Claustral Canyon
Dramatic, elegant and unforgettable, Claustral Canyon is one of Australia’s greatest canyon adventures.
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Date walked: March 2025
Kilometres: 16 km
Elevation gain: 530 m
Maps: NSW Topographic 1:25,000: Mt Wilson
Location: Blue Mountains National Park
Party: Rakesh (leader), Tanya (co-leader), Garth, Wendy, Susan, Anton, Aidan, Adrian
Grade: “Extreme” as noted on NPWS signage.
All photos Copyright and by Sandstone Symphony unless otherwise noted
Few places in the Blue Mountains are as otherworldly as Claustral Canyon. An abseil through the so-called Black Hole of Calcutta drops directly into a narrow labyrinth of shadow, water and moss-covered walls. Deep inside the canyon, it grows darker, until beams of light filter through vast curtains of hanging ferns clinging to the vertical walls above.
The photographs below capture moments from that journey into one of the region’s most beautiful canyons.
Close to the canyon entry point
The triple abseil into the "Black Holes of Calcutta".
Exiting the Black Hole of Calcutta
Ferns near the junction with Ranon Canyon
Hulk's Fist
Ray's break through
The journey continues
Humans, bottom left. For scale
Thunder Canyon
Exit strategy
ferns in the late afternoon