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Empress Canyon is a short but very impressive canyon in Valley-of-the-Waters Creek near Wentworth Falls. It is very popular, particularly with commercial groups, due to its easy access, sustained constriction, and number of jumps and swims. It finishes with a spectacular 30m abseil down a large waterfall into a pool in front of the tourists.
Guiding Ratios
Guiding Ratios
Overall Numbers: Guide to Participants ratio 2:10. Max group size 12.
Spacing of groups: 30min spacing is needed between groups . This rule still applies if MAG is running two groups.
Map and Entry & Exit
Map and Entry & Exit
Entry:
From the Conservation Hut at Wentworth Falls, follow the National Pass track, and signs to Valley of the Waters. At a T-junction just below a few sets of steep metal stairs, a sign to the National Pass track points left and a sign to the Nature Track points right. Head along the Nature Track, which follows alongside the creek on the right. Continue past Lilians Bridge (where you can look down into the canyon) staying on the right until you reach stepping stones across Valley of the Waters Creek. This is the start of the canyon.
Exit:
After the abseil, follow the track up to where it rejoins the entry track and from their back to the car park.
Above: Entry Photo
Above: Exit Photo
Packing List
Packing List
Client Gear:
Wetsuits - 1 per client
Canyon Pack - 1 per client
Dry bag -1 per client
Harness + descending device- 1 per client
Helmet - 1 per client
Ropes and Rigging
40m Static Rope - 2
5m Safety Line -1
5m Throw Line - 1
Rigging Carabiners - 6
Rope Protections - 2
Safety:
First Aid Kit
PLB
Bothy Bag Shelter
Site Specific Briefing
Site Specific Briefing
The Guide articulates Grand Canyon will take 2-3 hours to complete.
The Guide articulates the skills and actions required for Empress Canyon. These include;
Bushwalking in difficult terrain
Being in a remote area and exposed to cold climates
Rock scrambling and short rock climbs
Abseiling on difficult formations, on wet/slippery rocks and/or in fast flowing waterfalls
Compulsory swimming in cold and/or dark water
Negotiating narrow or confined spaces
For further briefing information click through the below steps.
Rigging Empress Canyon
Rigging Empress Canyon
Abseil (30m)
Abseil (30m)
Safety Lines of 2m to be attached as clients move across pool to abseil ledge.
Main abseil line is rigged with a releasable munter mule. 10m releasable rope. (40m Rope)
A top belay is to be used for every abseil. (40m Rope)
If three guides are present: 1st guide runs the abseil from the top, 2nd manages clients waiting to abseil and 3rd receives clients at the bottom of abseil.
If two guides are present: 1st runs the abseil from the top, 2nd receives clients at the bottom of the abseil.
Obstacles In Empress Canyon
Obstacles In Empress Canyon
Obstacle 1 - Short Jump
Obstacle 1 - Short Jump
Guide shows takeoff point on jump rock
Guide demonstrates safe jumping technique, falling backwards into the pool and landing on back in the water.
Option of downscrambling the rock into the water with supervision possible if back jump is too difficult
Obstacle 2 - Traverse Jump
Obstacle 2 - Traverse Jump
Guide shows traversing technique to get into correct position
Guide demonstrates safe jumping technique and correct area to land in.
Option of down scrambling the rock into the water with supervision possible if jump is too difficult. Also a good option if you have identified weaker clients.
No "Matrix Run" jumps, even by guides.
Obstacle 3 - Jump
Obstacle 3 - Jump
Guide shows takeoff point on jump rock
Guide demonstrates safe jumping technique, soft legs and arms spread
Second Guide can be used to place a backpack over the hazardous rock in the water, clearly explain to clients the danger and how to avoid it.
If the water isn't too high there is the option of scrambling under the takeoff rock. This can be easier for clients who are struggling with the jump height.
Obstacle 4 - Waterfall abseil and pool exit
Obstacle 4 - Waterfall abseil and pool exit
Safety Lines of 2m to be attached as clients move across small pool above the waterfall.
Client is managed to the waterfall edge and attached to the abseil line and top belay.
Guide manages client over lip, giving verbal instruction as necessary. Guide can hold abseil line for higher takeoff point if needed.
As the client enters the pool at the bottom of the abseil the abseil line should pull through device. A throw line is tossed from the second guide at the pool and the client is pulled across before detaching top belay rope.
Emergency Exit Points
Emergency Exit Points
Gully Track, photo?
Reversing the whole canyon
Phone Reception
Phone Reception
Interpretations
Interpretations
Blue Mountains Ash/Eucalyptus oreades:
Eucalyptus oreades is a tree that typically grows to a height of 40 m (130 ft), with a trunk up to 1.8 m (5 ft 11 in) in diameter at chest height, but does not form a lignotuber. It has smooth white or yellow bark that is shed in strips, leaving a 'skirt' of thicker bark for up to 4 m (13 ft) of the base. The species name is derived from Oreades, Greek mountains nymphs, referring to the habitat of this species.[2] oreades "of the mountains".Mature trees over 20 years of age do have a skirt of thicker corky bark which helps them resist low-intensity fires
Callicoma serratifolia
Callicoma is found in gullies and along watercourses throughout the Blue Mountains. It is often given the common name of black wattle, although it is not a wattle. Though the flower head resembles the wattle, the name comes from the historical use of this plant by early settlers in the construction of their wattle and daub huts, a building technique of weaving flexible branches together and daubing mud over to create a wall.
The Latin name is derived from calli, meaning hair, relating to the hairy leaves, and seratifolia meaning serrated foliage. A handy use of this plant in the bush is the large furry leaves make great toilet paper.
Superb Lyre Bird:
The Superb Lyrebird is renowned for its outstanding ability to mimic almost any sound, and the calls of most birds of the forest are imitated, as are many other sounds, from barking dogs to car alarms to mobile phones. It is also famous for its stunning courtship display, in which the male lyrebird fans and shimmers his stupendous tail feathers while prancing, strutting and jumping about on a stage of leaf litter. By combining his mimicry and dancing ability, the male hopes to attract a mate.
Iron Stone Bands, Easily seen along the length of the canyon
Iron stone bands: Iron rich liquid somehow entered the sandstone, but this process is not yet fully understood. It is thought that as water precipitated out it left concentrated levels of iron forming the ironstone bands, tubes and a range of strange shapes. Again, how these shapes form is little understood. These are revealed as the more friable surrounding sandstone is eroded, allowing the ironstone to jut out 10s of centimetres and in rare cases up to a metre.
Canyon formation:
The Blue Mountains are said to be millions of years old, when the sea completely covered the region. Beginning when large clumps of residue dropped into the seawater to cover the floor, eventually compressing into hard sandstone and shale rocks. Once the water began to lower, the large rocks created an uneven stretch of land. The sandstone and shale were left at the arms of the natural elements, with erosion by the water, wind, and even volcanic eruptions slowly forming the familiar mountains, rock formations, canyons that we can see today. The entire formation took around 250 million years to complete
Toileting
Toileting
Toilets located at the conservation hut carpark. Only accessible before or after canyon day.
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