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Chockstone Forum - Crag & Route Beta

Crag & Route Beta

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VIC Grampians Northern (General) (General) [ Grampians Guide | Images ] 

Author
Tips for first bouldering trip to Grampians?
tomordish
18-Jan-2012
10:58:41 PM
Hi Guys,

Know this is kinda lame but hoping for some tips on an upcoming bouldering visit to Grampians.

Just arrived from the UK and need to hang off some rock. I'm pretty crap, probs only V3-4 max after a fair few months off. I've bought the guide and blagged a car, got my stickies and a chalk bag and hoping to survive without a mat! (Anyone any tips on getting a cheap boulder mat in Oz, had a well loved DMM highball but sold to get funds for travels!)

Know it's gonna be warm but can I ask ....

Are you allowed/can you get away with wild camping like at Fontainebleau?

If not any suggestions on where the cheapest alternative is?

After major 'fellow traveller' drop-outs looks like I'm probs on my own, where am I likely to meet some climbers there?

Cheers for any help/tips/abuse you can offer!

Tom

shortman
18-Jan-2012
11:29:47 PM
You will probably want a mat.

Camp at Stapylton, pay ya $2, you'll meet ppl eventually.

Stay in the shade above 30° 'cause your white boy skin will burn burn burn

Climb Sydney High Rise, easiest v3 u will find, but with just enough height to keep u interested.

I'll loan u a mat if pass thru Melb and seem alright. If u look like a serial killer or some other nut burger type then I'll sell u an old shit one for 75 bucks.

Watch out for snakes, fire, bad water, germans and other pommies wearing beanies in the middle of summer.

Kill the snakes, run from fire, go thirsty and don't talk to the germans or other poms.

Tee Pee
19-Jan-2012
1:19:35 AM
Hey
It's free to camp in the bush as long as you abide by a few rules: camp at least
20 metres from any stream • 50 metres from sealed road • 1 km from any campground.

If you clean cut enough grab that mat of shortman(he's giving you a good deal), or you can hire one from a couple of Melbournes Climbing gyms, but it's usually cheaper to just buy one, around $250 and sell it off when you leave to the next traveller.

The northern Gramps region has the most established problems, victoria range is really nice and a lot more of an adventure, nothing has really been written down though, but the climbing is great there lots of things to try. Mt Stapylton has a bouldering guidebook and it has hundreds of problems in it. And you can go to Andersons and almost always find other boulderer's around
Good luck
kieranl
19-Jan-2012
8:46:05 AM
At Stapylton you have to camp in the campground or go further away for wild camping. You aren't allowed to camp near the bouldering/climbing area at Stapylton. This is because of the number of people who visit the area and the trashing it would take if people camped anywhere.

ajfclark
19-Jan-2012
9:04:53 AM
On 18/01/2012 tomordish wrote:
>After major 'fellow traveller' drop-outs looks like I'm probs on my own, where am I likely to meet some climbers there?

Andersons during the day and Campground boulders of an evening are the two places I've most often bumped in to other climbers. Saturday and Sunday obviously have higher hit rates.

Lactic Factory in Abbotsford used to hire out pads: http://www.thelacticfactory.com.au/

I don't have a really busy schedule at the moment... What dates are you thinking of heading up?
hero
19-Jan-2012
9:45:29 AM
Tomordish - Most of Shortman's advice is good. However. Do not kill the snakes. They are protected and they will run away if allowed.

Shortman tsk tsk

Note: Germans and Pom's are not protected. Go for it.
turtlespit
19-Jan-2012
11:26:00 AM
Hollow Mountain cave is a nice escape from the heat. We were there just before new year and the cave was cool compared to the mid-30 temperatures outside.

Continuing on to Arapiles is an option if you can't find people to climb with in the Grampians (it's naturally a more trad focused destination, though there are lots of boulders around).
MichaelOR
19-Jan-2012
12:35:36 PM
In another thread Kieran posted:
[This just in from Parks Vic
Hollow Mountain Walking Track – Track closure February 2012 - Work will commence at the end of the school holidays and will continue for up to five weeks through February, however this track will be open to visitors on weekends. Work to be completed includes re surfacing of the walking track, installation of drainage and steps. Access to Summerday Valley climbing area and Gulgurn Manja Art Shelter will remain open during this time. "
Looks like mid-week access to Andersons, Amnesty and Sandinista Walls and anything else on that side would have to be via Flat Rock.]

Andersons and surrounds is a major bouldering area and a big attraction. No easy access mid week in warmer weather in February could be an issue. You can walk in from Flat Rock - it's just longer and more difficult.

And I hope Shortman's advice was 'tongue in cheek'! As well as being protected, snakes are best left alone in all circumstances! Doing anything other than walking around them and leaving them alone is just stupid and dangerous.

ajfclark
19-Jan-2012
12:38:38 PM
On 19/01/2012 MichaelOR wrote:
>You can walk in from Flat Rock - it's just longer and more difficult.

How hard/far is the walk from Kindergarten into the far end of Andersons?
MichaelOR
19-Jan-2012
12:54:49 PM
Not sure as I did the approach from Flat Rock years ago with climbing some routes along the way.

In Kevin's 'Sublime Climbs' Guide he suggests going up the Flat Rock track for about 200m, and then veering off up left to the cliff for access to Clicke Wall.
When near the cliff just walk left towards Guernica Block. The climbers/boulderers foot pads from there on are easy to follow..... just along the base of the cliffline.
His time suggestion for the Kindergarten is 20 mins, so add on some more!
kieranl
19-Jan-2012
1:36:58 PM
On 19/01/2012 MichaelOR wrote:
>Not sure as I did the approach from Flat Rock years ago with climbing some
>routes along the way.
>
>In Kevin's 'Sublime Climbs' Guide he suggests going up the Flat Rock track
>for about 200m, and then veering off up left to the cliff for access to
>Clicke Wall.
>When near the cliff just walk left towards Guernica Block. The climbers/boulderers
>foot pads from there on are easy to follow..... just along the base of
>the cliffline.
>His time suggestion for the Kindergarten is 20 mins, so add on some more!
For once Kevin is being very conservative. No more than 15 minutes to Andersons or the Kindergarten. From Flat Rock to base of Trident via The Kindergarten would take me 20 minutes with full rack, rap rope and drill gear.
Rocafella
20-Jan-2012
10:32:03 AM
I would say max 15mins from Flat Rock car park to Kindergarten... The Clicke Wall sector of Andersens is at most 200m from Kindergarten.. Just a bit of a scramble over rocks and through trees - mostly annoying due to having a pad on your back!

Andersons from Hollow Mountain Car Park again about 15mins max, and is the best way to approach if the track is open. Higher concentration of problems and more shade..

Hit up the Geelong Rock Climbers group on Facebook - we are pretty active up there with bouldering trips and have a lot of people who climb V1-8ish...

Camp at Stayplton if you want ANY chance of meeting anyone else - weekends are usually busier with weekend warriors like us coming up for our fix and no fees (there are signs up for $12.50 a night but I have only seen a ranger 3 times in 10 years.. No one I know pays $12.50 a night for a drop toilet!)

PM me or leave a message on GRC page if you need any more info - I can point you in the direction of some sweet problems in your range that you could manage without a pad

tomordish
20-Jan-2012
11:17:11 PM
Cheers for the offer Shortman,

I'm heading to the Grampians from Adelaide on my way back to Melbourne so won't be able to drop in and prove my 'mat borrowing' worthiness!

Guess I'll just have to line up the poms, germans and snakes and use 'em to break my fall!!

Cheers for everyone else's advice as well, no doubt will be back on here for tips when I head to Arap for adventures!

Happy climbs

Tom

shortman
20-Jan-2012
11:25:33 PM
Why would you come all the way to Australia and go to Adelaide? It's almost as bad as Perth.

There are 14 messages in this topic.

 

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