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The Rock, near Albury

pomyrocks

26-Jun-2007
1:01:50 PM

Does anyone have any beta / info on the rock climbing area shown in the picture that is appearing on the front page of chockstone ("the rock" climbing area between albury and wagga.

is it closer to albury or wagga?

any info / beta would be most helpful.

dalai

26-Jun-2007
1:09:29 PM

The area, though in NSW has snuck into the Eastern Victoria guide.

It is 100km North of Albury (~30km south of Wagga) right next to the cleverly named town of 'The Rock'.

IdratherbeclimbingM9

26-Jun-2007
1:14:48 PM

Yeah; .. support the VCC Eastern Victoria guide.

But since I don't have it with me at the mo. & to answer your request, I will quote from Rock (magazine) Guide (with a bit of editing for clarification).

From Albury, NSW, drive N on the Hume Hwy for 12 km. (Stop for a beer – just one – at the famous Ettamogah Pub) 3 Km further up the Hume Hwy turn left (N) and follow the Olympic Way for a further 88 km to the township of The Rock. Turn W (left) over railway crossing towards township and continue until you reach a T-intersection. Turn L again and drive towards Lockhart for 3 and a half km. Turn L into The Rock Nature Reserve (administered by Nat. Parks & Wildlife Service).
The Rock township is 25 km S along the Olympic Way from Wagga Wagga. If coming from this direction, turn R off the Olympic Way, cross railway, drive through township, veer L (R ??) towards Lockhart at Y-intersection then follow directions above.

pomyrocks

26-Jun-2007
2:06:24 PM

thanks guys. thats great. i'll grab me acopy of the eastern vic guide as well. i'm up that way occasionally as the outlaws live up that way.

what type of rock is it?

anything like araps or completly different?

IdratherbeclimbingM9

26-Jun-2007
2:41:21 PM

From Rock (magazine) guide again (with minor additions) ...

Quartzite with vertical fractures in its metamorphosed layers.

Generally very solid however some loose bits (easily detected), and sharp bits can be found …
Has a great variety of grades from easy to hard with many test pieces in the 20-24 range including challenges in the world of ‘more than vertical’.
Good training for Arapiles.

Excellent natural protection available on almost every climb, but on some climbs can be tricky though adequate. A full rack of wires and SLCD’s will suffice and a set of RP’s will also be useful.

A strong ethic of not bolting routes into submission has been established, thus leaving them for later climbers with the skill to climb them cleanly.
NPWS plus the guidebook authors and local climbers hope you continue with this tradition.
Climbing is generally at ‘The Towers’ on the northern end. A NP&WS sanctioned abseil descent-anchors have been established above 'Angie'. Guidebook says its 35 m but I am pretty sure a rope stretching 60 m doubled will suffice to get off.
'The taller (and chossier) southern end has restrictions during bird nesting seasons.

Best seasons are Spring-Autumn. A sunny windless winter day can be magic but exposed otherwise. Summer is blerrie hot. Take your own water as none is available.

The Rock is the only place in Australia where the relic wildflower Senecio is found. Conservation of all plants by climbers will ensure the future for rockclimbing in the reserve. Please take care when climbing near these living fossils.

pomyrocks

26-Jun-2007
3:48:30 PM

sounds like it could be quite a good trip. i'll do my home work on the beta and plan away.

thanks for all the info and beta. i'm climb predomiantly trad so no probs there with bolts and i'll watch were i walk.

i'll try and put together a trip report if i and when i go.

cheers and beers,

JT

gordoste

26-Jun-2007
5:38:12 PM

regarding the abseil, one of our ropes on the weekend got us to the ledge 2m off the ground. the other got us to the ground (just as the ends went through the belay device). they were both 60m ropes.

IdratherbeclimbingM9

26-Jun-2007
6:28:02 PM

>they were both 60m ropes.
Obviously different amounts of rope stretch.
Assuming the same weight of person why the nearly 4 metres (?) difference ...
Different diameters?, or different rope elongation specs due different brands? What brands involved?

My climbing partner and I got off on the double 50's we used, though with the 8 people group there I noticed a fair bit of rope sharing happening.

dalai

26-Jun-2007
6:56:14 PM

Are there any low outcrops/ caves with reasonable landings out there? I checked it out one year driving back to Victoria hoping to find a new sandstone winter bouldering spot. I ended up checking out the area where the front page photo was taken (all strange leaning butresses) and a little over a saddle somewhere left of the outcrop...

I found nothing for what I was interested in. Are there any spots up there which I may have missed and are suitable?

Kaleshnikov

26-Jun-2007
10:38:04 PM

I am not into bouldering but if you want to check out an area, try the Euroa - Merton road. Euroa is on the Hume hwy, take an exit there and the road across to Merton is up a valley with literally thousands of granite boulders, its not sandstone and not much I would imagine would be overhanging/ cave type climbing but probably worth checking at least. From the road it looks like mainly face/featureless boulders, but if you dont have to place gear, then whats that matter.
Dont know about access, as it would be mostly farm owned, but a knock on a door and half a dozen stubbies never goes astray.
It is probably an hour from there to Mt Buller, so any one heading up to have a crack at the chutes could make it a round trip.

gordoste

27-Jun-2007
7:57:55 AM

On 26/06/2007 Idratherbeclimbing wrote:
>Different diameters?, or different rope elongation specs due different
>brands? What brands involved?

Brad's was an Edelrid and Ben's was a Bluewater. I think they were both 10.5mm.

IdratherbeclimbingM9

27-Jun-2007
8:10:43 AM

Thanks gordoste.

On 26/06/2007 dalai wrote:
>Are there any low outcrops/ caves with reasonable landings out there? (snip)
>I found nothing for what I was interested in. >Are there any spots up there which I may have missed and are suitable?

Like Kaleshnikov I am not a boulderer, but I reckon you would find what you are looking for along the few kms of largely unexplored cliffline parallel to the Olympic Way immediately south of The Rock. Much of it is slabby climbing potential however there are plenty of undercut/overhangy orange areas amongst it with the odd ancient boulder / low outcrop/buttress.
Maybe just jump or traverse off when you get to a height that turns from overhang to scrub?

The only boulders I have seen near The Rock 'climbing area' have been extremely featured. Kind of reminded me of a Rubik’s Cube in the way they are shaped and dissected. Even a non boulderer like me could traverse/climb them easily.

To access the cliffline area mentioned earlier would involve parking next to the railway (about 4 or 5 km south of The Rock), crossing it (the railway), and proceeding half a click up the hill, then traverse as far as you want along the base of cliffline.

I am interested in checking out the climbing along there so if you are in the area and want company drop me a pm.

climbau

27-Jun-2007
8:42:41 AM

Re bouldering potential.
Take the track to the Lions Head Summit and just as the track steepens toward the summit look at boulders off to the left. Some steeper boulders and highly featured (maybe too featured?). Will check it out further when next up there.

dalai

27-Jun-2007
9:16:41 AM

Thanks everyone for replies and suggestions.

Paulie

27-Jun-2007
11:19:27 AM

A 50mtr rope will suffice with regard to the abseil off the anchors (25mtr to the ground), though twin 50s or 60s are ideal for the long routes and the fact that many of the routes go through roofs.

There is a small bouldering (highball) wall above and behind the abseiling anchors, you can't miss it as it has a small ledge running at about 1/4 height (head height!), there is an excellent traverse of this 1st wall (below the ledge) with numerous up problems to the ledge. The obvious lines to the top have been climbed with the left most crack/seam going at about grade 22 (V0).

There is some more bouldering and shorter routes to be found by walking into the Main Face (see guidebook) and turning left at the wall.

The rock (quartzite) is similar to Araps but has more friction. The rock has an awkward right hand lean to it once you go west of Staircase (21), so be aware that when placing gear it must be able to handle a right hand load. 2 nasty accidents have happened on Chaos (23/24) because the leader didn't test the gear for this loading scenario...the falls resulted in broken bones both times. I personally took a 10mtr fall off this route (from 5mtrs above the bolt) after a nut failed because of that exact same thing. Be careful!

That said it's a wonderful climbing venue with everything you could wish for in a climbing area, excellent rock, bomber gear, bolts where you need them, long routes, a handy rap station, easy walk in, scenic beauty, a pair of resident peregrine falcons, very easy routes starting from about grade 3 to stuff in the mid twenties. Sensational weather, though summer is a bit hot. There really is something for everyone and it's well worth a visit.

If you're thinking of visiting try and hook up with Andrew or Stephen, they know the area very well.

Paulie

IdratherbeclimbingM9

27-Jun-2007
11:47:57 AM

>A 50mtr rope will suffice with regard to the abseil off the anchors (25mtr to the ground)

... The blue rope I abseiled off on one occassion last Sunday (Bens bluewater?), that gordoste reckons is a 60m, ... finished with its tails 1m above ground, ie waist height at base of Angie under bodyweight stretch. ~> made for easy disconnection!
If the rope is flicked over Staircase buttress to finish at base of Scratched Knees, the ground level is higher there, but imo prolly not enough to use a standard 50 doubled (if that rope was a 60 m).

Worst case scenario is to wander around to the east and find a descent gully ...

BTW; good idea mod/s for moving this thread to the Crag & route beta arena, instead of general discussion forum.
;-)

Paulie

27-Jun-2007
4:37:57 PM

On 27/06/2007 Idratherbeclimbing wrote:
>The blue rope I abseiled off on one occassion last Sunday (Bens bluewater?),
>that gordoste reckons is a 60m, ... finished with its tails 1m above ground,

All 3 of my 50mtr ropes end up with both tail ends touching the ground but you MUST abseil down the right hand side of Staircase!

If you abseil down Wallflower, then you definately will not reach the ground on 25mtrs!

Paulie

evanbb

1-Oct-2009
8:19:53 AM

Old bump here. Making plans for the weekend.

Is this a good place to take my wife, who's happy seconding up to 15 or so? Should be pretty good weather down there this weekend.

IdratherbeclimbingM9

1-Oct-2009
2:19:32 PM

On 1/10/2009 evanbb wrote:
>Old bump here. Making plans for the weekend.
>
>Is this a good place to take my wife, who's happy seconding up to 15 or
>so? Should be pretty good weather down there this weekend.

Yes.
There is a pleasant days worth of climbing on low to middle grades at The Towers, (north end of The Rock), which is the 1st place the climbers track accesses. There are a few high teen-~>low twenties grade routes there as well.

gordoste

1-Oct-2009
10:42:30 PM

agree with M9, definitely worthwhile. probably jump on Jammer's Delight (2-pitch grade 8), Miss Fairy (2 pitch grade 12) and if she's up for something harder, Scratched Knees (get her to traverse R at the roof or you might have problems) or Angie.

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