All obstacles can be avoided/made safe with a rope if there is debris present but I would advise that one or two 25m ropes is a wise addition to the two 50m ropes required for the abseil in order to speed up progress having the second rope carrier as the first abseiler to move ahead to the next obstacle to speed up progress. Worst case timings for a larger group (5-10), being cautious (overly?), and not moving at optimal speed are: Lagoon Pinch to Selby Alley 2:30 Selby Alley Hut to Williams River via Kungie Gully 5:00 Kungie Gully Junction to Williams Falls 0:15 Williams Falls abseil 1:30 Williams Falls to Rocky Crossing 7:00 Advice to all canyoners: - leave at first light - move fast - limit your stops - prepare to get benighted - keep beer in an eski full of ice in the car you leave at the top of the Rocky Crossing Trail, you'll have earned it!
One other question, regarding your timeframes, Are you saying it takes 5 hours to traverse the length of Kungie Gully from Selby Alley Hut to Williams River? Because on the map it says that distance is only 2 km. Can you hike it or do you need to abseil sections of the Kungie Gully?
Were just up at Selby at Anzac. Had a look at the first fall and it was a very wet climb down that the soil was coming away from at the top. Not many good places for a handline. Would love to do it sans abseils but not sure of safety
Good video. Should be stressed how big a day this trip is. And if you decide to go round the obstacles there is some serious scrambling involved where a slip could be serious injury or fatal. It also takes a very long time to do the trip. Just beware if you are thinking of doing it.
Have you done any other rivers such as Wangat, Chichester, Williams, or Allyn? I hear there is subtropical rainforest in the Chichester and Williams catcments/valleys. And a particularly large unspoiled subtropical stand on Bangalow Creek which runs off the upper reaches of the Wangat River. I would like to see that.
Hi Richard, great video. It's inspiring and I'd like to do that trip in the next weekend. However, I haven't found any track notes or guide online. Would you please give me any advice with that? thanks
You should find various discussions on OzCanyons, here are a couple: - groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/OzCanyons/conversations/topics/5356 - groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/OzCanyons/conversations/topics/1417
And, here are my rough notes: You'll need the Barrington Tops 1:25k topo map. Park at Lagoon Pinch, walk up Corker Trail & take unmarked trail to Selby Alley Hut. Descend Kungie Gully. At Williams Falls, walk around on true left via circuitous route, or abseil (probably not worth the effort) with 2 x 50m ropes. Wander down Williams River and encounter various obstacles: 1) 3m - go right & jump or slide 2) 3m - jump out or slide 3) 3m - slide (Caution log) 4) Washing machine - slide & walk through 5) 3m - slide, caution stopper 6) 5m - jump, or climb left 7) Landslide, log jam & pool - 20m swim The sides open out and progress is much quicker, you can start walking on the banks. 8) 8m - “The Big Jump” from left, or slide right 9) 5m - Jump right 150m to Rocky Crossing, a track on right takes you back up to Lagoon Pinch. Hope that's useful. Have a safe & fun trip... Rich.
You say the Selby Allen Hut is "unmarked". How do you find it on your right as you're going along Corker Trail? How far off Corker Trail is it? And does Kungie Gully run directly into Selby Allen Hut, if I want to make my way down Kungie Gully to Williams River?
Hi, correct, the Selby Allen Hut is for sleeping, which means you don't need to carry a tent, and it's more comfortable to spend a rainy night inside with tables and chairs than huddled inside a tent.
If you take a topo map, you'll be able to work-out when to leave the Corker Trail as long as you track your progress. You'll need the "Barrington Tops 1:25k" map, which you can view online here: maps.ozultimate.com/?lat=-32.065546718806296&lng=151.4740419387817&zoom=17
Oh, and as you'll see from the link to the map. Selby Allen hut is on the Kungie Gully creek: maps.ozultimate.com/?lat=-32.065546718806296&lng=151.4740419387817&zoom=17
@@richard_pattison Wow that is an amazing map link. I've been researching digital map options to use on my iphone for both car navigation and hiking. I have a free one from Maps.Me and it is good for both car navigation as well as off-road navigation and hiking, but it's not topographical. Do you use any paid app like Hema Explorer Pro or Hema 4WD which include a good topographical function?
