I’m back at the Wollangambe River again, this time to explore the Wollangambe Five canyon – the fifth section of tbe river that can be done as an individual day trip – on a walk led by Andrew Dumphy. (It’s one of the more challenging non-technical canyons around Sydney that you can do in a day.) After meeting at the Cathedral of Ferns carpark at the ungodly time of 7:30am, our group of eight hardy bushwalkers is heading down the Boronia Point Fire Trail at about 8:15am, having completed a quick car-shuffle.
It’s just under a kilometre of firetrail-walking before Andrew leads us into the bush, for our descent to the Wollangambe River. The undergrowth is fairly light, and the descent initally very gradual, until we reach the start of the spur down to the river.
It’s now fairly and relentlessly steep as we continue down the spur.
Towards the bottom there is a short ascent to the top of a small ridge of rock that runs down the spur.
This rocky outcrop offers the first view of the Wollangambe River – and the sandy beach that marks the exit for Wollangambe Four and the starting point for Wollangambe Five.
It’s a steep but very short descent down the western side of the rocky spur to the river, where we remove leeches, don wetsuits and inflate our assorted flotation aids. (About half of us have a flotation device; they are more of a hindrance than a help on this section of the Wollangambe – but there are two long swims ahead of us.)
We’re in the river and on the way around 10:15am, the descent having taken us about 1:30min.
While Yuri (who found and documented the Wollangambe Five entry and exit routes in 2023) was not very complimentary about this first section, describing it as “a bit monotonous” I found it most enjoyable. The water is (mostly) deep enough to li-lo but shallow enough to walk, and a few sandstone cliffs soon start to rise above the river.
The first deep section of Wollangambe Five that requires a short swim comes after about 800m.
About a kilometre along the river are the first cascades, which require some careful clambering… it’s a fun change from the wider river… although five hours from now we’ll be well truly cacasde-d out!
The cascades drop into another pool, and the next swim/lilo section of Wollangambe Five.
The swims is interrupted by some small cascades, before the next pool. Unlike many of the upstream sections of the river, Wollangambe Five allows you to choose between swimming and walking and I follow the ledge just above the water.
While some float down the river, others follow the base of the cliffs, which offers a brief respite from some of the rocky rapids.
Although not for long… two sets of shallow rapids need to be negotiated, as the river tumbles over submerged boulders and gnarled tree roots.
As if to reward us for making it through this obstacle, another short but picturesque pool and a relaxing paddle (or swim) awaits.
Reflecting the general theme of Wollangambe Five, the many pools are punctuated by sections of rocky cascades. While not hard to navigate, they slow progress and become a bit tiring as they require careful foot placement – those travelling sans-lilo have an easier time through these rapids.
The second-longest pool – about 200m – is next, tipping the balance back a little towards those cursing their lilos!
At the end of this pool is what Yuri described as “a curious sand island in the middle of the river” – but the water levels must have been lower on his 2023 Wollangambe Five trip, as today the sand is submerged.
This is one of the most spectacular sections of Wollangambe Five, as we drift or swim under towering cliffs and past enormous boulders.
We stop for lunch at 12:45pm at this narrow section of Wollangambe Five, which is at about the halfway point, having taken two and a half hours from the Wollangambe river entry point. There are sunny and shady spots here; on a cooler day you could continue for another few hundred metres for an equally picturesque but sunnier ledge!
There are some stunning sections of canyon, as Andrew leads us onto the second half of our Wollangambe adventure…
The same rhythm continues in the afternoon: short rapids, followed by a deep pool, and then more rapids…
We soon reach a wide and sunny ledge above a long pool, which would make an ideal alternate spot for a lunch break.
More picture-perfect pools are followed by more rapids.
The cascades and boulders are starting to get more demanding; maybe it’s because we’re getting a bit tired, but mostly it’s because the boulders are increasing in size. Although there is never anything difficult, there are an increasing number of boulder fields requiring some judicious clambering. At this point my lilo and I have become a little estranged.
It’s often easier to leave the water and walk through the leech-infested rainforest, which avoids some of the awkward rocky sections of the river.
There are a few more short swimming sections, although most of the pools are waist to neck height and can walked or swum.
Just before the Wollangambe Five exit is the final, and longest swim with a length of about 300m, where my lilo and I become friends again…
The exit is about halfway along this long pool, which we reach just after 4pm. It’s taken us about six hours to complete the Wollangambe Five section of the river (including our lunch break), which is about the same time as Yuri took on his exploratory trip, making it one of the longest day-trips. The exit route is also one of the most forbidding, with a line of seemingly impassable cliffs looming above.
As we push through the ferns towards the base of the cliffs, the heavens open… The weather forecast warned of potential afternoon storms, with 2-10mm of rain. We end up enjoying 14mm of rain and hail as we make our way up and out of the valley. The exit route is much easier that it appears from the river: a short but steep climb brings us to a long ledge at the base of the cliff-line.
At the end of the ledge, a short tape-assisted climb provides access to a steep ramp that takes us above the cliffs.
From here it’s an easy but relentless ascent up the slope, through occasionally thick undergrowth. While the rain is not entirely unwelcome, making it much less hot for the climb out, it also brings out the leeches. A lot of leeches. They attach themselves quicker than we can flick them off. I suspect that long after we’re gone, the Leeches of the Wollangambe will speak in hushed reverence of the Great Feast of February 2026.
The rest of the ascent is fairly uneventful… there is one narrow but steep slot where the tape comes out again (this could be avoided by scouting for a less steep slot), and a small scramble to the top of the last cliff-line.
We emerge at 6:30pm at the Mount Irvine Cemetery on Danes Way – the most remote and smallest cemetery (at 0.8 hectares) in the Blue Mountains.
The incentive for the creation of a cemetery at Mount Irvine was the death of Charles Passefield Scrivener in 1934. Clearly, unlike his father, the younger Scrivener or his family felt that it was appropriate for the founder to be buried on the mountain. A small general cemetery on Danes Way, the principal thoroughfare, was laid aside by the government and formally dedicated on 11 January 1935.
Blue Mountains Heritage Register Review
It’s been a long but fun day, with lots of scrambling through cascades, many short swims and multiple picturesque sections of the remote Wollangambe River.
Getting to Wollangambe Five
Unlike all the upstream sections of the Wollangambe River, Wollangambe Five requires a car shuffle. The starting trailhead is along Mount Irvine Road at the junction of Farrer Road, which is a 1.5km from the Cathedral of Ferns Campground. The exit route finishes on Danes Way, an 8.8km (12min) drive from the campground.
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