Dargans Creek Canyon is one of the easier canyons around Sydney to access (being just off Chifley Road), but despite being fairly short it requires some scrambling, short swims and an interesting exit up a waterfall and spiked tree. It makes for a fun half-day trip, without the crowds of the equally accessible and arguably too-popular Dalpura Canyon (for more non-technical canyons around Sydney, have a look at the Guide to Easy Canyons around Sydney). Dargans Creek was first mentioned in the Sydney Morning Herald on 15th January 1846, and gets its name from Thomas Dargin who was born in the Hawkesbury area around 1801, and owned three hotels in Windsor.
Leaving our cars near one of the the Clarence Dam parking spots (a popular and busy swimming hole), we take one of the firetrails that head south from the carpark. The hike is led by Andrew Mitchell, an experienced canyoner, and Geoff Fox, who’s done more bushwalks and canyons in this area than I can ever hope to do!
While the traditional entry to Dargans Creek Canyon is just below the Clarence Dam wall, we’re taking a route down a steep gully further downstream, which avoids the scrubby and less interesting upper section of Dargans Creek.
It doesn’t take long to reach Dargans Creek, where we don we helmets and wetsuits on a small, sandy section of the creek (I’m not wearing a wetsuit, which on a hot day you won’t need for this canyon).
It’s initially easy walking along the creek, with the water no deeper than waist level.
It doesn’t take long to reach the first narrow slot, where a small drop down a waterfall needs to be negotiated. The water is a bit too shallow to jump down, so while an awkward clamber down is possible, Andrew fixes a rope that we use to lower ourselves into the water.
This is the first, short swim which has a slightly awkward exit onto a slippery rock platform at the end.
Dargans Creek Canyon now opens up a little…
…but it’s not long before we the canyon starts to narrow again.
This is the narrowest section of Dargans Creek Canyon, with the walls starting to close in. A huge amount of debris means we’re initially clambering along and over logs well above the water.
Eventually the logjam ends, and there’s a short wade.
Just after the wade is the second drop into a deep section of water, aided by a fixed rope.
This is one of the most spectacular sections of Dargans Creek Canyon, with very little sunlight reaching the canyon floor (making it a bit challenging to photograph)!
There is one more swim (the longest one, although it’s only about 20m).
The canyon then opens up a little, with the canyon walls still very high but letting in a bit more sun.
This the most dramatic and picturesque section of the canyon, with shafts of sunlight reaching the sandy canyon floor.
It’s also near the end of Dargans Creek Canyon, with the exit route on the right just after you emerge from the tall cliffs.
The exit is almost as fun as the canyon itself: first, a climb up a waterfall, along a side creek that flows into Dargans Creek. A fixed rope makes this fairly straightforward, although it looks a little daunting from the bottom.
Next is a spiked tree – one of three in the Greater Blue Mountains – which in this case is a Coachwood tree with metal spikes embedded in the trunk. Beyond the tree is a small waterfall in a small grotto.
While the climb up the waterfall looks hard, but is quite easy, the spiked tree is the reverse. It look like a piece of cake, but the metal footholds are quite small, and there’s a bit of a disconcerting step from the tree onto a rock ledge. Another fixed rope helps with the ascent up the slightly exposed ledge.
Once at the top of the ledge, it’s a pretty easy walk out, initially following a side-creek.
Keep a lookout for the steep track that heads up from the creek towards a low cliff-line.
The exit route then follows the middle of a spur up to the firetrail; from Dargans Creek back to the car is only about 20min.
Despite the relatively short distance, allow at least three hours as it can be pretty slow-going in places; there is a track from the top of the spiked tree but it’s not very distinct.
Getting to Dargans Creek Canyon
The starting point for Dargans Creek Canyon is off Chifley Road (Bells Lines of Road), about 6.3km from Bell if coming from Sydney – look for three huge power poles next to each other. Follow the road which is initially sealed and follows the railway line up to a locked gate; from here turn left and then right after 100m to continue about 1.2km along a firetrail to a large carpark.
From the carpark, you can continue down to Clarence Dam to start Dargans Creek Canyon from below the dam wall – or take the firetrail to the south and descend to Dargans Creek from the ridge (as described here).
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