CANYONING IN VICTORIA

Canyoning in Victoria? But where? These are common questions we face when describing our recent adventures around the state. Victoria isn’t known for having deep slot canyons like those in the well-known Blue Mountains sandstone. Nevertheless, a surprising amount of canyons exist in Victoria. Its widely varied geological history has produced a range of canyoning areas of considerable diversity

In the alpine areas, large uplands collect snow which—once melted in the spring and summer—is funnelled towards the resistant rocks at the plateau’s edge. Here, high volume streams fall 300–600m into adjacent, deeply incised valleys over many knickpoints (or waterfalls). Anyone who has been skiing at Mt Buller will be familiar with the striking escarpments of the Crosscut Saw and The Bluff visible on the horizon; both are perfect examples of the typical exposed strata through which some of the classic Victorian canyons cut their path. Elsewhere in the state, other older geological formations have created impressive gorges and canyons. And Mt Buffalo and the Wulgulmerang Plateau, both remnants of Victoria’s volcanic past, contain exceptional single and multi-day trips.

Canyoning in Victoria is not your typical NSW experience, where bringing wetsuits are optional on a warm day, double-rope techniques are the norm, and a lightweight knowledge of navigation will suffice. Instead