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--- 196503 [2016/04/23 17:03] – [Jerrara Creek] kennettj
+++ 196503 [2024/02/28 11:08] (current) – Minor corrections sbw
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 ====== The End View of Fifty Canoneers ======
-Spiro (Bill) Ketas
+Spiro (Bill) Ketas [Spiro Haginikitas]
 This is an account of what happened at the tail end of the fifty odd bod plod through Claustral Canyon. Any name bearing resemblance to any person living is purely coincidental as we never got together in one spot to know who was who.
-At 7.45 a m. Sunday about six or seven carloads of enthusiastic canyon rompers were at the Mt. Tomah turn-off waiting for their leader to arrive. After waiting for 20 minutes Mick Elfick decided that Dot Butler had already gone on ahead and was now waiting up the road, and that we had better drive on. Sure enough a mile or so down the road Dot Butler and other earlier arrivals were waiting ready to go, their feet nervously scratching the dust and their eyes eagerly transfixed towards the canyon and in minds only sheer delightful anticipation of the wondorous joys that lay ahead and below.
+At 7.45 a m. Sunday about six or seven carloads of enthusiastic canyon rompers were at the Mt. Tomah turn-off waiting for their leader to arrive. After waiting for 20 minutes Mick Elfick decided that Dot Butler had already gone on ahead and was now waiting up the road, and that we had better drive on. Sure enough a mile or so down the road Dot Butler and other earlier arrivals were waiting ready to go, their feet nervously scratching the dust and their eyes eagerly transfixed towards the canyon and in minds only sheer delightful anticipation of the wonderous joys that lay ahead and below.
 No sooner had we parked our cars when the first group of about six canyoneers including Ross Wyborn and Jerry Sinzig set off with the ropes, slings and crabs and quickly disappeared out of sight. Dot's much larger party then departed. Five minutes later Mick Elfick and all the remaining pushed off. Soon, however this latter party was split into two parties as the tail enders John White, Eric Adcock, Neville Yates, a New Zealander John Millen, my two brothers and I were engrossed in conversation and failed to keep right up on the leading groups, thus we missed the spot where the leaders dropped into the valley and spent some time endeavouring to find signs where they had branched off the road. When this proved unsuccessful we decided to go back out to the road so as we would not miss any late party which may scamper by above us. At this point John White asked me, Bill, ever been lost within sight of the cars before? and of course not being able to recall any past blunder so close to the starting point I had to agree that the situation was rather unique. I could add that no one in this small group had been here before whereas the other party had former Claustral Canyonites amongst them.
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 I arrived at the South Marulan turn off shortly after 10 o'clock having hitched from Liverpool. I saw the cemetery and knew I was in the right place, so I looked around for a suitable spot to sleep and in the process fell over Don Finch who had arrived earlier. Before I had gone to sleep Alan, John, Bill Dowd and someone else arrived and walked all over Don and I.
-Next morning I woke and saw Anne in Don's flea bag and no Don. I half cooked and ate some breakfast and we moved off, four car loads towards South Marulen. We turned off some side road that went through a paddock then into the scrub where Snow parked his car. Another fire was lit so I finished my. breakfast. By this time it was raining and my waterproofed pack trapped most of the water inside.
+Next morning I woke and saw Anne in Don's flea bag and no Don. I half cooked and ate some breakfast and we moved off, four car loads towards South Marulan. We turned off some side road that went through a paddock then into the scrub where Snow parked his car. Another fire was lit so I finished my. breakfast. By this time it was raining and my waterproofed pack trapped most of the water inside.
-We all headed off into the scrub across a couple of paddocks and down a little creek about 100 yards. Here Snow told us to wait while he found out whether it was the right creek or not. I didn't mind waiting because there were a few blackberries waiting to be picked. The party gradually dispersed back up the creek, up each side, and down the creek. We all ended up in a big gully with muddy water holes spread out here and there, This was Jerrarra Creek.
+We all headed off into the scrub across a couple of paddocks and down a little creek about 100 yards. Here Snow told us to wait while he found out whether it was the right creek or not. I didn't mind waiting because there were a few blackberries waiting to be picked. The party gradually dispersed back up the creek, up each side, and down the creek. We all ended up in a big gully with muddy water holes spread out here and there, This was Jerrara Creek.
 The sides of the creek became higher and closer together as we went down. We climbed over a big block, sidled around and here was our first drop. We had two choices, down a slippery gully or a plain abseil. The abseil had the best belay but all the ones who like cracks went down, Snow being the last. We then took the rope and abseiled down, then swam across the pool to where the others were waiting. Bill Dowd decided to take a photo; he didn't know what light reading to use, so he referred to the manual, but it didn't have canyons; it only had landscapes, beach scenes, portraits, so he took pot luck.
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 Next morning breakfast and down to the Shoalhaven and Lake Louise eating blackberries and swimming. At our swimming spot, scouts had made a camp but we saw nobody. Later on they turned up all naked, to Anne's surprise.
-After lunch we headed up Barber's Creek to the big swimming hole. We had a terrific time swimming, jumping, diving and sliding-into the water. Joe, his mate and Fitzganderpeipe after much hesitation jumped in from about 45 ft up and didn't touch bottom. We then had afternoon tea and more swimming. About 3 we left the swimming hole, walked up the creek about mile then climbed a very pointed ridge which came out a couple of 100 yards from South Marulan and we walked back to the cars.
+After lunch we headed up Barber's Creek to the big swimming hole. We had a terrific time swimming, jumping, diving and sliding-into the water. Joe, his mate and Fitzganderpipe after much hesitation jumped in from about 45 ft up and didn't touch bottom. We then had afternoon tea and more swimming. About 3 we left the swimming hole, walked up the creek about mile then climbed a very pointed ridge which came out a couple of 100 yards from South Marulan and we walked back to the cars.
 Everyone was in gay spirits as we headed for the "local" for a drink followed by a meal at "Bimbo's".
 This was my first test walk and I enjoyed it immensely.