Chockstone Forum

      Sponsored By
      ROCK
   HARDWARE

Chockstone Photography

Australian Landscape Prints

Chockstone Forum - Crag & Route Beta

Crag & Route Beta

Area	Location	Sub Location	Crag	Links
All NSW	(General)	(General)	(General)

Author

Barrenjoey crag burns !!

kieranl

3-Oct-2013
10:03:37 AM

On 3/10/2013 martym wrote:
>On 2/10/2013 kieranl wrote:
>>Wow, only a one week shutdown after the fire. I can't help but compare
>>it to the Grampians where the Vic Range is still pretty much locked up
>>6 months after the fire. And then there was the lockout after the floods
>>2 years before and then the fires of 2006.
>
>You did just compare Barrenjoey with the Grampians...
>
>The fire was out by dinner time..
Yeah, I know. I understand the scale of the issue Parks have with the Gramps and the complexity. There are areas that people need to be excluded from for quite some time such as everything about the Emus Foot track which was just blasted. But Red Rock Road has been official closed for 6 months when to Joe Public it's perfectly trafficable so Joe Public by and large just ignores the road closure. So there's no discernment, in the public eye, between what really needs to be closed long-term and what doesn't. If people see closures as being for administrative convenience then they lose all respect for them.


tnd

9-Oct-2013
11:23:26 AM

Taken from a light aircraft on Saturday. The end of the peninsula is pretty denuded.

From the east:

From the Pittwater (west) side. The South West crag seems ok:


Superstu

10-Oct-2013
8:04:16 AM

Here are some photos Ranger Jude sent through...

From the last email I got the rangers don't seem to fussed about the fire and see it as an opportunity to access areas that were previously difficult. The seedbank is hopefully intact, some natives are programmed to resprout after such an event, and there is good bush nearby to help recolonise the area.

A lot of rubbish like bottles and tin that was hidden under the scrub has been revealed and they are taking the opportunity to get a lot of it out. Who knows what else the fire might have uncovered.

There won't be any bitou to tackle for a few months but a few succulents and lantana remain, and when the asparagus starts to reshoot get that. The recent rain will trigger lots of fast growing.

On the plus side the ticks will be gone!!

The next Cliffcare works day is for 2nd November - but still waiting to confirm as they are still doing on-ground assessments. They have asked us whether we want to work the rainforest near the crag still (as was asked for last day out) or whether we are interested in working the top areas now. It will be very interesting to see the recovery up there as the natives and invasives fight it out in the new landscape. If we do that I think I'll be up for an afternoon swim rather than a climb, we'll probably come out looking like chimney sweeps from Mary Poppins!

If anybody is keen to get out there and free midweek, Parks are having a work day on 23rd October, keen volunteers very welcome. If interested drop me an email and I can send you the details. Otherwise I'll post a flyer for the climber's bushcare day when I have confirmation of the date.

martym

10-Oct-2013
9:59:26 AM

Wow looks like a warzone...

Although I suspect the ticks will still be happily mating around the main climbing areas - they look untouched (is that correct?)

It looks like there's smoke still billowing off in your second picture - when were these photos taken?

surfziggy

10-Oct-2013
12:05:19 PM

S/W crag is hardly touched, I was fishing just below it with my daughter on Sunday. It got off lightly.


pedro.c

11-Oct-2013
8:57:42 AM

Anyone keen for midweek climbing up around Barrenjoey.

Tuesday or Wednesday afternoons from about 4pm suit me.


sbm

20-Oct-2013
9:28:40 PM

On 10/10/2013 surfziggy wrote:
>S/W crag is hardly touched, I was fishing just below it with my daughter
>on Sunday. It got off lightly.

Went climbing here yesterday, the main crag may have gotten off lightly, but it was hardly untouched! Many areas were burnt right to the base of the wall on the left-hand side, and greenery on the walls have been burnt. Walking around the Abseil Wall area and down the Ikon descent, everything is charred and burnt, and you are walking through ash.

No rock damage that we saw. The bolts all still looked shiny, the glue on some of the bolts was maybe looking a bit funny, but I have no reference point. A HUGE amount of trash and bottles on the ground has been exposed on the walk-in.

Bits of cliff that are normally semi-hidden through the trees are now exposed. Pinnacle of Peril and the walls left of Pledge A Legend especially. Hopefully they'll get more ascents.

I might have some photos shortly.

There are 27 messages in this topic.