Butterbox Canyon, Blue Mountains, Australia

t was great to meet up with Joe Bugden and Tony Maurer again for some Blue Mountain Canyoning. I’d luckily been sent to Sydney for a work (PFPS) course and decided to take some leave to make the most of the free airfares.

Our group met at the Glenbrook Servo. Here I met Shane Greenup for the first time. Joe’s friend Nick rounded out our group of 5 for the trip to Butterbox Canyon. Also known as Rocky Points Ravine and Mt Hay canyon, the trip began at the end of the long and bumpy Mt Hay road. Arriving in one piece, we soon saw that we wouldn’t be alone in the canyon. At least a half dozen other cars took shared the parking area.

We strolled down a well formed track into scrubby and marshy ground towards the gaping cleft in the giant sandstone escarpments that overlook the Grose Valley. Soon we reached a fixed hand line down a small cliff and into a tributary. Scrambling a short way down the stream, Shane and I paused to put our helmets. Nick had a lucky escape, when he when head over heels just a little further along. He reckons he’ll start wearing his helmet a bit earlier in future…

When it was time to suit up prior to the first abseil, our party was one of three at the first drop. Talk about rush hour in the Canyon!! It was a bit silly, as each party seemed to resent the others being present and tried to rush to get ahead of one another. There were anchors already on the left and right, but the third party looped a bit of debris in the center. Three ropes and three Canyoners all descending at once…

One party wore no wetsuits, but a helmet or two amongst them, whilst the other group had wetsuits but no helmets…. Still amazes me the way some Australian Canyoners go about business.

The rat race continued along a couple of small neat drops till the canyon began to slot up. Shane was the only one to try the optional jump, but we all met up at the bottom of the third rap ready to do the two pitch slot rappel. Here the stream descends very rapidly through a very impressive but rather short slot.

The first pitch descended 20m past a number of smaller chock stones in the dark slot and deposited us on a slightly large chock stone with two ring bolts in the canyon wall. Joe took the time to add an equalized sling and quick link. Hopefully, this would encourage others to minimize wear on the ring bolts and learn how to rig in a way that shares the load most effectively.

The second 20m slot pitch was the undoubted highlight of the whole canyon. Following the water down the slot, the last few meters are overhung, letting the full force of the waterfall smash you in the chest as you go over... The coloration of the canyon walls here was amazing!

There was a swim to another small rap that ended again in a swim. A few meters beyond, we had the last little drop that emerged from the canyon section of the day. We all had fun jumping into the wide open pool.

Now resembling a steep stream again, there were several small waterfalls and drops that the normal route by-passes. Being such a nice day and having a group who rather enjoy the aquatic aspect of Canyoning, we chose to rig anchors and blast down the wet way and have a bit more fun.

The last pitch was a vertical wall of slime beneath a waterfall, making for some slippery antics on descent. Amongst the boulders at the bottom, we changed into dry clothes and enjoyed a bite of lunch.

There were several ways out of Butterbox, but our plan was to take the climbing route out. Climbing up beneath the huge sandstone walls, we sidled to the right until we were beneath the Grose Valley cliffs. There was first an obvious steep gully to ascend, a bit more right hand sidling then a switchback onto an ascending broad ledge. That broad ledge narrowed and led through a small squeeze under a gap in the rocks to reach the first bolt of the climb out.

Though only a grade 11, the climb feels rather exposed, with hundreds of meters of air at your heels towards the Grose River. Joe volunteered to lead the climb. We made it safely to the top of the pitch, one by one, just as another party appeared at the bottom. We belayed their first up, so he didn’t have to lead the pitch.

Continuing along a broad but exposed ledge and then up a steep gully with good holds we emerged on a rock outcrop overlooking Rocky Points Ravine. We peered back into the canyon for a while, before following our noses back up hill towards the car. It was a fun and satisfying 8hr day out J