Gallery Pictures: Trip to Queensland, Australia

Climbing in Queensland, December 2002.

Well we're back from the QLD holiday. Drove home yesterday. Brisbane to Bendigo in exactly 24 continuous hours including breaks! In amongst lots of lazing by the beach, we did manage to get some climbing done. Many thanks to Phil Box for taking me up Mt Tibrogargan near the Glass House mountains. I led up a couple of pitches on the easy, but run out "Carborundum Chimney" as well as another quick pitch "Short and Sweet" 35m grade 13, and Phil gave me the grand tour on the classics. The climbing was a bit chossy in places and access perhaps a tad unnerving at times. Phil you're a mountain goat! - strolling down stuff in your tevas like it was the mall, while I had to carefully downclimb. Some of the routes we did were: *Carborundum Chimney 82 metre grade 11, ***Trojan 70m 13, *Short and Sweet 35m 13, **Black Orpheus 145m 10, ***Caves route 300m 2.

Above Right: Mt Tibrogargan as seen from the highway. We started climbing at 6am and I'd drained my 3 litre camel back by lunchtime despite the blissfully overcast weather. It takes several pitches to summit this attractive mount, but many of those can be just scrambles depending on the route you take. It's possible to simply hike up via the 300m caves route. Occasional belays consisting of nothing more than a single scrawny looking, tied off tree add to the adventure!

Above Left: Contemplating my lead on P2 of Carborundum Chimney. Those rusty pitons were few and far between! (Photo by Phil). Above Middle: Phil leading out of the belay cave on Trojan. This route contains some very fun moves. Above Right: Me topping out after seconding Phil's lead on Trojan. (Photo by Phil).

Click here for Phil's write up of the Tibrogargan day. He describes the rock fall that crashed down near us while we were on Trojan, and the almost benighted climbers we saw through-out the day.

We also spent some time top roping at Kangaroo Point in Brisbane. Now this place makes our comfortised Werribee Gorge look like a backcountry peak. KP has it all. Special concrete poles for top rope anchors. Seats, barbeques, lawn, drinking fountains, lights for night climbing, you name it. Most of the routes are even labelled. The only downer was the dirt. Recent rain had washed down sand onto the holds. We must have TR'ed about eight short lines before breakfast one day, and a similar number on another evening. No one climbs during the insanely hot day times when the rock itself toasts your fingers.

Above: Top roping at Kangaroo Point in the heart of Brisbane.

For a predominantly non-climbing holiday, I'm pleased to say I got some quality climbing done. We also hiked up Mt Flinders, and baked ourselves on various beaches. Did lots of swimming. At one point I swear I saw a small shark from a couple of meters away. Cast an eye over the Warrenbungles on the way up. That fin of rock looks way cool, though apparently climbing on it is banned.