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Climbing Guide To Victoria, Australia.
[ Guide Books | New Routes | Unsafe Fixed Equipment ]
Summary (PDF) Quick Stats
Climbs Hardest Busiest Rock Types
10,000+ 33 Arapiles Sandstone, Granite

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. 

Click To See Climbing Locations Pinpointed
(Map of the Western & Eastern locations).

Major Destinations   Push For The Summit

*Mt Arapiles, Natimuk

*Grampians, Stawell

*Mt Buffalo, Porepunka

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 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

Mt Beckworth, Clunes
Mt Cole National Park

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   Push For The Summit
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 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.
Jump to Glen Tempest's web site.

Grampians Selected Climbs (Version 2)
Simon Mentz & Glenn Tempest (2002)

Jump to VCC guide books

Northwest Victoria (Version 2)
A Rockclimber's Guide
Chris Watson & Bill Andrews (2002)

Jump to VCC guide books

Eastern Victoria
A Rockclimber's Guide

Mick Hampton, Robin Holmes, Paul Martin (2002)

Jump to Glen Tempest's web site.

Arapiles Selected Climbs
Simon Mentz & Glenn Tempest (1999)

Jump to VCC guide books

Mount Buffalo (Version 5)
A Rockclimber's Guide
Kevin Lindorff & Simon Murray (2006)

Jump to VCC guide books Southwest Victoria (Version 2)
A Rockclimber's Guide

Hugh Hardwick, Russ Crow, Bill Andrews, Chris Watson (2003)


New Routes   Push For The Summit

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.

Safer Cliffs Victoria
Reporting Unsafe Fixed Equipment   Push For The Summit

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   Push For The Summit
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:   Push For The Summit
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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