Bungonia Creek Canyon - track notes

Entry

From the campground at Bungonia, follow the Yellow Track for about 10 minutes down to Bungonia Creek, and from there walk down the creek for about 500m to the first drop (Bungonia Falls according to the topo map).

Notes

Bungonia Falls is about 35m, from a long sling around a tree on the left hand side (and a 60m rope won't reach). You may be able to land on a very small ledge to belay, but there is a 30m swim across a pool straight away. About 50m further down there is a short drop. You can either scramble down the slippery slope to the edge, and jump left, or climb up to the right to slings around a tree and abseil 12m into the water. Some more easy scrambles and a few shorter swims follow, until you reach the big drop (this is not Bungonia Falls).

At this point you have a number of options, depending on your ropes:

1. Climb around the right to a large gum tree with tapes, and abseil 60m to the bottom of the falls (and it is the full 60m - the ropes will be off the ground with no weight on them). If you only have 50m ropes, you can re-rig from a dodgy looking sling off a small casuarina on the last ledge before the bottom, but I don't recommend it
2. Abseil about 25m from tapes around a large casuarina on the left hand side down to a bolt anchor and smaller casuarinas, and re-rig for another 45m abseil.
3. Scramble down on the left hand side to slings around a lower casuarina and and abseil 60m to the base of the falls.

At this point you can take exit (2) below (the "quick exit" in Jamieson).

Otherwise, you soon reach the junction with Jerrara Creek. A little way below this is another large drop. You can abseil 10m or so to slings around a large casuarina on the left of the falls (or scramble a few metres), then 25m from the casuarina down to a groove with a large chockstone, and 20m to a ledge just above the pool at the bottom. Swim 30m across the pool.

There is one more big drop but it is easily scrambled on the left. Continue down exit (1). There are a lot of large boulders in the creek, which makes the going quite slow until the creek swings east.

Exit

There are a couple of options to exit:

1. Walk down Bungonia Creek to the Red Track, and exit up this. Then walk back along the Green Track back to the campground
2. Scramble up the steep slope on your left about 50m downstream from the pooljust after crossing the pool after the abseil, heading right a little. After a short climb you reach a lookout/anchor point for an abseil into the pool below Jerrara Falls. Continue climbing up to the top of Jerrara Falls. This is largely scree and quite exposed, particularly near the top, and a rope belay is probably a good idea. Then climb the knife edge ridge to your left. This is very exposed, on scree and poor rock, and is quite dangerous. The rock can also get very hot in the afternoon sun and be painful to hold. There are limited opportunities to set up safety lines or belays.

Comments

A nice canyon with some spectacular scenery. The rock is largely siltstone and shale, and gets very slippery when wet or polished, so be careful walking on it, and be very wary of doing the canyons in this area in the rain.

The so-called "quick" exit in Jamieson (exit (2) above) is particularly dangerous. I don't think I'll be doing it again. I enjoy scrambling, but not when it's exposed, and footholds or handholds can break off without notice.

You need to take helmets. There are always rocks falling, particularly when you are pulling ropes down, so you are an idiot not to.

You also need to register at the information centre.

Two 60m ropes (not shorter) are best so that you have options on the big abseil. With a larger group, a third rope is handy so that you can do two shorter drops down the left hand side, and keep people moving. With a small group I would probably do the one abseil from the right with 60m ropes.

All of the maps of the area are rather misleading about the location of the various falls in Bungonia and Jerrara Creeks. For example, there are two Jerrara Falls marked (one on the Bungonia map, one on the Caoura map). The big abseils at the end of Bungonia and Jerrara Creeks are in fact very close to each other. By scrambling up to the left after the final abseil in Bungonia Creek, you are directly above the pool below Jerrara Falls, and you have a good view of the falls.

Time

Party of 2, both experienced. Took 7 hours from car to car including lunch, taking the "quick exit" but could be done quicker if you get your abseils rigged more efficiently.

Party of 8, 2 very experienced, 2 experienced, 2 moderately experienced, 2 inexperienced. 9 hours from car to car including lunch, going downstream on Bungonia Creek.

Tom Brennan : website@ozultimate.com: updated 20050216