Some of the beautiful rock formations Australia ha...
Description
Australia is a huge and diverse continent that contains a great deal of rock to explore. Although the country has little to offer in terms of ice climbing, mountaineering, and long routes, what it lacks in these departments is more than made up for in terms of unique cragging experiences that can be had in few other places in the world.
The two largest cities, Sydney, in New South Wales, and Melbourne, in Victoria, serve as hubs for the two major climbing destinations of the continent: The Blue Mountains and Mount Arapiles, respectively. Either of these areas could be considered world-class, but Arapiles stands a notch above and is arguably the "world’s best crag”.
But these aren’t all Australia has to offer. In the outskirts of Sydney lie Point Perpendicular which hosts dramatic sea-cliff climbs and Nowra, a popular sport climbing crag. Further inland are the remote and towering limestone blades of the Warrumbungles and the deep cleft of the Bungonia Gorge – each of these areas include some of the country’s longest routes. Up the coast in the neighboring state of Queensland one can find Frog Buttress, a crack-climbing area, as well as the Glasshouse Mountains, volcanic plugs with a handful of lines.
Victoria hosts Australia’s most spectacular rock. Mount Arapiles is the mere coccyx of the long spine of mountains known as the Grampians. Scattered through this spread out range are astonishing crags both obscure and world-famous (such as the Taipan Wall). Much new route potential and development exists within this area. A few hours east is Mount Buffalo which is the best granite Australia has to offer. Buffalo still serves as a training ground for Australian aid climbers who have set their sights on the big walls of Yosemite, but it is also a popular multipitch free-climber’s destination.
South Australia (Adelaide) is home to Moonarie, a beautiful cliff of bullet sandstone, and Western Australia (Perth) has reportedly stellar sandstone sport climbing as well as dramatic sea cliffs, but these areas are generally not considered international, or even national, destinations.
It would be a crime, of course, to neglect mentioning Tasmania. Not only is this island state home to the continent’s only real mountaineering (Federation Peak), and the infamous “Totem Pole” sea stack – popularized by a Lynn Hill/North Face expedition, but it also has some amazing sandstone, seaside granite, and columnar/volcanic rock that offers splitter crack climbing. The weather is finicky, and access is even more difficult (typically via a ferry from Melbourne), but it is a beautiful place to explore.
While getting down under can be time consuming and expensive, once there the country is generally easy to navigate, although distances can be very great. The people are friendly and laid back, crime is low, the exchange rate is favorable (although only slightly so), and much will be familiar to the Westerner. That said there are many backwards things: such as the time zones, the seasons, the side of the road you find cars driving, and bizarre things like carrot bolts, wombats, and vegemite. The beer is pretty good.
The climbing season is year-round, but December and January can be brutally hot. Plan on renting or buying a car for your stay, unless you are content to spend all of your time at Arapiles (certainly not a bad prospect). Beware of driving at dawn/dusk hours -- kangaroo strikes are more common than deer strikes in the States. The other lethal animals (just about all of them) are probably a bit over-hyped. During my 3+ months there I never once saw a deadly snake or spider. A good rack for any of the climbing you might do nationwide would be a single set of cams through wide hands, extra TCU's/Aliens, a set of nuts and some cash to buy authentic RP's. All the gear you might need for camping, climbing, and traveling is readily available in the major cities and even the small towns near the major climbing destinations. Expect to pay a lot more, however, for imported equipment. Traveling alone? Arapiles is an easy place to meet partners. Some of the other areas can be a bit more challenging.
Terminology: abseil = rappel safe = off belay carrot bolt = machine screw requiring a bolt plate (removable hanger) BP = bolt plate FH = fixed hanger (a normal bolt) peg = piton/pin runner = fixed piece to clip a draw/sling to route = the path of a climb, not to be confused with "root" which is the act of having sexual intercourse track = trail; walk-in = approach bridging = stemming goey = heady/scary
The Australian grading system (Ewbank scale) is perhaps the most sensible scale invented. It begins at 1 (level hiking) and is open-ended (currently the hardest climb on the continent is 34 which is roughly 5.14c). Good reference points: 18 = 5.9 19-21 = 5.10a-5.10d 22-24 = 5.11a-5.12a 25 = 5.12a/b 28 = 5.13a 32 = 5.14a
Getting There
International flights into and out of Sydney and Melbourne are readily available.
One thing you should know about Australian climbing is the carrot bolt. "Carrots" are machine screws with the threads filed off, then pounded into slightly undersized, pre-drilled holes. They aren't used any more, having been ousted by modern hanger bolts, but there are still many in use that haven't been and likely won't be replaced. Trust carrots as you would trust any other piece of fixed gear of unknown parentage - carefully, and with deep suspicion. Some of them are still bomber, while you can remove others easily by sliding them out of their holes. Also, carrot bolts generally don't have hangers - they're just bolt heads sticking out of the rock. You will need to carry somewhere between 5-10 "bolt hangers", available in most Aussie climbing shops and hardware stores. The leader puts a bolt hanger on the carrot bolt head, then clips the hanger; the second comes along, takes the draw, then also takes the hanger. I prefer the hangers at a 45-degree angle, myself.
One of the great joys of the Australian sport climbing experience is desperately slotting a hanger on a carrot bolt, then reaching up with a quickdraw only to bump the hanger off the bolt sending it tumbling to the ground. Hopefully you've saved enough juice to holster the draw and try again...
By John McNamee Administrator From: Littleton, CO Jan 20, 2007
Great to see the Aussie section coming alive. It's looking great.
A car is absolutely mandatory for climbing in Australia. It is possible to visit some of the Blue Mountains crags using public transportation, but it would be a serious tragedy to travel this far and not get onto the open roads.
If on an extended trip, the best option is to buy a car. This sounds daunting, but is in fact relatively easy, especially if you are starting in Sydney. Once in town, go to the infamous "King's Cross Car Market", located at the King's Cross Car Park in the King's Cross burough of Sydney. This market is a bit of a curiousity in itself. World travelers from accross the globe converge here to buy and sell cars that they have owned or will own for only a few months. The staff at the market will mechanically inspect cars, help you register your purchase, and sell you the legally mandated amount of insurance.
Eventually that will happen, but not until a "critical mass" is reached. Right now there are only 6 areas on the site so it doesn't concern me. Thanks for the comment!
Printer Friendly View
RSS Feed
