Mountains: Deception Canyon - Dry Canyon, Wollemi NP (part 3), NSW, Australia

Friday, March 11, 2022

Deception Canyon - Dry Canyon, Wollemi NP (part 3), NSW, Australia

2022-January & 2022-March combined report

Day-trip ... circuit:
Deception Canyon
to Dry Canyon also known as Nobles Canyon
via Delusional Slot

and detour to Wild Slots
& cliff edges on plateau above Dry Canyon

Wollemi National Park, NSW, Australia

This is part 3 of the trip report.

Part 1 of the trip report
(Maps, GPS, Photos #1 to #56)

This link:
https://mntviews.blogspot.com/2022/03/deception-canyon-dry-canyon-wollemi-np.html

Pictures:
Pagoda 10

Grid Ref: 3996 1705
Located on cliff edge north of Dry Canyon mouth.

2022-Mar only

After lookout 1 (where I was in photo #113's lower pic), Dave and I walk south-ish towards Dry Canyon mouth; and stopping at pagoda 10 for a view.

118) At pagoda 10, we can see the Dry Canyon mouth ~~~
- Upper pic:
• Red arrow: Heading there soon where we can look down into Dry Canyon
• Continuation to the right of this pic is photo #119.
In fact, this pic and the 3 pics in photo #119 form a 360-degree panorama.
- Middle pic: Left side of the upper pic
• White arrow: It is the red arrow of the upper pic.
Heading there soon where we can look down into Dry Canyon
• Cyan arrow: Dry Canyon mouth
- Lower pic: Right side of the upper pic
• Continuation to the right of this pic is photo #119.

119) Panorama from top of pagoda 10 ~~~
- Upper pic: (Continuation from the right of previous pic)
• 5 red arrows, left to right:
1 Cape Horn
2 Mt McLean
3 Unnamed 870-meter hill west of Mt Wolgan
4 Mt Jamison
5 Mt Davidson
• 2 red horizontal bars: Mt Wolgan, Donkey Mountain
• 2 white ovals: Emirates One&Only Wolgan Valley Resort
- Middle pic: (Continuation from the right of the upper pic)
• Dave
• Yellow oval: An impressive pagoda that we didn't climb.
Photo #121's upper pic is another view of this pagoda.
• Red arrow: Pagoda 9
- Lower pic: (Continuation from the right of the middle pic)
- Continuation to the right of the lower pic is photo #118, completing a 360-degree panorama.

Pagoda 7

Grid Ref: 3998 1701
On cliff edge north of Dry Canyon mouth.
And not far south of pagoda 10.

120) At pagoda 7, and facing where we are going next ~~~
- Yellow oval: Heading there now where we can look down into Dry Canyon.
- Cyan arrow: Dry Canyon mouth
- Upper pic: Zooming to the left side of the lower pic
- Lower pic: This pic and the 3 pics in photo #121 form a 360 degree panorama.

121) Panorama from top of pagoda 7 ~~~
- Upper pic: (Continuation from the right of previous pic)
• 5 red arrows, left to right:
1 Cape Horn ... Unfortunately you can't see it properly :-(
2 Mt McLean
3 Unnamed 870-meter hill west of Mt Wolgan
4 Mt Jamison
5 Mt Davidson
• 2 red horizontal bars: Mt Wolgan, Donkey Mountain
• 2 white ovals: Emirates One&Only Wolgan Valley Resort
• Yellow oval: An impressive pagoda that we didn't climb.
Same as the pagoda in the yellow oval in photo #119's middle pic.
- Middle pic: (Continuation from the right of the upper pic)
• 2 red arrows, left to right: Pagoda 10 & pagoda 9
- Lower pic: (Continuation from the right of the middle pic)
- Continuation to the right of the lower pic is photo #120's lower pic, completing a 360-degree panorama.

122) Looking back at pagoda 7 (We are now south of the pagoda) ~~~
- Upper pic:
• Left to right: Lisa, Frank, Lora, Karen
• Photos #120 and #121 were taken from where Lisa is now.
- Lower pic: Walking further away from pagoda 7 ~~~
• 2 red arrows, left to right:
1 Same pagoda as the yellow ovals in photos #121 (upper pic) and #119 (middle pic)
2 Rock in the upper pic, ie pagoda 7

Cliff edge south of pagoda 7

Continue south along cliff edge towards Dry Canyon mouth.

123) Looking down into Dry Canyon Mouth ~~~
- Upper white oval: Emirates One&Only Wolgan Valley Resort
- Lower white oval: We'll climb to the top of this rock in photo #147.
- 4 red arrows, left to right:
1 Mt McLean
2 Mt Jamison
3 Unnamed 870-meter hill west of Mt Wolgan
4 Mt Davidson
- 2 red horizontal bars: Mt Wolgan, Donkey Mountain

124) Further towards Dry Canyon mouth ~~~
- White oval: Emirates One&Only Wolgan Valley Resort
- 2 red arrows, left to right:
1 Mt Jamison
2 Mt Davidson
- 2 red horizontal bars: Mt Wolgan, Donkey Mountain
- This pic and the 3 pics in photo #125 form a 360-degree panorama.

125) Panorama from above Dry Canyon mouth ~~~
- Upper pic: (Continuation from the right of previous pic)
• 4 red arrows, left to right:
1 An impressive pagoda.
Same pagoda as the yellow ovals in photos #121 (upper pic) and #119 (middle pic)
And the same pagoda as the 1st red arrow in #122's lower pic
3 Pagoda 10
4 Pagoda 7
2 Pagoda 9
- Middle pic: (Continuation from the right of the upper pic)
• Yellow oval: Dry Canyon flows in the gap here.
Then makes a bend to the right ... photo #127.
- Lower pic: (Continuation from the right of the middle pic)
- Continuation to the right of the lower pic is photo #124, completing a 360-degree panorama.

Looking down into Dry Canyon

126) Left side of photo #125's middle pic ... from a slightly different angle. (Photo by Frank) ~~~
Dry Canyon flows in the main gap in the middle of the pic.
Then makes a bend to the right ... photo #127.

127) (This scene is similar to previous pic; and also similar to the left side of photo #125's middle pic.)
Looking down into Dry Canyon ~~~
- At bottom of the pic, the canyon makes a bend to the right ... photo #128.
- The canyon mouth is beyond the bottom-right corner.

128) (Continuation from the right of previous pic)
Looking down into Dry Canyon ... the cyan dashes.

To Dry Canyon

After the fantastic views from above Dry Canyon mouth, we make our way along top of the plateau in a easterly direction.

At GR 4017 1696, turn right into a downward ramp which will lead down to the middle part of Dry Canyon.

129) The ramp passes here (2022-Mar) ~~~
- Dave
- Yellow arrow: Turn right and keep going will lead to the middle part of Dry Canyon.

130) Scene further down the yellow arrow of previous pic ~~~
- White arrows in both pics below: They point to the same trees.
- Upper pic: Frank
- Lower pic: A few steps forward compared to the upper pic

Middle part of Dry Canyon

131) Middle part of Dry Canyon ~~~
- Frank

132) Middle part of Dry Canyon ... Few steps forward from where Frank was in the previous pic ~~~
- Yellow arrow: To west side of Dry Canyon

Dry Canyon - west side

133) Dry Canyon west side entrance ~~~
- Lower pic, left to right: Frank, Karen, Lora (Photo by Ray)

134) Inside Dry Canyon, west side

135) Dry Canyon

136) Dry Canyon ~~~
- Lower pic: A few steps forward compared to the upper pic
• Lisa

137) Dry Canyon ~~~
- Upper pic: (Photo by Ray)
• Left to right: Frank, Lisa, Stanley, Karen, Paul
(Lora is in front of, and blocked by Paul.)
- Lower pic: A few steps forward compared to the upper pic

138) Dry Canyon (2022-Mar) ~~~
- Dave

139) Dry Canyon

140) Dry Canyon ~~~
- Red oval: Same as the red oval in photos #141, #142
- Photo taken near where Dave is photo #143's upper pic.

141) Same scene as the middle part of previous pic ~~~
- Top to bottom: Lisa, Frank, Karen
- Red oval: Same as the red oval in photos #140, #142

142) A bit further forward compared to previous pic ~~~
- Red oval: Same as the red oval in photos #140, #141

143) Looking back ~~~
- Yellow arrow in both pics below: Direction of walk
- Photo #153 is a closer look at the rock in the middle of these 2 pics.
- Upper pic:
• Dave (2022-Mar)
• Photos #140 and #141 were taken near where Dave is now.
- Lower pic: Same scene as the upper pic
• Lora

Dry Canyon mouth

144) Dry Canyon mouth ~~~
- Left to right: Lora, Karen, Stanley

145) Dry Canyon mouth ... facing backwards ~~~
- Lisa

146) Dry Canyon mouth

Outside Dry Canyon mouth

147) Outside Dry Canyon mouth, ie its west side entrance ~~~
- The 2 pics below are of the same scene.
- 2 red arrows in both pics, left to right:
1 Pagoda at left red arrow of photo #122's lower pic
2 Going to climb up this rock now.
It is the rock in the white oval of photo #123.

148) Panorama from the rock, lower red arrow of previous pic ~~~
- The 2 pics below and photos #149, #150 form a 240-degree panorama.
- White ovals in both pics: We walked along the cliff edges.
- Upper pic, red arrows:
1 Same as the left red arrow of previous pic
and left red arrow in photo #122's lower pic
2 Pagoda 7
- Lower pic: (Continuation from the right of the upper pic)
- Continuation to the right of the lower pic is photo #149.

149) (Continuation from the right of previous pic)
- Yellow oval: Dry Canyon mouth

150) (Continuation from the right of previous pic)
- This pic and photos #148, #149 form a 240-degree panorama.

We now return to Dry Canyon mouth.

151) Cliff above Dry Canyon mouth ~~~
- The 2 pics below are of the same scene.
- Lower pic:
• Stanley
• Yellow oval: Dry Canyon mouth

Dry Canyon - west side again

152) Back in Dry Canyon's west side again ~~~
- Frank

153) Climbing up the rock in the middle of photo #143 ~~~
- Frank climbing up. In front of him are: Stanley, Karen, Ray

154) Dry Canyon (Photo by Frank) ~~~
- Left to right: Stanley, Paul, Lisa, Ray, Karen, Lora

155) Dry Canyon ~~~
- Same area as photo #136's lower pic (opposite direction)
- Lisa in front. In front of her are: Ray, Frank, Karen

156) Still in Dry Canyon ~~~
- Lisa
- Yellow circle: Same as the yellow oval in photo #157's upper pic

157) About to exit the darker part Dry Canyon ~~~
- Upper pic:
• Left to right: Ray, Lisa
• Yellow arrow: Direction of walk
• Yellow oval: Same as the yellow circle of previous pic
• White circle: It is the lower pic.
- Lower pic: Zooming into the white circle of the upper pic.

Dry Canyon - middle part again

158) The canyon opens up ~~~
- Karen leading, followed by Stanley, Frank, Ray, Lisa

Dry Canyon - east side

159) Dry Canyon, east side ~~~
- White arrow in both pics below: Same tree fern
- Upper pic, left to right: Paul, Frank (Photo by Stanley)
- Lower pic: Stanley, Lisa, Frank

160) Further into the canyon ~~~
- In both pics below:
• Red circles: Same tree fern
• Yellow arrows: Direction of walk
- Upper pic, yellow oval: Same as the yellow oval in photo #161
- Lower pic: Looking back at Lora

161) Few steps forward compared to photo #160's upper pic ~~~
- Yellow arrow: Direction of walk
- Yellow oval: Same as the yellow oval in photo #160's upper pic.

162) Yellow arrows in both pics below: Direction of walk ~~~
- Upper pic: Lisa, Karen
- Lower pic: Looking back

163) About to exit the darker part of Dry Canyon's east side ~~~
- Yellow arrow: Direction of walk

164) Slightly more light now ~~~
- Ray in front
- The larger palms are Dicksonia antarctica (Soft Tree Fern).

165) Dicksonia antarctica (Soft Tree Fern) ~~~
It is bent, and keeps growing on the far end !

There is an entire forest of these eerie fallen-and-alive caterpillar-like tree ferns.
The forest is in Dicksonia Forest Ravine in the Blue Mountains.

Refer to this clink for a trip report:
https://mntviews.blogspot.com/2016/10/dicksonia-forest-ravine-nsw-blue-mts.html

166) Ray, Stanley ~~~
- Yellow arrow: Direction of walk

167) The canyon opens up now.

Climbing out of Dry Canyon

168) A steep climb to get out of Dry Canyon ~~~
- Lower pic:
• At the top, left to right: Lisa, Karen, Ray
• The climbing star: Frank

To carpark

169) Through a short slot ... Shortly after climbing out of Dry Canyon ~~~
- White arrows in both pics below: Same fern
- Lower pic: A few steps forward compared to the upper pic.
• Lisa

170) There is a foot track from the short slot of previous pic to the car ~~~
- Yellow arrow: Direction of walk
- Karen is leading, followed by Frank, Lisa, Stanley

Turtle Rock

Grid Ref: 4078 1663

171) On the way to the carpark is this Turtle Rock ~~~
Bushwalkers put stones in its mouth to make them look like teeth of a turtle, even though turtles don't have teeth :-)

172) Stanley climbs into the mouth of the turtle, with the help of Ray.

Then it is back to the carpark.

Fauna

173) Leviana dimidiata, formerly Araneus dimidiatus ~~~
(Leaf Rolling Spider, Leaf Curling Araneus)
Family Araneidae. Leviana is leaf-curling orb-weaving spider.
Found on the rock plateau above Dry Canyon mouth.
Wonder why is it scurrying across the rock face and not inside a leaf ?

Above is a common spider in Australian eastern coastal bushland, from Brisbane to Melbourne.

Body length: Female 9mm, Male 4mm

It hides in a curled up dry leaf suspended in shrubs by supporting threads.
Its fan-like main web (an incomplete circle, open at the top) radiates out from the leaf.

When hiding in the leaf, only the tips of its legs visible.

Flora

174) Prostanthera hindii (Prostanthera is Mint Bush) ... lovely.

175) Leucochrysum graminifolium (Pagoda Rock Daisy)~~~
Only found in a small area, less than 100 kilometres in diameter, around Lithgow / Newnes district.
They grow in small pockets of sand that gather in cracks & depressions on pagoda-like rock formations.