Victoria's major climbing destinations are Mt Arapiles and the Grampians in the west of the state and Mt Buffalo, an alpine region in the north-east. However, a plethora of smaller crags exist. Click on a destination below to see detailed information about selected climbs worth a look, tips and tricks of the area, beta on featured routes, and more. 

(Map of the Western & Eastern locations). Major Destinations    *Mt Arapiles, Natimuk *Grampians, Stawell Sport Climber's Guide Northern Grampians ACA Hollow Mountain Guide Inc Bouldering Asses Ear Bad Moon Rising Wall Centurion Walls Cut Lunch Walls Mt Stapylton Campground Mt Difficult Range Schroeder's Cliff Summer Day Valley The Plaza Strip Windjammer Wall Pt 447, Mt Zero Range The Black Range Black Ian's Rocks   - Bouldering Guide Central Grampians Mt Rosea Halls Gap Lunar Crag The Watchtower Weathered Wall Victoria Range Curiosity Crag Flatiron (PDF) Gondwanaland Grahams Creek Hollywood Bowl (PDF) Muline Crag Red Rocks The Far Pavilion (PDF) The Gallery The Tower *Mt Buffalo, Porepunka The Gorge The Cathedral The Horn Area The Hump Lake Catani & Surrounds Le Souef Plateau Eurobin Falls Climbing & Bouldering In Town Melbourne (Burnley Wall PFD Guide) Bendigo Banned / Restricted Climbing Victorian Areas New South Wales Pierces Pass (3 Meg, PDF Doc) Groseness (1 Meg, PDF Doc) Tasmania Northern Tasmania Northern Territory Topend Climbing Guide (PDF)

All Victorian Weather Forecasts "Just give me the Araps forecast!" Western Districts *Black Hill, Kyneton Bullengarook Quarry, Gisborne *Camels Hump, Mt Macedon Cobaw Bouldering, Lancefield Devil's Kitchen, Scarsdale Ironbark Gorge, Aireys Inlet Kyneton Quarry Leigh River Cliff, Grenville Loddon River Falls, Glenlyon Melton Creek Bouldering Meredith Areas   Moorabool River Areas *Mt Alexander, Harcourt Dog Rocks Wabbit Wocks Scorpion Rocks Lang's Lookout Blue Tongue Boulders Rabbit Rocks The Pull Out Mt Beckworth, Clunes Mt Cole National Park Ben Nevis Areas The Pinnacles Mt Hope, Pyramid Hill Mt Kooyoora, Inglewood Mt Korong, Inglewood Nigretta Falls, Hamilton Prufrock, Cavendish Staughton Vale Turpins Falls, Redesdale *Werribee Gorge, Bacchus Marsh You Yangs, Geelong burberry bags outlet Eastern Districts Beechworth Bouldering *Ben Cairn, Healesville Big Hill, Euroa Buchan Limestone Cape Woolamai, Philip Island *Cathedral Range, Buxton Cobberas Region, Benambra Felltimber (McFarlanes Hill) Gembrook Forest Mitchell River National Park Mt Bogong (Ice Climbing) Mt Buller (Ice Climbing) Mt Erica Rocks, Moe Mt Mittamatite, Corryong Mt Pilot, Beechworth Mt Stanley, Beechworth Mt Teneriffe, Euroa Pulpit Rock, Tallarook Rolling Stone Wall, Euroa Seven Acre Rock, Powelltown Strathbogie Ranges *Warragul Rocks, Tallarook Whipstick Gully, Warrandyte Wilson's Promontory

Please contact Chockstone with any feedback or contributions. The guide is continually being updated as we revisit our favourite local crags, but many areas of Victoria are not yet covered, especially the eastern districts. If you would like to write up an area, in a similar fashion, email pictures and text to Chockstone.

Recommended Guide Books   
There are literally dozens of guide books covering all areas within Victoria, Australia. Here are a few "must haves" to get your collection started. Most guide books are available from local climbing shops or the VCC....

Sublime Climbs First edition 2011, Lindorf, Goding & Hodgson A selected guide to the best rockclimbing venues in Victoria by Kevin Lindorff, Josef Goding & Jarrod Hodgson. Sublime Climbs is a full colour, 380 page guidebook which details rockclimbing at Mt Arapiles, Mt Buffalo and the Grampians. With over 700 described routes, countless stunning images, topos and maps, this is a select Victorian guidebook that won?t disappoint.

Grampians Selected Climbs (Version 2) Simon Mentz & Glenn Tempest (2002) Northwest Victoria (Version 2) A Rockclimber's Guide Chris Watson & Bill Andrews (2002) Eastern Victoria A Rockclimber's Guide Mick Hampton, Robin Holmes, Paul Martin (2002)

Arapiles Selected Climbs Simon Mentz & Glenn Tempest (1999) Mount Buffalo (Version 5) A Rockclimber's Guide Kevin Lindorff & Simon Murray (2006) Southwest Victoria (Version 2) A Rockclimber's Guide Hugh Hardwick, Russ Crow, Bill Andrews, Chris Watson (2003)

New Routes   
All first ascents should be sent in to the VCC Argus Editor. These will be recorded as documented new routes, reported in the Argus newsletter and eventually turn up in the next printed guide books.

Reporting Unsafe Fixed Equipment   
Please report bad bolts to the Safer Cliffs Victoria effort, either by posting to the forum or emailing info@safercliffs.org. Your donations are needed to maintain and replace un-safe fixed equipment (bolts and rap anchors) at Victorian crags. If you are involved in rebolting, please update the Rebolted Routes database. Technical Information on rebolting is available.
 

Australian Ewbank Grading System   
Courtesy of Ewbank himself...

STANDARDS:
The English grading system has been abused in Australia since 1951. Without discussing the why?s and wherefores, I shall try to explain the revolutionary system here. There is no ?mild? or ?hard? subdivisions. (e.g. ?mild? severe, ?hard? very difficult). No inferior or superior subdivisions (Dolomites system). e.g. 5 ?Inf?. 6 ?Sup?, No letters (S. Africa) e.g. El, E2, A, G. The 'Tarquitze Rock Decimal System' (U.S.A) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 5.1 to 5.10, 6.1 to 6.6.

My head is spinning already.This system is the simplest used so far, to my knowledge, in the world, It also has a chance of working. None of the others are doing so too well at present. This system starts, it has no finish. There are no sub-divisions. Each grade has its own separate number.

Grading takes the following into consideration. Technical difficulty, exposure, length, quality of rock, protection and other smaller factors. As these are more or less all related to each other, I have rejected the idea of 3 or 4 grades, i.e. one for exposure, one for technical difficulty, one for protection etc. Instead the climb is given its one general grading, and if any of the other factors is outstanding, this is stated verbally in the short introduction to that climb, e.g.

'Freds Frolic? 17. 302?-6? A fine climb, marred by poor rock at (crux) and poor protection on 4th pitch. etc, etc.

I feel that this system will soon be accepted, and the Americans seem to be thinking of something along similar lines.

As far as protection goes, the general terms ?good?, ?fair?, ?poor? are used. However, it should be noted that I have taken the use of modern gear into account, and therefore this point will vary according to the individual, the amount of "silent aids" he carries and his ability to use them.

MECHANICAL GRADING:
The system being used for grading mechanical climbs or pitches is similar to above, without so many different grades. The top grades of mechanical climbing in England is classed A.4. As pegging (?Artificial? ~ ?Mechanical?) is as variable in difficulty as free climbing., I have added more numbers on, with the prefix of the letter ?M?. A climb with a mechanical pitch and free climbing would be graded say, 15. M.3.

If a climb uses only one pitch (sic ? should read piton. Ed.) for physical aid, the climb is graded free and the piton mentioned. If a climb uses two or any number of pitons for physical aid, but they are separated by free moves then the climb is still regarded as free with aid. For example: Pitch 3. 60?. (crux). Straight up the groove, ?4 pitons for aid?. However if two aids are used in succession with no free climbing in between., then that particular section is regarded as mechanical. A climb, may therefore be free, aided, and mechanica1, though only the two grades are used - i.e. 18 and M.5. while the aided portion of the climb is described verbally in the description.

The easiest mechanical grade (M.1.) therefore applies to such things as two firm bolts, close together, in any easy position on good rock.

Further Reading:   
VCC Guide Books - For the aforementioned printed guides and many more.
Open Spaces Photography - For the excellent Mentz & Tempest guide books.
The Crag.com - Simons list of 10,000 routes in Victoria!
Neil's Online Guides - Covers several Grampians areas developed by Neil. Free climbing, bouldering, etc. Coming soon is a guide to Victorian ice climbing!
VI-Bouldering - For bouldeirng info in Victoria, Australia and beyond. Popular forum.
Rock Climbing.com - Their list of crags and routes, managed by Neil.
Will's Climbing Page - Descriptions of routes Will has climbed in numerous areas of NSW, VIC & QLD.
The Boulder Lounge - Includes an on-line bouldering guide to some areas of the Grampians.

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