SUREFIRE CANYON – NEWNES PLATEAU – 1-2/2/2025
I had done this canyon back in 2013 and it was a long day (11 hours) with a difficult climb out (for me). Then, 3 years ago, some friends did an overnight trip to the Canyon and stayed the night in an overhang, and there was an amazing display of glowworms. Needless to say, I was feeling deprived missing out on that trip. But that climb was daunting … would it be worth the climb to see the glow-worms?
I put it on my Wish List and when Jim C said, “we should do it to get it off the wish list”, I was (almost keen). Then John G said he knew of an easier way out, going up another gully. So, Jim put it on the MSS calendar, and the trip soon filled, Jim, John, Kathy G, Trish M, Andrew B, Anna O-B and Vas.
Trish and I left the Central Coast around 3.30pm and arrived at the campsite on the plateau in heavy cloud/drizzle. Not to be deterred, we set up camp, lit a campfire and demolished 1 ½ bottles of red wine, sitting by the campfire with umbrellas.
Despite going to bed at midnight, we were up at 7am getting ready to meet up with the rest of the group (Trish was possibly suffering). The weather wasn’t looking great, still very cloudy with the occasional mizzle.
We set off at 9.45pm through the wet bush along a barely visible old fire trail.
It took quite a while to get to the start of the canyon, we were down at creek level by 2pm. I have to say, we were a little concerned that we wouldn’t get to the camp cave until dark (not optimal). Photo – Trish and Kathy trying to keep their feet dry.
Quite a lot of fallen logs getting in the way.
We were soon at the first abseil (Anna on rope), not an easy start with all those fallen trees in the way, and the possibility of them dropping down while you’re on rope.
John on Abseil #1. Once down you had to swim across a pool to a climb up a rock.
Andrew on the first abseil, thankfully you didn’t have to abseil in the waterfall (that would come later).
Andrew on Abseil #2, very short only a little over 2m.
Looking down Abseil #2, I accidentally abseiled through the water, most of the others kept dry.
Trish on Abseil #3, Jim went over the rock to the left and it wasn’t a nice abseil, everyone else went down this tight little hole, and John lowered the backpacks down to the pool at the bottom, where you picked up your pack and then swam about 5m across the deep pool.
There was then a few pools, logs to climb over – Trish at one of the obstacles.
Kathy negotiating her way down another log, you had to have one leg over the log, balance with the other and sort of slide down.
I didn’t manage to get a shot of Abseil #4 but thankfully Jas did (thanks Jas), a nasty start over a log and down into a very dark chamber. You can just see either Trish or Andrew (blue helmet) in the distance.
Anna at the end of the abseil section, still in the canyon, it’s very pretty. We were both quite cold by now and made a bee-line to the overhang, about 300m downstream.
Kathy at the end of the abseil part of the canyon – stunning rock formations. (photo: John G)
John’s photo of this section was much better than mine!
Anna and I (soon followed by Trish and Jas) were at the overhang by 4pm, way earlier than we’d estimated. First thing we did was light a campfire to warm ourselves up.
The overhang, really BIG.
John took this great photo after we’d all set ourselves up – and put up a clothes line to dry out some gear, and Kathy brought along some fairy lights.
John always does a canyon trip on his birthday. Andrew carried 2 small cakes in, we demolished one on the evening before his birthday, saved the next one for the actual birthday on the way out.
Once the sun set, a glow-worm made itself known. I was wondering if our lights and the smoke from the fire were upsetting them. Then, one after one, they lit up. The vast majority of them we in a moist rift in the ceiling of the cave which meandered across the cave like a river. So, we saw a river of glow-worms, hundreds of them, and the river was probably 30m long, really stunning. Well worth the walk into the canyon (with a heavy pack).
Jas took a photo of the river of glow-worms, you can hardly see them, but it gives you the idea.
Departing next morning (at 8.30), the overhang extended for almost another 100m from our campsite.
We walked over a large rockfall and down the other side there was a cool tunnel/cave, John took this great photo of Kathy in it.
Walking downstream, the canyon is quite wide now, with lots of vegetation.
We then started climbing up to the base of the cliffs, passing one gully on the left (which the more adventurous of the group did a little exploring. We were impressed with this overhang for another camp cave nice and flat, plenty of firewood, but a bit far from water source.
Interesting stalactites in another overhang.
Eventually we arrived at the gully that we would exit via.
The exit that I’d used before is described as “climb out with difficulty on the rh side. The first couple of metres is up a slab (a leg up is handy)” (read not Marilyn Friendly). “Then go right up a bit of a grove, a big sloping log (read slippery) gives access to a ledge but it is easier to climb the grove and then use a sling looped through a hole under the roof to step across onto the ledge, then climb a tree to get off the ledge” (also read not Marilyn Friendly). When I did this canyon in 2013, I absolutely hated this exit, slippery, gaping chasms to step across and then you’re on a ledge 50cm wide doing a 2 – 3m climb!
So, I was happy when John said there was an “easier” exit. I didn’t take too many photos probably from 10.30 to 1pm – before too long I was in “survival mode”.
Me at the top of a slippery climb where we set up a rope to make it safer, although I was probably the only person that really needed it. Shortly after this climb, there was another one which was much harder, and we needed to haul our packs up. That was followed by yet another climb.
Where had the “easy route” gone, this was quite challenging – particularly for me. There were two more climbs, one of which I totally stuffed up. I chose to prussik up the rope, but put my prussik loops on incorrectly making the prussik way harder than it should have been, I swear it took me 30 minutes to get up to the top. After that, Andrew & John decided to top belay everyone else, way easier.
Given the energy I’d wasted on the climb(s), I was well and truly stuffed and then we had to find our way to the top.
It looked like we were going to have to climb up this cliff-face. Andrew and Jas went ahead to see how bad it was and what they’d need to set up to get us to the top. It didn’t help that as they went up to the base of the cliff, there were heaps of loose rocks and we had to shelter way out of the fall zone.
While we were waiting for them to set up the climb, John walked around the base of the cliff and found an “easy” route up which the rest of us took (whew).
The easy route up.
Over in the middle of the photo is where we would have climbed up to, so we dodged a bullet.
Finally it’s 1.30pm and we’re up at the top with the views that John promised us. You have no idea how happy I was to get to the top!
Looking across at the other side of the Surefire valley, there’s a big overhang there with what looks like a massive cave, would just about be impossible to get to it though.
Andrew, bless his heart, carried the second cake (a carrot cake) all the way to the top, and it arrived intact. So, to reward ourselves, we had cake at the top (thanks for the photo Jas).
Trish enjoying the view.
Eventually we arrived at the fire trail (probably around 3pm), and I suggested the 8 of us, split into 2 groups, the fast group and the rest of us who had “had enough”. Poor Jim joined the fast group, but he had a sore hip and struggled to keep up with them. They all got to the cars at 5.30pm, the rest of us (some hobbling), arrived to the cars at 6.30pm.
So, we’re all back home safe ‘n’ sound and reflecting on the trip. Most of us, including me, have looked back on the trip and “loved it”, the canyon, the cave, and some even loved the walk out. John checked his records and “it turns out that the last time I used that exit (the 3rd gully on the left) was in Dec 1990 (so about 34 years ago). Makes sense that it would have changed dramatically in that time (multiple fires/floods etc).”
I’m surprised remembered as much as he did of the exit! I’m not surprised that someone looked for a better exit (the one currently used), I think that this exit was quite a bit longer both in time and distance.
Thank you, Jim, for putting the trip on, and thanks team for making sure I didn’t injure myself on the trip, really appreciated your support!
I think I will add that trip to the unforgettable list.