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General Climbing Discussion

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Moorooduc Quarry

Plod

4-Oct-2006
5:38:52 PM

I know that it has been closed to climbing for quite a few years now but I believe that there were a few climbers, way back when, who climbed routes at Moorooduc Quarry on the Mornington Peninsula. Have had a look recently and it looks like there could be some good lines, however in places the rock is a very chossy.

I was just wondering if anyone has climbed there or has any details of routes there. I am not intending to defy the current climbing ban but was wondering if it was worth putting a case forward to the land managers to re-open the area to climbers. This is pretty much the only crag within 2 hours of Frankston and it is a nice setting with the rock faces surrounding a lake on 3 sides. If there are any decent routes there it seems like a shame not to have access to them. The land managers have sited vegetation destruction as the reason for the climbing ban (or so the signs say) but I suspect it may have more to do with a liability issue. I remember that there was a fall where someone had to be air lifted out not long before public access was closed.

I know that there are some brief references to the quarry on Chockstone forums but not much information.

Any info would be appreciated.

Tahnee

4-Oct-2006
6:33:13 PM

I would be very interested in that matter as well. I also live in Frankston and find it frustrating that the quarry isn’t open for climbers. It would definitely be worth looking into more as like was previously mentioned there are no other crags close to the Mornington Peninsular.

dalai

4-Oct-2006
8:25:58 PM

I am one of those that did climb there before the ban and your memory serves you well.
The quarry was closed to climbing straight after the accident as you described it. This was much to the local SES's disappointment also as they used the area for training the skills that they needed to utilise in trying to rescue the person!

I only climbed on the short face at the uphill end (3 bolted routes all ~grade 17-18) which I soloed many times. Plus also the small 'cave' on the south side where I bouldered a bit too. I always thought there was still a bit of potential for more middle grade bolted routes...

There was a hand drawn mini guide from Argus many years ago (included Moorooduc and Doncaster Quarries - both since coverered by bans). I have a copy of this possibly and local newspaper articles of the ban still somewhere at my mums place. I will try and search for it next time I'm out there and can scan and email it through.

Plod

4-Oct-2006
9:16:30 PM

Thanks Martin, I'm not sure if the land manager is Parks Victoria or the local council but from what you have said it does sound like public liability may be the real reason for the climbing ban. The quarry has obviously seen alot of misuse over the years and could stand a bit of a clean up (rubbish in the lake etc.) It doesn't appear to me that there would be any conflict between climbing and vegetation provided lower-offs were installed at the top of routes so that climbers didn't need to top out on the obviously less stable clay covered and vegetated upper cliff faces. I have done a little research and have found that the council had an engineering survey done on the stability of the rock faces in the quarry quite a few years ago but I don't know what the outcome of that was. It would be great to get a copy of any information you have. I'm not sure about the differences in the way public liability is dealt with by local councils and Parks Victoria, who obviously manage this issue successfully at the many Victorian crags on land managed by them.

BA

5-Oct-2006
12:31:19 PM

I climbed there once, dunno what though. Or where. Some of the things that were going on at the time involved the local kids (with mum's clothesline and claw hammers!) doing whatever was neccessary to remove the fixed pro (pitons/bolts), hence the hammer. While those kids that were capable of "leading" used quarter inch diameter U-bolts placed through the eye of the peg/hanger to "clip" the rope in! If they were capable of doing that, then they would have made good 'sports climbers' eh? :-)

nmonteith

5-Oct-2006
12:52:17 PM

Perhaps it was Martin and Brooksy in their youth? :-)

dalai

5-Oct-2006
12:59:32 PM

Not this time... ;-)

I only went there by myself - hence the bouldering and soloing.

Brad;)

9-Oct-2006
4:51:51 PM

yeh id be pretty interested in doin some climbing there as well. im originally from somerville, and was also wondering about mt martha and arthurs seat quarry as well? i return home every couple of months and your right there is nowhere to climb! mite have to get in contact with the land managers down when im down next. keep us posted on your inquiry. ;)

Plod

10-Oct-2006
9:55:12 AM

I guess the Moorooduc Quarry must have been closed for about 16 or 17 years now which would explain why there have been so few responses from people who have actually climbed there in the past. I got the impression that there had been quite a bit of climbing there before the closure but those people have probably moved on.

I gather The Mt Eliza Quarry mentioned by Brad is the one on The Esplanade. I have had a quick look there but really it only offers lots of similar short slabby angled bouldering. It is fenced off with chain-mesh fencing but it looks like it gets plenty of 'under the gate' visits from local kids.

I haven't had a look at the Arthurs Seat Quarries (I believe there are two of them and they are possibly still operational) but have found a couple of very short climbs above the walking track on the Port Phillip Bay side of the Mountain (Below the lookout). Not worth travelling too far to get there though.

Flinders has some magnificent black basalt sea cliffs with some great looking lines but the topouts are onto grass with no possiblility of anchors and the many cracks which offer gear placements are filled with a semi-solid gravel that just crumbles when disturbed. The other concerning thing about the Flinders sea cliffs is the amount of basalt blocks laying around under the cliffs which obviously detatch themselves regularly.

dalai

10-Oct-2006
10:27:40 AM

I've often wondered whether there was potential in the Esplenade quarry? As I ride past it when heading towards Portsea...

Also perhaps worth making a more detailed search of the rocky shore below the Esplenade. I did a little bit of rock hoping along the coast near that quarry years ago and recall a slightly overhanging wall comprising solid granite over the water. It would offer some shallow water bouldering above the many puffer fish that were in the water that day! ;-) I only ventured ~ 1km, so possibly potential for a rock starved SE Melbournite? If nothing else the coast traverse would be a nice day out if the weather was good?

dead wood

10-Oct-2006
3:23:45 PM

There was a great movie made in the 80s called Frog Dreaming that was filmed in mooroduc quarry,It had Elliot form E.T starring in it...Never made it to the cinema though..

Brad;)

11-Oct-2006
1:03:18 PM

yeh would be worth having a bit of a wonder round the coast, especially if there is some granite lurking around! I always assumed that it was all nice loose basalt like plod mentioned, often wet rock which come off like an orange paint. Though i reckon your right dalai, there are plenty of possible areas on the peninsula which would feed the desperate hunger!

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