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Photograph by Carsten Peter
A canyoneer descends by rope through one of Kanangra Main Canyon’s three 150-foot waterfalls. After his teammates join him, they will pull down the ropes to use for the next stage—leaving no way out but to rappel, climb, boulder, and swim to the exit point near the canyon’s bottom.
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Photograph by Carsten Peter
Cascades of mammoth ferns flourish in the humid air trapped between the narrow walls of Claustral Canyon. First explored in 1963, the formation was named for its claustrophobia-inducing passages and ranks among the region’s most visited canyons.
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Photograph by Carsten Peter
Canyoneers make their way through a vine-choked rain forest of coachwood and sassafras on the way to Claustral Canyon. Locating a canyon’s entry point can require hours of bushwalking. A canyoneer typically hauls as much as 20 pounds of gear, including rope, wet suit, food, and first aid supplies.
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Photograph by Carsten Peter
Flying into the void, author Mark Jenkins makes one of 14 rope descents in Kanangra Main.
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Photograph by Carsten Peter
In Gardens of Stone National Park, labyrinths of pagoda rocks—beehive-shaped formations sculpted by erosion along sandstone scarpments—present a treacherous obstacle for hikers but a wonderland of slots for canyoneers to explore.
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Photograph by Carsten Peter
“It feels like being swallowed by the Earth,” says photographer Carsten Peter of the Black Hole of Calcutta in Claustral Canyon. Experienced canyoneers avoid it after heavy rains.
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Photograph by Carsten Peter
A foot-long crayfish dodges a hiker fording a stream in Claustral Canyon. The color of these crayfish, called yabbies by canyoneers, remains a puzzle. In some streams they’re orange. In others they’re blue. The difference is due partly to water purity—the blue ones are found in the clearest water.
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Photograph by Carsten Peter
A canyoneer endures the deluge of a waterfall in Empress Canyon. Canyoneers say even a relatively easy rappel like this one can feel like drowning in midair.
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Photograph by Carsten Peter
Midday shafts of light intensify the cathedral-like atmosphere of Rocky Creek Canyon.
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Photograph by Carsten Peter
Squeezing through Tiger Snake Canyon, canyoneer David Forbes watches for the serpents the formation is named after.
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Photograph by Carsten Peter
Veteran guide John Robens (at far left) leads a soggy team through a moss-covered passage in Claustral Canyon, a few hours’ hike from their exit point. Canyoneering is all about the serendipity of discovery, he says. “You walk for miles and suddenly you find yourself in this magical spot.”
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Photograph by Carsten Peter
A constellation of glowworms shimmers on rocks and ferns in Claustral Canyon as part of a strategy to attract prey.
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Photograph by Carsten Peter
A canyoneer fights to emerge from beneath of one of Claustral Canyon’s many waterfalls.
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Photograph by Carsten Peter
To cross a tannin-stained pool in Rocky Creek Canyon, a canyoneer plunges in chest deep.
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Photograph by Carsten Peter
The rugged Wolgan Valley in the Greater Blue Mountains, just outside Sydney, contains several popular canyoneering spots.
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Photograph by Carsten Peter
The first exploration of Thunder Canyon's labyrinth of sandstone passages by a group of canyoneers in 1960 gave a boost to the sport's popularity.
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Photograph by Carsten Peter
A canyoneer descends into Hole-in-the-Wall Canyon in Blue Mountains National Park.
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