Chockstone Forum

      Sponsored By
      ROCK
   HARDWARE

Chockstone Photography

Australian Landscape Prints

Chockstone Forum - General Discussion

General Climbing Discussion

Topic Date User

Grampians re-opening plans from VCC and PV 29-Aug-2006 At 8:23:37 PM swampy

Message

On 29/08/2006 john s wrote:
>On 29/08/2006 nmonteith wrote:
>>Are we allowed to climb at Asses Ear?
>
>Not yet, but when the access track and the best descent routes from the
>cliff get sorted it should be OK.
>
>Do you want to come on the trip to work this out?

I've been in Wartook for over 3 years, and was there for most of the fires in Jan/Feb. When the Asses Ears Rd reopened I drove it to check out damage and was surprised to see no 'Closed' sign on the steep track that accesses the Asses.

I walked in the week before Easter with a friend. It burnt really hot all through there; white ash about 30cm deep, no green, only a few black stumps and no wildlife (except 1 big wedgy circling us). The track was quite hard to follow. Once we left the walking track and started following the cairns it was a little easier as they're still there. However, the ground was fragile - ash sitting lightly on the earth and very easily disturbed.

We did a climb. There was some evidence of damage from the heat to the rock, particularly on the walk in. All vegetation growing at the base, on the cliff and up the top is burnt. We did the walk down descent through the bowels of the cliff. That was ok and noticed the little rock gardens that are tucked away on the way down were partly burnt! The bolts I could see on The Infinite Saddness were black.

There were some green shoots on Eucalypts higher up, esp. nearer the cliffs. However, coming away I felt the area too fragile for people to use at that time. I'm not sure what it is like now, but I think it would still be a highly sensitive area. From the road there's not much regrowth and the walk in would still disturb the ground as there is no vegetation holding the earth together.

Bec