Canyons and Gorges: New South Wales
The Blue Mountains
For over a century, The Blue Mountains has been a favourite holiday place for the people of Sydney. The terrain, however, is so broken by deep gorges that considerable areas are still rarely visited, except by skilled bush walkers or mountain climbers. Some 24 towns and villages are scattered through the region. Well maintained walking tracks from these towns provide easy access along cliff tops and deep into valleys to view the stunning escarpments, waterfalls and rainforests of the canyon floor at close range.
Bungonia Gorge
Bungonia State Conservation Area covers a strip of the Southern Tablelands from the spectacular limestone country east of Marulan, southwards along the escarpment to the west of the Shoalhaven River. Central to the area is the Bungonia Gorge - a deep chasm carved in the limestone rocks, which themselves are full of limestone caves. The area was once part of the ocean floor (which is where the limestone formed) and was uplifted at the time the Great Dividing Range was formed. Bungonia is on the edge of the geological Sydney Basin and the landforms are the result of erosion of the overlaying sandstone by the Shoalhaven River, leaving mountains and ridges of shale and limestone, caves, and exposing fossils.
Govetts Gorge
The Blue Mountains are named for the blue haze caused by the release of oil from the eucalyptus trees. Exploration of the region is easy due to a variety of excellent drives and hiking trails. The Heritage Centre, located near Blackheath along Govetts Leap Road, outlines the geological, Aboriginal, and European histories of the region, as well as information about the local flora and fauna. Possibly the second most popular vista in the Blue Mountains region, Govetts Leap provides a spectacular point to view the Govetts and Grose gorges. The vertical cliffs drop 160 metres, with the floor of the gorge lying over 400 metres below the lookout. In 1846 Travel writer G.C. Mundy wrote of Govetts Leap: "It is Certainly one of the grandest freaks of nature have seen in any country - quite beyond the power of pen or pencil to delineate".
Shoalhaven Gorge
The gorge country of the Shoalhaven River and its tributaries dramatically cuts through the Lachlan fold belt to form a substantial area of incised wilderness country. A brilliant display of shales, slates, phyllites and quartzites is evident in the dissected landscape.
The area is characterised by the numerous waterfalls, cliffs and rugged slopes, dramatically dropping away to the river 400 metres below. A number of important limestone formations occur on the western edge of the wilderness, including the remarkable 275 metre sheer walls of the Bungonia Canyon.
Several threatened species of native animals have found refuge in the area including the Koala, the Brush-tailed Rock Wallaby and the Sooty Owl.
Budawang Ranges
The South Coast of New South Wales has long been a popular destination for tourists, offering beautiful beaches, fishing and wonderful waterways. Only a short distance away are the Budawang Mountain Range, which is dominated by the Scenic Rim, a spectacular cliff line crowned by the mountainous formations of Pigeon House, Corang Peak and The Castle. Situated within the Morton National Park, approx. hour���s drive south west from Ulladulla and 1 hour north west from Batemans Bay, Pigeon House Mountain is part of the Great Dividing Range which separates the coastal plain from the interior tableland. The Budawangs and the Upper Clyde area near Pigeon House also includes many other grand features such as Shrouded Gods Mountain, the Byangee Walls, The Castle and more. All are accessible, with a variety of walks and tracks suited to all levels of fitness or capability.
Washpool National Park
The landscape of steep gorges, clear waters and expansive World Heritage rainforest protects some of the most diverse and least disturbed forest in NSW, including the world���s largest stand of coachwood trees. The scope for wilderness walking is excellent. Washpool National Park had a controversial beginning and was created in 1983 as a result of the changing community attitude to our rainforest areas. There was turmoil between those who saw forests as a source of raw materials and those who saw forests as special environments with many unique values. This conflict helped focus community attention on the need to protect the Washpool and Gibraltar Range forests so everyone could enjoy them in the future.
Oxley Wild Rivers National Park
This is a World Heritage park with dramatic gorges and waterfalls, extensive wilderness, wild and scenic rivers, dry rainforest and rare plants and animals. Wollomombi is the highest waterfall in NSW and the Bicentennial National Trail passes through the park. The Apsley Gorge is 20 kilometres east of Walcha, off the Oxley Highway. Apsley is 150 kilometres west of Port Macquarie. Gara Gorge is 18 kilometres south-east of Armidale along the Castledoyle Road. This road leaves the Waterfall Way just east of Armidale.
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