Sydney - places to hang out
You could start climbing in the Sydney region now, never repeat a route, and still die an old, happy climber without having experienced all of the region's great climbing.
There is a vibrant climbing scene (talk to any of the staff in stores on the “adventure mall” on Kent Street), great suburban bouldering, and some of Australia's best climbing an hour away by train or car in the Blue Mountains National Park.
For the adventurous, Sydney also sports its own sea cliff climbing scene, consisting of soft rock, eroded bolts and sketchy access.
Further afield lies Nowra, Point Perpendicular and Bungonia Gorge.
Blue Mountains canyoning is popular among AAA members and excellent unit level adventurous training.
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While Sydney is well serviced with climbing gyms, the main bases also have some good walls.
HMAS Kuttabul
The Naval Indoor Sports Centre (NISC) at Garden Island has a 15m overhanging panelled wall. The Naval PTIs (02 93592404) are good to work with and require proof of competency or will conduct a short training course. AAA members regularly climb there during the week after work. There is also a small wall of sandstone near Maritime HQ which has problems ranging from the hard to the very hard.
Holsworthy Barracks
Holsworthy has an artificial wall used by 4RAR, email me for details of access.
BETA
There is a wealth of existing guidebooks and websites detailing the delights of climbing and outdoor adventure close to Sydney.
www.australianbouldering.com
www.climbing.com.au
www.sydneyclimbing.com
www.sydneyrockies.org.au
www.rockclimbing.com
CONTACTS
There is a good concentration of AAA members in the Sydney area.
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| Josef T. leading the 2nd pitch of Flake Crack (17) |
Nowra - short and hard
Nowra is a typical small coastal NSW town, located only two hours south of Sydney. What it lacks in lifestyle it more than makes up with it's varied rock climbing. Although being famous for it's well protected sports routes (where two meters is a LONG run-out), there is also more than enough natural climbing to keep the interests of die-hard trad climbers.
The bulk of the climbing areas are located right in the middle of the bustling cosmopolitan centre of Nowra itself: along the Shoalhaven River (Thompson's point, the Grotto, and Hospital Rocks); and Bomaderry Creek (South Central, Mortein Wall, PC, and Babylon). The climbs here are predominantly well protected sports routes in the 16 to 25 range, although harder climbs can definitely be found!
A well kept secret in the area is Point Perpendicular, which is located on the northern side of the Jervis Bay headlands, about half an hour from Nowra itself. There are some truly spectacular climbs here, with 180 degree panoramic views of the Pacific behind you, and 100m vertical drops below you! There are very few sports routes here, however there is a wide spread in the grades of the natural routes available which should suit most climbers' tastes.
The rock itself is sandstone in all areas, however it can be very varied in structure. One climb can see you on a crumbly NZ style "weet-bix" scramble, moving through some compact "fingery" face moves, then onto long sweeping crack-lines and slab. The rock is however quite dependable for natural gear placement. mid-range wires, and flexible-friends should get you through most of the natural routes in the local Nowra area, whereas a couple of number three and four Cams can prove invaluable at Point Perpendicular!
There are a couple of good climbing guides around at the moment, more recently Rod Young has released "Rockclimbing at Nowra", which replaces the older "A Rockclimbers guide to Nowra and Wollongong" by the same author. These include some good route descriptions, and topos of the area. Point Perpendicular is covered by a new edition of "a climbers guide to Point Perpendicular". Climbing is good all year round, however it can get pretty cold on the fingers in the winter months, and the mosquitos can be a pain along the river in the warmer months.
For any further information on the area, contact the author. And remember: it's like climbing at the gym, just outside with no colour coding!
Canberra climbing nights and roping skills
Improve your Climbing and Technical Roping Skills!
Army Alpine Association will be conducting indoor climbing and technical roping training sessions in 2007.
Qualified instructors and equipment provided.
Beginners welcome.
- When? Wednesday 1900-2200
- Where? Duntroon Fitness Centre
- Who? All ADF full-time & part-time members and AAA Defence APS employees
General climbing
March 14, 28
April 4, 18
May 16, 30
June 6, 20, 27
Jul 11, 18
Aug 1, 8, 22, 29
Sep 12, 19
Oct 3, 10, 24, 31
Nov 21
Technical Roping Skill Sessions
21 Mar Rope work, knots, rope management
11 Apr Anchors, abseiling set-up, belays
02 May Advanced abseiling techniques
23 May Advanced abseiling techniques
13 Jun Abseiling rescue
04 Jul Hauling systems
25 Jul SRT rescue from below
15 Aug Lead climber rescue
05 Sep Hanging belays
17 Oct Aid climbing
07 Nov Portaledges
28 Nov Tyrollean traverse