Claustral, coveted and revered for its reputation as both a challenging and spectacular canyon. It is a natural cathedral of ferns, light, and water. A deep, dark, sustained slot accessed by a series of abseils down a dark hole known as the black hole of calcutta.
Claustral Canyon fat canyoners
However, due to the nature of canyons, with a few exceptions, accessing them involves abseiling, rope skills and a good level of fitness and agility.
Congratulations to this week’s ag flickr group member max pemberton, for his image, ‘claustral canyon’.
The history of these canyons is interesting. The claustral canyon experience was released on the oculus store in 2019 and has received very positive reviews. There is also parking on the opposite side of the road if you are coming from the west. After a swim and downclimb we arrive at the famous abseil point into the vertical tunnels of the ‘black hole of calcutta’.
The canyon can only be accessed by rappelling down three precipitous waterfalls with the help of guides.
Flash floods do happen and the exit is hours away. Australia, claustral canyon this is ranon junction is nsw, australia. On this trip we backed off and climbed out of the canyon directly onto the camels hump. To do this extreme canyoning adventure you need to have very high fitness levels and previous abseiling and canyoning experience.
A little over a year ago, i began discussing a new canyon gear idea with my friend, ross fraser.
From our contacts at the national park service here is the status of the slot canyon, claustral canyon, of which ranon junction is part: Claustral is the quintessential blue mountains canyon. You need to wear a wetsuit, do a lot of swimming, and keep an eye out for dangerous snakes. Canyons will open as soon as possible with the priority to open wollangambe, serendipity, juggler, and claustral in march.
Just after mt bell the road turns sharply to the right.
By michael breer · march 13, 2020 · in national parks, places, virtual reality · 0 comments tags: At that point claustral canyon ends and flows into thunder gorge. The great news is that nsw national parks have now opened a claustral canyon vr experience on oculus rift at the heritage centre in blackheath, to let people who don’t have those skills experience what canyoning is all. Once in you are committed, the slot can be as fearsome as it is beautiful.
Will batson area manager upper mountains blue mountains branch nsw national parks & wildlife service.
As in the case of the old claustral access route, this can only be done with the consent of landowners. The ‘black hole of calcutta’ is a cylindrical tunnel dropping 15m to the claustral canyon floor and is a popular spot for canyoners to abseil down to the canyon floor image credit: It is critical that you talk to a staff member prior to booking this trip. It is a place of absolutely staggering beauty that has to be seen to be believed.
To keep updated on access to canyons within the blue mts national park, click here to go to their website.
Anyway back to our lovely motel to ‘gear up’ before driving north to the start of the track. A huge day out in one of the classic blue mountains canyons. I could keep going back to claustral again and again and never grow tired of it. After we gear up the fun immediately begins with some obstacles and swims.
That puts it out of access for most people.
Bells line was burnt and the access. Pull in approximately 50m after the corner in a large parking bay. Claustral is an amazing narrow fissure in the landscape cut by water over eons, effectively a drain for the surrounding catchment. A landholder has built a house on one of the key access blocks on tomah south and no longer permits access.
It is unlikely that they could have been explored by aboriginals as ropes are needed to access them, and it is very difficult to.
It’s also been the site of numerous rescues and the tragic loss of a. Says max, a photographer from sydney. Soon after crossing mt tomah the road passes to the right hand side of mt bell. For many this is the canyon.
The problem of access to claustral canyon (and from thunder, claustral and ranon canyons) has proved quite difficult.
While the weather was a little chilly, and the sky rather cloudy, we were determined to give dale the chance to see one of australia’s most iconic slot. Our full day expedition will see us descend from mt bell into the top of claustral brook. Drive west along bells line of road. While the number of canyoners heading into this area is still relatively small, it is growing, and the actions of each group can have profound impacts on how future canyoners are treated by local landholders.
